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Rome’s finest churches [photos]
The seat of the Roman Catholic Church for over one and a half millennia, the beautiful cityscape of Rome is inexorably shaped by its magnificent religious edifices. According to some estimates, there are over 900 in total. Here we take a look at the city’s 11 most important and spectacular basilicas and churches.
Arcibasilica Papale di San Giovanni in Laterano (Basilica of St John Lateran)
The official seat of the Pope (Bishop of Rome)…The Basilica of St John Lateran is the highest ranking church in the Catholic Church
Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore (Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore)
Impressionistic splendour ... Some of the oldest iconographic depictions of the Virgin Mary from Christian Late Antiquity can be found inside the 1,600 year-old Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome
Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura (Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls)
Saint Paul’s final burial place ... The stunning frescos are worth the visit alone to this, the second largest of Rome’s four papal basilicas
Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (Basilica of St Lorenzo Outside the Walls)
Restored façade ... The basilica – once devastated by Allied bombing during WWII – is the final resting place of both St Lawrence, one of the first seven deacons of Rome, and Pope Pius XI
Sant’Andrea della Valle
Phenomenal frescos ... Giovanni Lanfranco’s stunning dome frescos, completed in 1627, were considered the benchmark for several decades
Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere (Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere)
Life of the Virgin ... Magnificent 13th-century mosaics by Pietro Cavallini in the apse of Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome
Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Basilica of Saint Mary Above Minerva)
Rome’s only Gothic church ... Visit to see Filippino Lippi’s 15th-century frescos over the alter and Michelangelo's Christ the Redeemer statue
San Pietro in Montorio
The site of St Peter’s crucifixion ... The Tempietto in the courtyard, considered a masterpiece of High Renaissance architecture, was built by Donato Bramante as a commemorative tomb
Santi Giovanni e Paolo
Tribute to martyrdom ... This ancient church built in 398 was commissioned to commemorate two Roman soldiers who were martyred by Emperor Julian the Apostate
Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
1725 façade by Ferdinando Fuga ... Of the many priceless artefacts retained by the church is a 13th-century Pietro Cavallini mural depicting Final Judgement
(Images: Basilica of St Peter – tiseb; Basilica of St John Lateran – © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons; Basilica of Saint Mary Above Minerva – Wknight94 / Wikimedia Commons; Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo – Panairjdde; Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere – Luca Volpi; San Pietro in Montorio – spaceodissey; Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva – Wknight94 / Wikimedia Commons)
