Praying With The Saints
In Rome
A Guide For Finding And Praying With The Saints
Throughout The Liturgical Year
In Rome.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
April
April 2nd
Optional memorial of Francis of Paola, hermit
St Francis of Paola (d. 1507, Plessis, France) (Relics: Paola, Italy)
In the 15th century St Francis of Paola founded a new religious community of friars called the Minims. This community, whose name expresses the great humility that they strive for, has a long history in Rome.
San Francesco di Paola ai Monti
(Saint Francis of Paola at the Hills)
Piazza di San Francesco a Paola 10
Rome, Italy
*This church is near the Cavour metro stop. It is dedicated to St Francis of Paola and has served in the past as the Generalate for the Order of Minims. Recently, however, the church has suffered structural damage and is currently not open.
Santissima Trinità dei Monti
(Most Holy Trinity of the Mounts)
Piazza della Trinità dei Monti
Rome, Italy
*This church is at the top of the Spanish Steps. St Francis of Paola established this church with the help of King Charles VIII to provide a place for the Order of Minims in Rome. It remained in possession of the Minims until it was suppressed in 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
*The second chapel on the right side of the nave is dedicated to St Francis of Paola.
Sant'Andrea delle Fratte
(Saint Andrew of the Bushes)
Via Sant'Andrea delle Fratte 1
Rome, Italy
*This church is near the Spanish Steps. It is administered by the Order of Minims.
*The chapel in the right transept is dedicated to St Francis of Paola.
*The third altar on the left side of the nave is where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Ratisbonne, an agnostic Jew, in 1842. Ratisbonne converted on the spot. In 1918 St Maximilian Mary Kolbe (d. 1941) offered his first Mass in this very same chapel.
San Rocco (Saint Roch)
Largo San Rocco 1
Rome, Italy
*This church is near the Tiber River just west of the Spanish Steps.
*The first chapel on the right side of the nave is dedicated to St Francis of Paola.
Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
(Our Lady of the Sacred Heart)
Corso del Rinascimento 27
Rome, Italy
*This church is at Piazza Navona.
*The third chapel on the right side of the nave is dedicated to St Francis of Paola.
La Maddalena (The Magdalene)
Piazza della Maddalena 53
Rome, Italy
*This church is just north of the Pantheon.
*The first chapel on the right side of the nave is dedicated to St Francis of Paola.
*In the chapel in the right transept is a miraculous crucifix that is said to have spoken to St Camillus de Lellis.
*In the third chapel on the right side of the nave are the remains of St Camillus de Lellis. He lived in the adjacent monastery and died here in 1614. His rooms can be visited by asking the sacristan. One of these rooms has been transformed into a chapel and contains the relic of his heart.
April 4th
Optional memorial of Isidore, bishop and doctor
St Isidore (d. 636, Seville, Spain) (Relics: Leon, Spain; Murcia, Spain)
April 5th
Optional memorial of Vincent Ferrer, priest
St Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419, Vannes, France) (Relics: Vannes, France)
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
(Our Lady Above Minerva)
Piazza della Minerva 42
Rome, Italy
*This church is near the Pantheon.
*Within the fourth chapel on the left side of the nave is a painting depicting St Vincent Ferrer at the Council of Constance.
*The body of St Catherine of Siena (d. 1380) rests under the main altar.
San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentni
(Saint John the Baptist of the Florentines)
Via Acciaioli 2
Rome, Italy
*This church is just east of the Vatican. It is next to the Tiber River and the Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
*The first chapel on the right side of the nave is dedicated to St Vincent Ferrer.
*A relic of St Mary Magdalene’s foot rests in a shrine to the left of the main sanctuary.
Santi Quirico e Giulitta
(Saints Quiricus and Julitta)
Via Tor dei Conti 31/A
Rome, Italy
*This church is east of Piazza Venezia
*The first chapel on the left side of the nave is dedicated to St Vincent Ferrer. The painting above the altar depicts St Vincent Ferrer and St Nicholas of Bari adoring the Christ child.
April 7th
Memorial of John Baptist de la Salle, priest
St John Baptist de la Salle (d. 1719, Saint-Yon, Rouen, France) (Relics: Rome, Italy)
Casa Generalizia dei Fratelli delle Scuole Cristiane
(Generalate of the Brothers of Christian Schools)
Via Aurelia 476
Rome, Italy
*Located west of the Vatican.
*The remains of St John Baptist de la Salle were transferred here in 1937. They now rest in the sanctuary of the church.
