Scala Sancta or Holy Stairs

28 April 2019

The Scala Sancta or Holy Stairs are a set of 28 white marble steps that are believed to be the stairs that Jesus climbed during his trial at Pontius Pilate’s palace before His crucifixion.

History:

The Holy Stairs are believed to have been brought from Jerusalem to Rome in the early 4th Century by Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine. These stairs were opened to the public by Pope Sixtus V in 1589 when he had the Papal Lateran Palace, then in ruins, demolished to make way for the construction of a new one. He ordered the Holy Stairs to be reconstructed in their present location, before the Sancta Sanctorum (Holy of Holies), named for the many precious relics preserved there. However, since 1723, the marble staircase had been encased in wood as the then Pope, Innocent XIII, gave orders for the steps to be covered as it could no longer bear the weight of millions of pilgrims, who famously ascend on their knees to earn indulgences as per the Catholic tradition.

As part of a long drawn restoration project, the stairs were closed to visitors for almost 300 years. However, on April 11 2019, the wooden framework has been removed and the bare marble steps are now opened for pilgrims for the next two months till June 9 being the Feast of Pentecost.

Devotion:

For centuries there is devotion attached to these stairs. Pilgrims from all over the world come and meditate on the Passion of Jesus Christ by climbing the stairs on their knees. Drops of Jesus' blood that are said to have fallen on the steps are marked by medieval crosses in three places on the stairs. Pilgrims stop to kiss and touch them as they make their way up the 28 marble steps on their knees. The Holy Stairs lead to the Church of Saint Lawrence in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum (Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum) or simply the "Sancta Sanctorum" (English: Holy of Holies), which was the personal chapel of the early Popes and it contains relics of saints and one of the oldest icons of Jesus found in Rome, dating back to the fifth century.

Several popes have performed this devotion. At one time, in the Roman Catholic Church, a plenary indulgence was conceded for climbing the stairs on the knees. Pope Pius VII on 2 September 1817 granted those who ascend the Stairs in the prescribed manner an indulgence of nine years for every step. Finally, Pope Pius X, on 26 February 1908, conceded a plenary indulgence as often as the Stairs are devoutly ascended after Confession and Holy Communion.