Day two, part one.

(For Day 1 in Rome, click here.)

For our second day in Rome, our first destination was Papale Arcibasilica Del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano or the Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in the Lateran or plainly, the Lateran Basilica. This is the seat of the Roman Pontiff aka the Pope.

We then proceeded to the Scala Sancta or the Holy Stairs. They're a set of 28 white marble steps incased in wood. Most devotees climb these steps on their knees to honor the Passion of Jesus Christ. When we were there, restoration work was ongoing and for the first time in 300 years, the marble steps were uncovered, hence the influx of visitors and devotees. The renovation was also the reason why I wasn't able to take a photo of the exterior of the entrance as it was covered in tarps and bars.

Here are some random snapshots I shot before entering the Basilica:

 

The second Basilica we went to was the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore or Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome.

So I'm gonna end this post here or else it's gonna turn into a very long, very annoying post. Next, I'll share lunch, more photos in Rome, the Colosseum, and one more church, St Paul's Outside the Walls. See ya!