April 11th
Memorial of Stanislaus, bishop and martyr
St Stanislaus (d. 1079, Kraków, Poland) (Relics: Kraków, Poland)
San Stanislao alle Botteghe Oscure
(St Stanislaus at the Hidden Shops)
Via delle Botteghe Oscure 15
Rome, Italy
*This church is near Piazza Venezia. It is dedicated to St Stanislaus. It is not open often.
*All liturgies are in Polish
April 13th
Optional memorial of Martin I, pope and martyr
St Martin I (d. 655, Chersonesus Taurica or ‘Cherson/Kherson’, Ukraine) (Relics: Rome, Italy)
Pope Martin I ardently opposed the heresy of Monothelitism and the attempts by Emperor Constans II to halt debates over it. As a result, he was exiled to Crimea in 654 AD. A year later he died in exile.
San Martino ai Monti
(Saint Martin at the Hills)
Viale Monte Oppio 28
Rome, Italy
*This church is south of the Basilica of St Mary Major.
*The greater part of the remains of St Martin I were transferred from Crimea to this church in Rome. They now rest in the confessio below the main altar. This confessio also houses the relics of many other saints taken from the Catacombs of Priscilla.
*A tradition claims that the pope, St Sylvester I (d. 335), and many other bishops met here to prepare for the Council of Nicaea. They then reconvened at this same church after the Council to announce the newly formulated Nicene Creed. Constantine was in attendance for this. The large painting on the left side of the nave created in 1640 recalls one of these meetings. However, this tradition is often tied to the ‘Symmachian Forgeries’ thus throwing some doubt on its credibility. Nevertheless, it does seem probable that some agreement was achieved between Constantine and St Sylvester I that allowed for the success of the Council of Nicaea.
April 21st
Optional memorial of Anselm, bishop and doctor
St Anselm (d. 1109, Canterbury, United Kingdom)
Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino
(Saint Anselm on the Aventine)
Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta 5
Rome, Italy
*This church is located on the Aventine Hill just south of Circo Massimo. It is dedicated to St Anselm.
April 23rd
Optional memorial of George, martyr
St George (d. 303, Lydda, Palestine) (Relics: Lod, Israel; Rome, Italy)
San Giorgio in Velabro
(Saint George in Velabro)
Via del Velabro 19
Rome, Italy
*This church is just east of Tiber Island.
*Part of the skull of St George rests beneath the main altar. (Other shrines throughout the world also claim to have the relic of his skull.)
April 23rd
Optional Memorial of Adalbert, bishop and martyr
St Adalbert [Wojciech in Polish] (d. 997) (Relics: Rome, Italy; Prague, Czech Republic; Gniezno, Poland)
San Bartolomeo all'Isola
(Saint Bartholomew on the Island)
Piazza San Bartolomeo, Tiber Island
Rome, Italy
*The Holy Roman Emperor, Otto III, began building San Bartolomeo all’Isola in 998 to honor his friend St Adalbert who had recently been martyred. An arm of St Adalbert is currently enshrined in the chapel to the left of the main sanctuary. It rests within a little metal box placed under the altar of this chapel.
*Relics of the apostle, St Bartholomew, rest within the red porphyry basin that supports the main altar.
*Enshrined in each of the side altars are relics of recent martyrs from around the world.
*This church also housed the relics of St Paulinus of Nola (d. 431) for about 1000 years until they were transferred to the Italian city of Nola in 1909.
April 24th
Optional memorial of Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest and martyr
St Fidelis of Sigmaringen (d. 1622, Grüsch, Switzerland) (Relics: Feldkirch, Austria; Chur, Switzerland)
Santa Maria della Concezione
(Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception)
Via Veneto 27
Rome, Italy
*This church is just north of the Barberini metro stop.
*The fifth chapel on the right side of the nave contains a painting of St Fidelis of Sigmaringen. It is placed upon the right side-wall of this chapel.
April 25th
Feast of Mark, evangelist
St Mark (d. Alexandria, Egypt) (Relics: Venice, Italy; Cairo, Egypt)
San Marco (Saint Mark)
Piazza San Marco 48
Rome, Italy
*This church is on the west side of Piazza Venezia. It is dedicated to St Mark the Evangelist.
*The church was founded in 336 by a pope who took the name of Mark. The remains of this pope and not the evangelist rest beneath the main altar.
April 28th
Optional Memorial of Peter Chanel, priest and martyr
St Peter Chanel (d. 1841, Futuna Island, Pacific Ocean) (Relics: Futuna Island)
April 28th
Optional Memorial of Louis Grignion de Montfort, priest
St Louis Grignion de Montfort (d. 1716, Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre, France) (Relics: Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre, France)
April 29th
Memorial of Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor
St Catherine of Siena (d. 1380, Rome, Italy) (Relics: Rome, Italy; Siena, Italy; Venice, Italy)
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
(Our Lady Above Minerva)
Via del Beato Angelico 35
Rome, Italy
*This church is near the Pantheon.
