Rome's Four Patriarchal, or Papal, Basilicas

A video guide of the four major Basilicas of Rome you must visit to complete a Papal pilgrimage.
The main distinction of the Papal Basilicas is that they each have a special "holy door". These doors are only opened during Jubilee years. All one's sins will be forgiven if one manages to go through each of these doors within one day in one of these holy years. Unfortunately the last Jubilee was in the year 2000, so the next holy year is still 13 years away.
The only ones allowed to celebrate Mass in these basilicas are the Pope or those especially delegated by the Pope.
"Major Basilica" is the title given to the four highest-ranking Roman Catholic churches:
ST. PETER'S BASILICA
This building replaced "Old St. Peter's Basilica", a Romanesque structure begun by Constantine in 323 on the site of the crucifixion of St. Peter. The obelisk which stands in the middle of St. Peter's square originally stood in Nero's circus, having been brought to Rome in 40 AD by Caligula and was thus witness to the deaths of numerous Christian martyrs, including St. Peter. It was moved to its current location in 1586. The present Basilica was constructed between 1506 and 1667.
Virtual Tour:
www.vatican.va/...
BASILICA OF ST. MARY MAJOR
This is the only one of the patriarchal basilicas to retain its original structure, although it has been embellished and added on to over the centuries. It is believed to be the oldest church in the west dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The lovely legend of Our Lady of the Snows is associated with the construction of this church.
Virtual Tour:
www.vatican.va/...
BASILICA OF ST. JOHN LATERAN
The first basilica was dedicated on this site in the early 300s. From that time until the 1300s, it was the principal residence of the popes. It is still officially the seat of the Patriarch of Rome. The current church dates from the 17th century.
Virtual Tour:
www.vatican.va/...
BASILICA OF ST. PAUL'S OUTSIDE THE WALLS
The site of St. Paul's martyrdom, originally outside the city of Rome. A first, rather small, basilica was built by Constantine around 320. A larger basilica, built in 390, was destroyed by fire in 1823. The current basilica is intended to replicate the original structure.
You also may want to take an online virtual tour of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. (This is also the basilica with the famous portraits of all the popes on the walls.)
Virtual Tour:
www.vatican.va/...

[@laurenmikhal]

Hi! This is Mikhal from GMA News and Public Affairs! Im wondering if we can borrow some of the shots from your video for our holy week special. We'll put courtesy under your name or youtube channel. Hoping for your immediate response. Thanks!

[@TheJavierClan]

Go ahead

[@SedContraApologia]

I just was blessed to go to Rome for a week and got to see these 4 amazing churches and also about 30-40 other ones that have rich history, amazing architecture and a sense of the tie between this world and the divine. Rome is great for vacations and seeing things for non Catholics for sure but for the faithful it is a life changing experience. I watched this video in the planning of my trip as to prepare for the 4 Papal Basilicas. Thank you for posting this!

[@MrJunadekhan]

thank you for this beautiful video, I recently came back from Rome and really felt gods presence in the churches, a very special place and sacred

[@popest.victori5389]

im feeling blessed of being CATHOLIC. this kind of video is very informative and it uplifts my CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN beliefs. thank you Lord Jesus that we belong to Your Holy Church with Mother Mary our intercessor. lol from the Philippines.

[@isabellakyle8360]

Thank you for this video. This is nicely done and very informative. The music is beautiful too.

[@tothmea12]

Very beautiful and informative video. Thanks

[@500courtsquare]

I believe the music is the Agnus Dei (Adagio) Opus 11, of Samuel Barber, performed by the Choir of New College, Oxford. directed by E. Higginbottom.

[@davemacdonnachadh7165]

Correct

[@jeffreylombardo782]

@@davemacdonnachadh7165 They copped it from "Platoon" and "The Elephant Man".

[@arkon6084]

All visited in April this year (2017). They are so beautiful.

[@kingleo7281]

Godbless💕 the Catholic Church all over the world🇻🇦

[@AlexandreOliveira1974]

By Grace I visited the 4 Basilicas at the Meeting of the Families (IUBILAEUM 2000). I had 1 1/2 year of marriage. It was amazing. Nice video! The Church is facing huge dficulties; nevertheless she will prevail. Christ granted that to all of us. Virgine Maria et Sanctorum Domini, orate pro nobis. Christe, audi et exaudi nos.

[@almeggs3247]

Beautiful God bless you for this!

[@joebenavides6012]

Beautiful! I also love the background music.

[@galleryguide9913]

One minor correction. The basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest church dedicated to Mary in Rome, but not the world. Some of the French and Spanish cathedrals dedicated to Mary are actually larger as is the cathedral of Milan as well as some churches in Europe as well as South America.

