Santuario della Scala Santa & Sancta Sanctorum

San Giovanni & Testaccio


The Scala Santa, said to be the staircase Jesus walked up in Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem, was brought to Rome by St Helena in the 4th century. Pilgrims consider it sacred and climb it on their knees, saying a prayer on each of the 28 steps. At the top, behind an iron grating, is the richly decorated Sancta Sanctorum (Holy of Holies), formerly the pope’s private chapel.

Behind the sanctuary building you’ll see a showy brick facade adorned with a gold apse mosaic. This is the Triclinium Leoninum, an 18th-century reconstruction of a wall from the original Palazzo Laterano.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San Giovanni & Testaccio attractions

1. Triclinium Leoninum

0.04 MILES

This showy brick facade adorned with a gold apse mosaic is an 18th-century reconstruction of the end wall of the banqueting hall in the original Palazzo…

2. Palazzo Laterano

0.07 MILES

Palazzo Laterano was the official papal residence until the pope moved to the Vatican in 1377. Adjacent to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, it's…

4. Obelisk

0.1 MILES

Overlooking Palazzo Laterano, this is said to be the world's largest standing Egyptian obelisk. Topping off at almost 46m, it's also the oldest of Rome's…

5. Battistero Lateranense

0.14 MILES

Built by Constantine in the 4th century, this octagonal baptistery served as the prototype for later Christian churches and bell towers. The chief point…

6. Museo Storico della Liberazione

0.15 MILES

The apartment block at Via Tasso 145 was the headquarters of the German SS during the Nazi occupation of Rome (1943–44), and now a small and sombre museum…

7. Palazzo Merulana

0.26 MILES

Housed within the splendidly restored Palazzo Merulana, this impressive museum exhibits artworks sourced from the Elena and Claudio Cerasi Foundation (the…

8. Basilica dei SS Quattro Coronati

0.42 MILES

This brooding fortified church harbours some lovely 13th-century frescoes and a delightful hidden cloister, accessible from the left-hand aisle. The…