*The body of St Catherine of Siena rests under the main altar. She spent the last two years of her life in Rome before her passing in 1380. A devotional chapel made out of the room where she died can be visited by entering the sacristy. Originally this room was located a few blocks away at Via Santa Chiara, 14. However, in the 1630s it was reconstructed and brought here.
*Along the walls of the Capranica Chapel, located just to the right of the main sanctuary, are a number of frescoes by Giovanni de’ Vecchi that depict scenes from the life of St Catherine of Siena. Her remains rested in this chapel from 1430 to 1855.
Monastero della Madonna del Rosario a Monte Mario
(Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary at Monte Mario)
Via Alberto Cadlolo 51
Rome, Italy
*This monastery is on Monte Mario northwest of the Aurelian Walls.
*The left hand of St Catherine of Siena rests within the church at this monastery.
Cappella del Transito di Santa Caterina da Siena
(Chapel of the Transit of Saint Catherine of Siena)
Palazzo Santa Chiara
Via Santa Chiara, 14
Rome, Italy
*This small chapel is located within the Palazzo Santa Chiara just a few blocks from the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. It marks the very spot where St Catherine of Siena died. The original walls and floor have been moved to Santa Maria sopra Minerva as noted previously. However, in 1638 the room was renovated and made into the chapel as seen today. Ask at the front desk for access.
Santa Sabina (Saint Sabina)
Piazza Pietro d'Illiria 1
Rome, Italy
*This church is located on the Aventine Hill just south of Circo Massimo.
* The large chapel on the left side of the nave is dedicated to St Catherine of Siena. The painting above the altar in this chapel, entitled Madonna of the Rosary, was completed by Giovanni Battista Salvi in 1643.
Santa Francesca Romana
(Saint Frances of Rome)
Piazza di Santa Francesca Romana 4
Rome, Italy
*This church is next to the Roman Forum.
*To the right of the sanctuary is the tomb of Pope Gregory XI (d. 1378). He returned the papal seat to Rome after the exile in Avignon. St Catherine of Siena (d. 1380) was instrumental in persuading him to return. A relief depicting her involvement can be seen on the tomb.
* The remains of St Frances of Rome (d. 1440) are in the crypt below the main sanctuary. Her skeleton is vested in the habit of the Oblate Sisters.
*Two flagstones within the right transept of the church are said to bear the imprints of the knees of St Peter. According to a legend the magician Simon Magus levitated in the Roman Forum to demonstrate that his powers were superior to those of Peter. In response, Peter fell to the ground in prayer causing the knee imprints in the stone. Simon Magus then immediately fell to his death.
Santa Caterina da Siena in Via Giulia
(Saint Catherine of Siena on Via Giulia)
Via Giulia 162/A
Rome, Italy
*This church is located on Via Giulia between the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the Tiber River. It is not open often.
*The painting in the main sanctuary depicts the mystical marriage of St Catherine of Siena.
Santa Caterina a Magnanapoli
(Saint Catherine at Magnanapoli)
Salita del Grillo 37
Rome, Italy
*This church is east of Piazza Venezia and it is dedicated to St Catherine of Siena. It serves the Italian military.
April 30th
Optional memorial of Pius V, pope
St Pius V (d. 1572, Rome, Italy) (Relics: Rome, Italy)
Basilica of St Mary Major
Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore 42
Rome, Italy
*This basilica has two large transept chapels. The chapel in the right transept contains the remains of St Pius V. His body is enshrined on the left side of this chapel.
*Within the porphyry base of the Papal Altar in the main body of this church are some relics of St Matthias. Also prominently placed within the confessio below this altar are five pieces of wood believed to be from the crib of Jesus Christ.
*The remains of St Jerome (d. 420) were brought to this basilica in the 12th century. There is some doubt as to their exact location. They either rest under the Papal Altar within the main body of the church or within the confessio in the right transept.
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
(Our Lady Above Minerva)
Piazza della Minerva 42
Rome, Italy
*This church is near the Pantheon.
*The sixth chapel on the left side of the nave is dedicated to St Pius V.
*The body of St Catherine of Siena (d. 1380) rests under the main altar.
*Note: The Memorials and Feasts listed above with an asterisk are specific to the National Calendar of the United States of America as requested by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and approved by the Holy See.