[@SalvatoreEscoti]

The Roman basilica was a large public building where business or legal matters could be transacted. The first basilicas had no religious function at all. As early as the time of Augustus, a public basilica for transacting business had been part of any settlement that considered itself a city, used in the same way as the late medieval covered market houses of northern Europe, where the meeting room, for lack of urban space, was set above the arcades, however. Although their form was variable, basilicas often contained interior colonnades that divided the space, giving aisles or arcaded spaces on one or both sides, with an apse at one end (or less often at each end), where the magistrates sat, often on a slightly raised dais. The central aisle tended to be wide and was higher than the flanking aisles, so that light could penetrate through the clerestory windows. The oldest known basilica, the Basilica Porcia, was built in Rome in 184 BC by Cato the Elder during the time he was Censor. Other early examples include the basilica at Pompeii (late 2nd century BC). Probably the most splendid Roman basilica (see below) is the one begun for traditional purposes during the reign of the pagan emperor Maxentius and finished by Constantine I after 313 AD.

[@bijogeojose7209]

And what's your point?

[@bennjanja2382]

i dont see your point here?

[@SalvatoreEscoti]

@@bennjanja2382 Just information about the history of the buildings, we now call Basilica.

[@SalvatoreEscoti]

@@bijogeojose7209 My point is just Information.

[@ernestinellamas2793]

Truly inspiring!

[@joemiller6259]

Wonderful video

[@joymunda7371]

Wow beautiful Church

[@doctormesta]

Well done

[@mmk1756]

It's so sad that everywhere in Italy are empty now!

[@XX-gy7ue]

lovely

[@XX-gy7ue]

BUONA PASQUA , HAPPY EASTER 2018 🐇🌈🐥❇

[@यतोधर्मःततोजयः]

Nice.

[@musica-donodelcielo2161]

Thanks! Beautiful video!

[@AntPDC]

Thank you for this interesting upload. The captioning at 3:40 is incorrect, in that it should be qualified to read "...the Mother Church of all *Roman* *Catholic* churches in the World".

[@ThanhPham-hp2hr]

Correctly.

[@philipcarpenter6430]

No, the video had it correct

[@barrettdipaolo8603]

Since it was the first publicly consecrated Christian church in the world, it is rightly the "Mother and Head of All Churches of the City and the World." The property was given by Emperor Constantine the Great to Pope Miltiades in AD 313, just after the Edict of Milan legalized Christianity, and the basilica was consecrated in AD 324 by Pope Sylvester I.

[@RezaChity-G]

The only Christian Churches in the world are ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES.

[@Nico-dl7cp]

@@RezaChity-G you're wrong, there are Eastern Catholic Churches

[@abdirevandio1687]

Why doesn't the Catholic church approve the other four Patriarch?

[@EgelCarigma]

St Peter Basilaca

[@jeevasargunam117]

AVE MARIA AMEN

[@ealfred25]

What is the name of the music used in this video?

[@bconroy2]

I believe that is Gabriel Faure's Pavanne, a simply beautiful and worshipful piece of music.

[@yippieyayeahschweinebacke6043]

Samuel Barber, Agnus Dei.

[@rivenoak]

@@yippieyayeahschweinebacke6043 without lyrics it would be "Adagio for Strings"

[@lilpenny1982]

Philippines flag at the end #SoProud

[@sharonsmith1203]

keeping of the seventh day (Saturday) Sabbath as found in the Ten Commandments of God.

[@bijogeojose7209]

@Howard Williams Thank you for this wonderful response. God bless.

[@rr7firefly]

The video is a good brief visual account of the principal churches, but I had to wince when I saw that at Santa Maria Maggiore they claim to have a relic of Christ's manger from Bethlehem. The possibility of that being authentic is infinitesimally small, if not nil. Think about it. Could historians actually locate a thing made of corruptible materials?

[@al4381]

Noe Berengena A lot of relics from the early church were claimed to be very specific objects from the life of Jesus, and to each their own if they wish to believe it, I happen to be skeptical, even as a devout orthodox Christian. For instance, the early church located the basins in which our Lord made water into wine, and I got a lot of critique when I pointed out the fact that the basins probably were used as regular basins for 300 years until they were discovered by St Helena, by which time at least some must have broken or been replaced. If it is a growth for your faith, fine, believe in it, but I remain skeptical, even woth the argument that the Holy Spirit would have guided them to the right relic

[@rr7firefly]

+al4381 -- How many rosaries are there that purportedly contain a sliver of the True Cross? There must be thousands of them in Rome alone. I remember seeing one when I was in Catholic grade school. Much later on, I had to wonder how and where these wood slivers were encased? One could also ask who was holy enough to be hired for this work?

