From Tourist to Pilgrim

Michelangelo's Pietà requires no introduction, a masterpiece seemingly descended from heaven, which moves us and invites us to reflection. Countless eyes have met the gaze of Our Lady, and untold prayers have been offered before this image, carved by Michelangelo when he was only twenty-three years old.

In the apse mosaic of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cross represents Christ, who is flanked by the Blessed Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. The four saints alongside Christ hold scrolls with texts attesting to His divinity. From the Cross flow streams of water, from which deer drink, an allusion to Psalm 42:1: “As the deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God.”

The body of St. Paul the Apostle was buried around three kilometres from the site of his martyrdom, in a burial site along the Via Ostiense that belonged to a devout Christian woman named Lucina. Shortly afterwards, the tomb would become a place of worship and veneration, as recounted by Fr. Edmund Power, OSB, Abbot Emeritus of the Abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The Basilica of St. Mary Major is filled with many chapels, which range from extremely ornate to humble. Built by popes, cardinals and pious confraternities, their ancient mosaics tell the history of salvation. The Baptistry and the relic of the Holy Crib, in which Jesus was laid in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem, complete the ensemble of splendors contained within the Marian Basilica's walls. Each column, painting, sculpture, and ornament of this Basilica resounds with history and the prayers of our forebearers, as explained by Andreas Raub, Artistic-Scientific Director of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

The tomb of the first Pope, St. Peter, was at first a modest burial site, on which a small funerary aedicule was built around one hundred years after the Apostle's martyrdom. The presbyter Gaius commemorated the site at the end of the second century, according to the historian Eusebius of Caesarea (Ecclesiastical History, 2, 25, 6-7). Often referred to as the "Trophy of Gaius," the aedicule pointed early Christians to the tomb of Peter, which was the destination of devout pilgrimages, even before the time of the Emperor Constantine.

Bernini’s goal in designing the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica was to make the pilgrim experience wonder. As we gaze with the eyes of a pilgrim, we see the choir singing at Mass and the incense rising to Heaven, as the Holy Spirit erupts into the Church and we become a special part of this mystery. "From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

Rome's tourist Mecca par excellence, the Colosseum has stood for almost two thousand years. The magnificent amphitheater once built for the bloodlust of the Romans later became the greatest monument commemorating the Passion of Christ and His first followers. Its lesson is not how human beings can be seduced by the mob’s love of violence, but that the message of Christ's peace retains the power to persuade and transform, despite the passing of centuries. "From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

The Spanish Steps owe their existence to pilgrimage. When pilgrims made their way along what is known as the Via del Babuino and Piazza di Spagna, they had to make their way up a hill in order to get to the road that leads to St. Mary Major. King Louis XV offered to build a set of stairs that spread out at the bottom to gather people together, resulting in an embrace that seems to reach the Trinity at the very top. "From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

Everyone has heard the old adage that all roads lead to Rome, but the numerous Madonnelle—images of the Blessed Virgin Mary gracing every path in the city—are a reminder that the road we are really looking for leads to her Son, Jesus. "From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

It's impossible to mistake Saint Paul's Outside the Walls for anything but a pilgrimage Church. To get there, you have to walk a mile outside of the city walls. It sits along the Via Ostiense, the road that leads out to the sea and is flanked by the Tiber River. In many ways, it seems like a fitting resting place for the super-pilgrim Saint Paul, who walked thousands of miles in order to preach Christ Crucified to the Gentiles. "From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.