"Quo Vadis" - Early Christianity and the Catacombs

Catacombs, San Clemente, Saint John in Lateran, Scala Santa, Lateran Baptistry.

Duration: 4 hours

For centuries Rome has been a place of pilgrimage for Christians throughout the world. The growth of the Catholic Church from its humble origins as a clandestine and outlawed community to its status as a major world religion is one of the most fascinating tales that Rome has to tell. We trace the development of the Christian community in Rome with visits to some of the most incredible subterranean sites in the city - the Basilica of San Clemente, an 11th century church whose medieval mosaics are unsurpassed in Rome, built on top of an earlier 4th century basilica, which is itself built over the remains of a house believed to be the meeting place of the first Christians in Rome. The excavations we visit also include a mithraeum, a meeting-hall for a pagan mystery religion which was long considered a rival to the Christian faith. We visit the catacombs, the burial grounds of the early Christian community in Rome, whose fame continues to attract pilgrims. The tour also visits the mother Church of the Roman Catholic Church, the magnificent Lateran Cathedral and Palace, which houses some of the most important relics of the Christian Church in Rome, including the famous Scala Santa, or Holy Stairs, which pilgrims ascend on their knees in honour of the tradition that these were the steps of the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem which Christ stood upon during his trial. The baptistry constructed here by Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, is the first in Rome, and its splendour is a fitting tribute to the greatest story ever told. The tour is an in-depth survey of the origins of Christianity told against the background of some of the most spectacular, and lesser-seen, sites in the eternal city.

To book this tour

Total Price (1 to 4 people, adults or children): Euro200

for each additional adult, add Euro40

for each additional child, add Euro20