[@al4381]

Well you do not need to be holy to obtain relics. Monks used to do this kind of work. I mean cons are held to be holy like relics, and the making of a proper icon is meant to be strict, like painted by a monk during constant prayer and to let the image reveal itself and such. We do not know whether St Helena really found the true cross, the one she found had the plaque which according to the gospels was hung above the head of our Lord, and she cut the whole thing in thirds in order to ensure at least one piece of the True cross would make it back to Constantinople, and afterwards, small slivers were shared all around the Chrstian world. The waistband of the Virgin is stored in a cathedral in Syria, and so many threads from that band have been taken to churches of Mary in the oriental orthodox world that there is hardly anything left there, and what is is stuck in the floor, making it impossible to share anymore than what is available of said waistband. One piece of thread was taken from Baghdad to Sweden recently in the opening of a syriac orthodox church of Mary. As I said, I believe the belief in relics is harmless. but it won't harm you to be skeptical either

[@rr7firefly]

+al4381 -- I do not want to be the one who quashes the beliefs of anyone who uses a relic to achieve a certain frame of mind. Reverence is preferable to a world of cynicism and moral abandon. All the same, I keep seeing news stories of people flocking to a kitchen where a tortilla on the skillet was flipped and someone "saw" the face of Jesus. Or someone cuts a tree branch and an image of the Virgin Mary magically appears. Inevitably the faithful arrive and look bewildered until someone points out the details to them: "See, there is her crown and there is her arm holding a globe and her mantle is on the side and she looks like she is crying because of the sins of the world." The viewer gasps and falls to her knees, suddenly clued in to the special perspective. People grab whatever evidence they have to connect with the divine.

[@AntPDC]

...and parts with loads more dosh.

[@gerrydelacruz8081]

Ahhhh, a Philippine flag at 7:40

[@Chiefab22]

The Holy Roman Catholic Church

[@TWOCOWS1]

where was john calvin to take care of these "relics" and paganism?

[@TWOCOWS1]

@Fred Flintstone you idol worshipping pagan papists, passing yourselves as christians. smells and bells, plus idols and icons....

[@bijogeojose7209]

Because we Christians believe that everyone will be saved through Jesus, but John Calvin was like " You must believe in Jesus, but if you were meant to go to hell, then you will".

[@TWOCOWS1]

uh, my mistake. so heaven is built for catholics only,to include mussolini. but not even other christians, let alone the non-christians. guess what Bojo, that cesspool of bigotry and ignorace you call heaven alone suit you well

[@bijogeojose7209]

@@TWOCOWS1 I did say you have to believe in Jesus to be saved. I don't think you would contradict that. Now are the catholics the only ones to be saved? No. Surely you're not that dumb. If you believe in Jesus and live a good Christian life, you do have a chance to go to heaven. I say 'chance' because only God knows a person from the inside. People who believe in bogus theories of Jesus like the Calvinists, Jehovas witnesses, the Mormons, or that he was just a prophet, like it is taught in Islam, are dead wrong in their believes.

[@TWOCOWS1]

yes i heard you right: only your type of people will get to heaven, while the rest of humanity--the children of god, would all go to hell. fabulous. that hole you call heaven suits you well, and your type only. give our regards to the guy wearing red and wagging his tail

[@SonicPhonic]

Beautiful churches, but the relics are dubious: remnants from the stable of Jesus in Bethlehem?

[@AntPDC]

Agreed. These "relics" have been used for centuries to draw pilgrims and shedloads of dosh. Same with "indulgences".

[@bijogeojose7209]

Relics have always had a huge role in Christian life. If a postcard of a place brings back those beautiful memories you had, the same was done by the relics. Because that was the only way anyone could ever come close to being with the event. Same for relics of saints, the passion of our Lord, etc. But why hold on to past things that are dead? Because they are a reminder to us of who we are and what we believe in.

[@TheAlmightyFather]

I am catholic. But how are they able to find a relic of the manger where christ was born when they can't even know what christ did before he started preaching? They can't find what he did on those missing years but has a relic of a manger where animals live? How was that possible? I smell bs on that one. Faith alone cannot justify that. Afterall, the early days of the church is full of downsides, corruption and atrocities.

[@wfcoaker1398]

There were many relics in the Middle Ages: a feather from the wing of the angel Gabriel and a vial of the Virgin's milk among them. There was said to be enough fragments of the True Cross to build Noah's Ark! There are 2 heads of John the Baptist, one in Malta, the other on Mount Athos. There's a atory that when this was brought up to a mink from Athos, he said the Maltese had John's head when he was a younger man, whereas theirs was from when John was older. Lol

[@bijogeojose7209]

True. Not every piece of relic can be justified by faith alone. But relics which are historically justifiable, such as the place of crucifixion, is reliable. There are two of them, yes. One which has its roots deep in history, and the other, a gesture from protestants to show that they belong and putting up false facts for it.

[@sharonsmith1203]

More abominations to our Creator.

[@Epir1]

I think you're protestant

[@brotheryoungtrad217]

@@Epir1 yup, clearly a heretic

[@Epir1]

@@brotheryoungtrad217 no, I'm Catholic

[@brotheryoungtrad217]

@@Epir1 no I meant he's the heretic. I knew you're catholic. Stay strong brother!

[@bennjanja2382]

meaning?