Scala Santa (the Holy Staircase, the 28 marble-clad steps housed in the Palazzo della Scala Santa adjacent to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano at the Piazza di Porta San Giovanni, Rome): the specific relic whose tradition holds that these are the steps of the Praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, the steps that Jesus Christ ascended and descended on the day of his trial before his Passion, the steps that the Empress Helena (the mother of Constantine the Great) brought from Jerusalem to Rome in approximately 326 AD after the Edict of Milan (313 AD) ended the Christian persecution. The Scala Santa is the most specifically tactile pilgrim experience in Rome: the Church grants an indulgence to the faithful who climb all 28 steps on their knees while praying, and the specific physical act (the 28 steps on bare knees, the prayer at each step, the approximately 20-minute ascent) creates the most deliberately penitential pilgrim experience available in any Roman sacred site.
The Luther visit: Martin Luther climbed the Scala Santa on his knees during his 1510-1511 visit to Rome as an Augustinian monk, seeking the papal indulgence (the specific plenary indulgence granted to those who completed the devotional ascent). The tradition records that Luther, halfway up the stairs, heard a voice saying "Der Gerechte wird aus dem Glauben leben" (the just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17): whether the story is historically documented or retrospectively constructed, Luther's biographers have consistently identified the Scala Santa experience as a formative moment in his theological development toward the doctrine of justification by faith alone that the 1517 Ninety-Five Theses would make famous.
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Scala Santa: The 2019 Uncovering, the Climb, and the Sancta Sanctorum
The 2019 Original Marble Uncovering
Scala Santa 2019 restoration: the marble steps (the original ancient marble surface that tradition identifies as the Pilate staircase) had been covered by protective walnut wood planking since Pope Innocent XIII ordered the covering in 1723, the wood protecting the marble from the pilgrim knee-wear that 13 centuries of devotional climbing had produced. In 2019, the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Vatican authorized the temporary removal of the wood planking during restoration work, revealing the original white marble surface (with the centuries of devotional knee-wear visible as the specific smooth depressions at the center of each step) for the first time since 1723. The 2019 uncovering (open to the public for 2 months) drew 200,000 visitors who chose to see the uncovered marble before the wood protection was re-installed. The specific 2019 discovery: the original marble carries ancient Latin inscriptions, Crusader-period graffiti, and the specific wear pattern from 13 centuries of pilgrim ascent that the 300-year wood covering had protected.
Scala Santa: tours & tickets
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See availability & prices →Compare tours on Viator →We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.The Devotional Ascent
The Scala Santa devotional climb (the specific pilgrimage practice, the 28 steps on bare knees, praying at each step): the three parallel staircases (the central Scala Santa proper, reserved for the kneeling devotional ascent, and the two lateral stairs for ordinary descent and for visitors not performing the devotion): the specific physical experience of the kneeling ascent (the marble surface through the wood covering, the 28 steps taking 15-20 minutes for the devout ascent with prayer at each step, the other pilgrims on adjacent steps performing the same ascent simultaneously): the most specifically medieval pilgrim experience available in Rome, unchanged in essential character from the 13th-century pilgrim's experience. Open daily 6:30-12:30 and 15:30-18:30 (times vary by season). Free.
The Sancta Sanctorum
Sancta Sanctorum (the "Holy of Holies", the private papal chapel at the top of the Scala Santa, the most sacred room in medieval Rome after the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem): the chapel (the specific 13th-century Cosmati-decorated interior with the miraculous icon of Christ, the Acheiropoieton, the "not made by human hands" image that the medieval tradition identified as painted by Saint Luke and completed by an angel): the Sancta Sanctorum is the only room in Rome where the medieval papal treasury was kept during the papacy's Roman period, and the only room in the Lateran complex whose 13th-century decoration survives intact. Visits by advance appointment through the Vatican Museums administration.
Q&A: Scala Santa Rome
Can non-Catholic visitors climb the Scala Santa?
Yes, the Scala Santa is open to all visitors regardless of religious affiliation. The specific etiquette for the non-Catholic visitor: the central staircase (the Scala Santa proper) is reserved for the devotional kneeling ascent, if you aren't performing the devotion, use the lateral stairs for your ascent and descent. The kneeling pilgrims on the central stairs are performing a specific religious act that deserves the silence and respect that you would give any active religious practice. The lateral stairs (the ordinary stairs flanking the central Scala Santa) provide the standard pedestrian access to the Sancta Sanctorum level and are appropriate for the visitor who wants to observe the devotional practice without participating.
What is the indulgence granted for climbing the Scala Santa?
The plenary indulgence (the specific Catholic theological remission of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven through the Sacrament of Penance) granted for the Scala Santa devotional ascent: the current indulgence attached to the Scala Santa requires (as all plenary indulgences require) the sacramental confession, reception of the Eucharist, prayer for the intentions of the Pope, and the performance of the specific work (the kneeling ascent of the 28 steps). The specific Scala Santa indulgence has been confirmed by multiple popes including Pope Francis in 2016.
Internal Links
- Laterano: Scala Santa e San Giovanni nel Circuito
- Roma Papale: I Siti della Devozione Medievale
- Roma Sacra Fuori Stagione: La Scala Santa
- Fotografare la Scala Santa: I Pellegrini in Ginocchio
- Elena Augusta: Le Reliquie da Gerusalemme a Roma
- Roma Devozionale: I Siti Meno Conosciuti
- Scala Santa: Ingresso Gratuito e Orari 2026
