Scala Sancta

Holy Stairs are a set of 28 white marble steps that are Roman Catholic relics located in an edifice on extraterritorial property of the Holy See in Rome, proximate to the Archbasilica of Saint John in Laterano. Officially, the edifice is titled the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs and incorporates part of the old Papal Lateran Palace. Replica stairs flank the original staircase, which may only be climbed on one’s knees. According to Roman Catholic tradition, the Holy Stairs are the steps leading up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem on which Jesus Christ stepped on his way to trial during his Passion. The Stairs reputedly were brought to Rome by Saint Helena in the fourth century. Since the early 1700s, the Holy Stairs have been encased in wood for protection, but have been briefly exposed in 2019 following restoration work.