No 1 Ultimate Guide to Lenten Station Churches of Rome

The ancient tradition of visiting certain churches in Rome, known as Station Churches, during the solemn season of Lent is like a mini-pilgrimage and journey in faith.

History of the Station Churches of Rome

From the earliest exhortation of Jesus to Peter to feed His lambs and feed His sheep, the role of the Bishop of Rome has been to build up the Body of Christ within his jurisdiction by nourishing the faithful as a father, teacher, doctor, gardener, shepherd, leader and protector. Whilst the Catholic Church was undergoing intense persecution in the first centuries, then the Bishop did this in a personal and hidden way. However, with the legalisation of the Church in 313 A.D. the Bishop could more openly & visibly interact with his flock. As Pope Benedict XIV noted in his UBI PRIMUM (On the Duties of Bishops) in 1740 from Santa Maria Maggiore, the Bishop has the ‘the obligation of visiting [his] churches […] in order to acquaint [himself] with [his] sheep and with the appearance of [his] flock.’ Indeed we know that from the 4th century onwards, the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, would interact with different parishes of his diocese by visiting different churches at different times. These visitations were often linked to the liturgical calendar – for example saying Holy Mass at Santa Croce on Good Friday, or Santa Maria Maggiore at Christmas, but also linked to different relics and deaths of the Roman martyrs. As time went on, the schedule of these visits became more formalised as the liturgical calendar became more concrete by the second half of the 5th century.

Lent and Station Churches

During the solemn liturgical season of Lent – a time for the Christian to refocus on God through prayer, fasting and almsgiving – the Bishop of Rome assisted his flock in this spiritual time of preparation for Easter in a kind of pilgrimage through his diocese with his flock. Reminiscent of the pilgrimage of the Jews in the desert before they reach the promised land, the Pope would therefore visit a different church for each day of Lent focusing on different areas of the city like a patchwork. In the weeks before the beginning of Lent, the three large basilicas outside the walls were visited – St Paul Outside the Walls, St Lawrence Outside the Walls and St Stefano Outside the Walls from Septuagesima Sunday until Quintagesima Sunday. This formed a ring of prayer around the city before the season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday. In accordance with the structure observed in the latter part of the first millennium, the populace would assemble in the mid-afternoon alongside the Pope at a designated church, commonly referred to as the “collectum.” Following a series of prayers, the congregation would then proceed in procession to the “statio,” where Mass would be celebrated. The usage of the term “statio” for this concluding point holds a connection with the custom of fasting observed during these days. Christians of that era drew parallels between their fasting and prayer practices during Lent and the duty of soldiers on guard, viewing their actions with a similar level of solemn dedication. Consequently, the term “statio” became associated with the Eucharistic ceremonies conducted on days of fasting. Over time, it evolved to encompass all churches where the principal liturgical observance of the city was scheduled to take place on a particular day.

Lenten Schedule of Station Churches

The order of the Station Churches was originally set in around the 5th century but would undergo several changes in following centuries with the ravaging of time. The current order was essentially fixed by the time of the Council of Trent in the 16th century with some churches having been lost. To learn more about the Catholic faith, visit crucis.cc Please find a list of the Station Churches with their corresponding date below, together with one of our tours that either includes the Station Church or which is in the near vicinity:

Lenten Day	Station Church	Associated Tour to Learn More
Ash Wednesday	Santa Sabina	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Thursday	San Giorgio al Velabro	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Friday	Ss. Giovanni e Paolo	Roman Martyrs Tour
Saturday	Santa Maria dell’Anima (replacing S. Agostino)	Baroque Tour
Sunday – WEEK I	San Giovanni in Laterano	St John Lateran Tour
Monday	San Pietro in Vincoli	Sts Peter & Paul Tour
Tuesday	Sant’ Anastasia al Palatino	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Wednesday	Santa Maria Maggiore	St Mary Major Basilica Tour
Thursday	San Lorenzo in Panisperna	St Lawrence Tour
Friday	Santi Dodici Apostoli	Sts Peter & Paul Tour
Saturday	San Pietro	St Peters Tour
Sunday – WEEK II	Santa Maria in Dominca	Roman Martyrs Tour
Monday	San Clemente	St Clement Underground Tour
Tuesday	San Bartolomeo all’Isola (replacing Santa Balbina)	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Wednesday	Santa Cecelia in Trastevere	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Thursday	Santa Maria in Trastevere	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Friday	San Vitale	Monti Tour
Saturday	Santi Marcellino e Pietro	Via Crucis Tour
Sunday – WEEK III	San Lorenzo fuori le Mura	St Lawrence Tour
Monday	San Marco al Campidoglio	Sts Peter & Paul Tour
Tuesday	Santa Pudenziana al Viminale	Via Crucis Tour
Wednesday	San Sisto
Thursday	Santi Cosma e Damiano	Roman Canon Tour
Friday	San Lorenzo in Lucina	St Lawrence Tour
Saturday	Santa Maria della Vittoria (replacing Santa Susanna)
Sunday – WEEK IV	Santa Croce in Gerusalemme	Via Crucis Tour
Monday	Santi Quattro Coronati	Roman Martyrs Tour
Tuesday	San Lorenzo in Damaso	St Lawrence Tour
Wednesday	San Paolo fuori le Mura	Sts Peter & Paul Tour; Basilica of St Paul Tour
Thursday	Santi Silvestro e Martino	Via Crucis Tour
Friday	San Eusebio all’Esquilino	Via Crucis Tour
Saturday	San Nicola in Carcere	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Sunday – WEEK V	San Pietro	St Peters Tour
Monday	San Crisogono in Trastevere	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Tuesday	Santa Maria in via Lata	Sts Peter & Paul Tour
Wednesday	San Marcello al Corso	Baroque Tour
Thursday	Sant’ Apollinare	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Friday	San Stefano Rotondo	Roman Martyrs Tour
Saturday	San Giovanni a Porta Latina	7 Pilgrim Churches Tour
Palm Sunday – HOLY WEEK	San Giovanni in Laterano	St John Lateran Tour
Monday	Santa Prassede all’Esquilino	Via Crucis Tour
Tuesday	Santa Prisca all’Aventino	Religious Life Trastevere Tour
Wednesday	Santa Maria Maggiore	St Mary Major Basilica Tour
Maundy Thursday	San Giovanni in Laterano	St John Lateran Tour
Good Friday	Santa Croce in Gerusalemme	Via Crucis Tour
Holy Saturday	San Giovanni in Laterano	St John Lateran Tour
EASTER SUNDAY	Santa Maria Maggiore	St Mary Major Basilica Tour

San Clemente is one of Rome’s most revealing churches for understanding the continuity between the Apostolic Age, early Christian worship and medieval Catholic Rome. Read why San Clemente matters to Catholic history or explore it on the St Clement’s Basilica Underground Tour.