Early Christianity Tour Rome

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Rome Early Christianity Tour – An Exploration of the Underground Church and Beyond

The Crucis Early Christianity Tour explores the very beginnings of the Christian faith with Relics of the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ, making a spiritual journey through the lives and legacies of the early martyrs and early Christianity. This Early Christianity Tour spans the origins of Christianity with the death of Jesus, into the early Church with St Clement and the early Roman martyrs through to the legalisation of Christianity and finally the pilgrimage practices of the Middle Ages.

From the birth of Christianity until the empire decriminalised its practice, followers of Christ were persecuted throughout the pagan world. On the Early Christianity Tour your Catholic guide will explain why the early Church was persecuted, the secret signs and symbols that the early Christians used and the juxtaposition of the old pagan culture with the new Christian one.

The Early Christianity Tour will begin with a fascinating journey through the archaeological dig in the house of St Clement (the 4th pope from the 1st Century), before travelling up through the centuries to the excavations of the 4th century Basilica of the legalised Church, and finally to the stunning 12th century Basilica of St Clement on street level.

There’ll be a few moments for you to pray before the relics of St Clement and also the relics of St Ignatius of Antioch, and Saints Cyril & Methodius – the Apostles to the Slavs. Your expert guide will then explain the symbolism and message of the architecture and the magnificent golden mosaics. This explanation sets the scene for the rest of your pilgrimage journey, during which you’ll explore the notions of suffering, martyrdom and the very crux of our faith – the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Our Early Christianity Tour then continues on foot to the Holy Steps brought from Jerusalem to Rome in the 4th century. These Holy Steps are the stairs of the Roman Praetorium on which Pontius Pilate twice judged Jesus. Unfortunately, you won’t have chance to climb the stairs on your knees during the tour (as per the medieval tradition) but your guide will show you the Holy Steps and also point out the fascinating miraculous icon that lies at the top in the Sancta Sanctorum.

[NB. For pilgrims wishing to climb the Holy Steps on their knees, you can arrange to do this in your own time or book our standalone tour of St John Lateran that allows pilgrims to climb the Holy Steps at the end of the tour.]

From there our Early Christianity Tour explores the build up to the legalisation of Christianity and the origins of the Cathedral of Rome, St John Lateran. Your guide will explain the significance of Jubilee Years and the main features of the basilica, including the artwork, relics and more golden mosaics.

Please note that in order to pass through the Holy Doors as pilgrims you should first register as so and book time-slots here. Your group will be in the vicinity of the St John Lateran Holy Door from around 11.00am. Please contact us with any queries on this.

The spiritual experience of the Early Christianity Tour climaxes at perhaps the most spiritually important church in the world, where pilgrims can see the most holy artefacts and Relics of the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus. This experience is absolutely not to be missed by those interested in the life and suffering of the earliest Christians, who lived in the very epicentre of a hostile and brutal world.

We recommend early booking for our Early Christianity Tour due to the popularity of the relics and the demand for the places on one of the best tours in Rome.

If you’re interested in the Crucis Early Christianity Tour, also check out our Saints Peter & Paul Rome Tour, running on Friday afternoons, which also includes another of the Holy Doors of the Major Basilicas of the Jubilee Year!

We endeavour that all pilgrims on our guided visits to Major Basilicas will pass through the Holy Doors unless prevented by unforeseen circumstances beyond our reasonable control. Nobody gets skip-the-line access.

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