Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The Basilica of S. Maria in Trastevere, is supposedly the first official place of Christian worship built in Rome and certainly the first dedicated to the cult of the Virgin. According to the legend, the church was built in 340 on the oratory founded by Pope Callixtus I in the 3rd century, when Christianity had not yet spread.

The Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore or "Liberian Basilica" (of Pope Liberius), is one of the four papal basilicas of Rome, located at the top of the Esquiline Hill, at the top of the Cispio, between Mount Rione and the Esquiline. This basilica has the peculiarity of having preserved the primitive structure of early Christianity, although enriched by successive additions.

The current church of Santa Maria Nascente was rebuilt between 1829 and 1837 in the place of the old medieval cathedral. The bell tower dates from 1896 and the two statues of the Virgin and the patron saint Genesio on the façade were placed in 1899. In 2010, a small fire destroyed a modern altar and blackened furniture.

At the beginning of the century, St. Benedict, who was from a good family and trained in Rome, retired near an ancient Roman villa in a cave in Subiaco. Over the years, there are no less than 13 monastic communities around Subiaco, including the one that later took the name of Saint Scholastica. The territorial abbey of Subiaco, or Abbey of Santa Scholastica, was formed in the 11th century from dismembered territories of the diocese of Tivoli. In the 9th century, the monastery of Saint Scholastica was devastated twice by the Saracens, in 828-829 and 876-877. After its reconstruction and enlargement, the Abbey of Sainte-Scholastique had its hours of glory in the 11th and 12th centuries.

The church of Santi Luca e Martina was founded in the 7th century, probably by Honorius I, who is also credited with the foundation of the neighbouring church of Saint Hadrian. The church was restored by Pope Alexander IV in 1256, and the patronage of Saint Luke (patron saint of painters) was added to the church by Sixtus V in 1588.

The Santo Volto di Gesù Church, built between 2003 and 2006, is one of the most successful examples of modern religious architecture in Rome. The building is based on a project by architects Piero Sartogo and Nathalie Grenon.

The sanctuary of the Icona Passatora was built around 1480 to incorporate a small aedicula called "Madonna di Canalicchio", named after the locality. According to tradition, the image dates back to the beginning of the 14th century and was considered "miraculous" because it dispensed graces. The interior of the church, which contains frescoes by local artists, has remained practically unchanged from the end of the 15th century to the present day.

The Sanctuary of the Holy Virgin of the Succession, also known as the Church of St. Augustine, was built in the 12th century and became the seat of the Augustinian fathers, who added a monastery, attested to as early as 1319. Completely renovated between 1750 and 1759, the church was enriched in 1780 with an elegant stone façade by Pietro and Gregorio Palmieri.

The Sanctuary of the Holy Virgin Marcelliana was built between 1841 and 1844 on an old medieval church. In 1939, the Franciscan monastery was built next to the church. After the Second World War, due to the increase in the population of the village of Panzano, the parish of the Madonna Marcelliana was created.

The sanctuary of the Consolata, or Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione, is one of the oldest places of worship of Turin. It is now used by the Consolata Missionaries congregation.