Pilgrimage

Rome is famous as the capital of Christianity and the city of a thousand churches . With a fresh perspective on the history of the Roman Catholic church recounted for the millennial jubilee, visit forty sacred buildings, from the ancient catacombs to the most recent churches raised in the sprawling suburbs, and become swept up in the stories of each one: S. Stefano Rotondo, built to honor Christianity's first martyr, has close and mysterious associations to Christ's own tomb in Jerusalem; S. Maria Sopra Minerva is filled with art treasures and the ghosts of protagonists from medieval Rome; S. Andrea al Quirinale, with its oval shape, theatrical altar, and splendid dome, epitomizes the Baroque at its height. End with the origins of jubilees and the churches dedicated to them. Plus: an introduction by Pope John Paul II's chosen deputy for the Great Jubilee.