RELIQUARY
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The Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta)
Passion relic
ACCEPTED
Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs
Rome, Italy
PROVENANCE
28 marble steps from Pontius Pilate's praetorium in Jerusalem, which Christ ascended during his trial. Brought to Rome by Helena, c. 326.
HISTORY
Pilgrims have ascended these stairs on their knees for centuries. Luther supposedly climbed them in 1510 before his crisis of faith. The stairs were encased in walnut wood for protection but were unveiled for restoration in 2019 — the first time the marble was visible in 300 years.
One of the most viscerally powerful relics: pilgrims physically reenact Christ's path. The embodied experience of knee-pilgrimage transcends mere viewing.
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