Jubilee 2025 women patron saints of Europe and Doctors of the Church

Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Saint Catherine of Siena

As early as the eighth century, historical sources mention a small church at this site that Pope Zachary donated to the community of Basilian nuns who had fled from the East.

It was only from 1256 onward that the friars preachers settled there.

During the Napoleonic occupation, between 1797 and 1814, the convent was requisitioned and used as an infantry barracks, causing extensive damage to the structure. The friars later abandoned the complex around 1810, following the suppression of religious orders. They returned only in 1825.

In 1871, the Italian state definitively expropriated the church, and only in 1929 did it grant the friars use of some of the building's rooms.

Since the Second World War, the Finnish community has regarded this basilica as a religious point of reference. Every year, on January 19, the feast day of Saint Henry of Uppsala, bishop and patron saint of Finland, a solemn Mass in his honor is celebrated in the Capranica Chapel, where there is a wooden statue depicting Saint Henry.

Finally, the basilica houses not only the remains of Blessed Angelico, proclaimed patron saint of artists by Saint John Paul II in 1984, but also those of Saint Catherine of Siena, who became a Doctor of the Church in 1970 and is now the patron saint of Rome, Italy, and Europe.

Basilica of Saint Bridget in Campo de’ Fiori

Saint Bridget of Sweden

The church is part of a large building complex that includes the house where Saint Bridget of Sweden lived with her daughter, Saint Catherine, from 1350 onward. After her death in 1373, the building was entrusted to the Swedish monastery of Vadstena.

However, when Sweden embraced the Lutheran faith around 1500, the complex was occupied by Olaus Magnus, the exiled Archbishop of Uppsala.

The church and the complex changed hands several times. Each of the owners carried out various restorations and modernizations, both of the church and of the rooms associated with the life of Saint Bridget.

To this day, the church remains the national church of the Swedes.

Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria

Saint Teresa of Ávila

The original building was constructed starting in 1495, on the site where a house belonging to the Jewish banker Daniel Norsa had stood.

Historical sources recount that, in 1493, the banker had removed a sacred image from the façade, arousing the anger of the people, who, during the procession for the Feast of the Ascension, had insulted his house and thrown stones at it. The citizens also demanded that the sacrilege be punished by demolishing the house and constructing a sacred building, financed directly by the banker.

The church owes its name to the victory over the Bohemians in the Battle of White Mountain, near Prague, in 1620. According to the story, during a difficult moment in the fighting, Father Domenico di Gesù e Maria, the army chaplain, intervened. He had with him a portrait of Mary adoring the Child that suddenly began to shine, blinding the opposing forces and forcing them to flee. In 1622, the miraculous image was transferred to the church.

Furthermore, the current building houses the famous sculptural group created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini depicting the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Ávila. The work portrays a moment in the saint’s life when, according to her biography, an angel pierced her heart with a golden arrow, causing her immense joy but also profound pain.

Trinità dei Monti

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus

Originally, the church was named “Trinità del Monte,” most likely in reference to the Roman hill on which it stands, the Pincian Hill. Construction of the first building was completed in 1585, when it was consecrated by Pope Sixtus V.

The pope had also entrusted the famous architect Domenico Fontana with designing a road connecting this church with Saint Mary Major. Seeing the difference in elevation created by the excavation work, Fontana also designed the monumental double-flight staircase that still provides access to the church today.

Next to the church stands the convent founded by Francis of Paola in 1494.

Basilica of Saint Cecilia in Trastevere

Saint Hildegard of Bingen

The Basilica of Saint Cecilia stands on the ancient home of the saint, who was martyred around 230 AD. According to tradition, the woman was tortured for three days in the caldarium and finally beheaded for trying to convert several members of her family to Christianity.

The writings recount that Pope Urban I, after witnessing the torture, gave the body a proper burial and consecrated the house, transforming it into a church that, already in the 6th century, thanks to Saint Gregory the Great, became the original basilica.

The saint’s body is venerated in the crypt. According to tradition, Pope Paschal I found it in the catacombs of San Callisto after Saint Cecilia appeared to him in a dream and indicated the exact location of her burial. The pope therefore consecrated a new church in 821, building it to replace the previous one.

Moreover, in 1599, when Cardinal Sfondrati had Saint Cecilia’s tomb opened, the woman’s body was miraculously found intact, dressed in white and with wounds on her neck. Stefano Maderno was therefore commissioned to create a marble statue reproducing the exact position in which the body was found.

Basilica of Saint Augustine in Campo Marzio

Built in 1483 by Jacopo da Pietrasanta on a former place of worship dedicated to Saint Tryphon, it is an artistic and spiritual gem in the heart of Rome. Commissioned by Cardinal Guglielmo d’Estouteville, its façade features stones from the Colosseum.

The interior, rich in works of art, boasts frescoes by Raphael and a distinguished library, the Angelica Library.

The main chapel, designed by Orazio Torriani, dates back to 1628. Caravaggio’s work “The Madonna of the Pilgrims,” in the Cavalletti Chapel, presents a revolutionary depiction of Mary, welcoming and close to everyday life.

The statue of the “Madonna of Childbirth” was created in 1516 by Jacopo Tratti, known as Sansovino. It is considered the protector of women in labor.

The basilica is a monument steeped in history and art, framed by Saint Augustine’s mission to build a just and noble world, a city of God.