The Basilica of St. John Lateran is considered the “mother of all churches” and the cathedral of Rome, symbolizing the transition from pagan to Christian history. Consecrated in 324 by Pope Sylvester I and later dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, it has undergone major transformations over the centuries, including the 18th-century façade by Alessandro Galilei and Borromini’s interior niches housing statues of the Apostles. Long the site of papal enthronements, the basilica remains central to Catholic life and is where the Pope celebrates the Holy Thursday Mass as Bishop of Rome.

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Located at the top of the Spanish Steps in Piazza di Spagna, the Church of Trinità dei Monti combines Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Its oldest Gothic section was built between 1502 and 1519, later expanded in the 16th century with a barrel-vaulted nave and a façade with twin bell towers by Giacomo della Porta and Carlo Maderno. Adjacent to the church is the convent founded in 1494, whose cloister preserves notable frescoes depicting the life of its founding saint and portraits of the kings of France.

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The Church of Dives in Misericordia, commissioned by Pope John Paul II to commemorate the Jubilee of 2000 and designed by architect Richard Meier, is a striking example of contemporary sacred architecture. Defined by three monumental curved “sails,” the building symbolizes the divine through circular forms contrasted with square elements representing humanity. Filled with natural light through its glazed roof and façades, the church is designed so sunlight enters directly only at specific moments, dramatically illuminating the crucifix behind the presbytery.

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Construction of Sant’Andrea della Valle began in 1591 under Gian Francesco Grimaldi and Giacomo della Porta and continued into the 17th century, with major contributions by Carlo Maderno, who enlarged the transept and built the monumental dome. The grand travertine façade was completed later by Carlo Rainaldi, emphasizing dramatic Baroque light and form. Inside, the Latin-cross church is famed for Maderno’s vast dome—second in size only to St. Peter’s—adorned with Giovanni Lanfranco’s soaring Baroque frescoes, and for the Barberini Chapel, known as the setting of a scene from Puccini’s Tosca.

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The Basilica of Sant’Agostino, located in the square of the same name, is one of Rome’s earliest Renaissance churches, originally founded in the 14th century and rebuilt between 1479 and 1483 under Cardinal Guillaume d’Estouteville. The church houses notable artworks, including a Bernini-designed main altar with a Byzantine icon of the Virgin and Child, as well as important paintings by Guercino and Lanfranco dedicated to Saint Augustine. Historically frequented by Roman nobility, the basilica reflects both artistic prestige and social life of Renaissance Rome.

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The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major was commissioned by Pope Sixtus III and built beginning in 432 AD after the Council of Ephesus affirmed Mary as Mother of God. Largely preserving its original early Christian structure, the basilica features a three-nave plan divided by Ionic columns and a wooden truss roof. Located on the Esquiline Hill, it is renowned for its exceptionally rich decorations, which blend early Christian themes with the artistic language of imperial Rome.

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The Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli stands on the Capitoline Hill, built in the 6th century on the ruins of the Temple of Juno Moneta and named after a legend linking the site to a prophecy made to Emperor Augustus. Originally a Benedictine abbey and later entrusted to the Franciscans, the church was transformed into its present Roman-Gothic form and became a major civic and religious center in medieval Rome. Notable for its three-nave interior with reused columns and important frescoes by artists such as Pinturicchio, the basilica also offers sweeping views of Rome from its monumental staircase.

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The original St. Peter’s Basilica was built around 320 by Emperor Constantine over the traditional burial site of the Apostle Peter and was completely rebuilt between the 15th and 17th centuries by masters such as Bramante, Michelangelo, and Bernini. The present basilica is defined by Carlo Maderno’s monumental façade, Michelangelo’s vast dome, and Bernini’s masterpieces, including the colonnaded St. Peter’s Square and the bronze Baldachin over the papal altar. Today, St. Peter’s remains one of the largest and most important churches in the world and also houses the Treasury Museum.

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The Basilica of Maxentius, begun in 308 by Emperor Maxentius and completed by Constantine, once stood on the Velia Hill on the site of the former Horrea Piperataria. Constantine altered its orientation and added a monumental entrance connecting the Via Sacra to the basilica. Rectangular in plan with three naves, the vast central nave was supported by towering Corinthian columns, fragments of which are now preserved in the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori, while one surviving column was relocated in 1613 to Santa Maria Maggiore.

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The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, located at the highest point of the Eur district and the scene of numerous clashes during the Second World War, is one of the greatest examples of architecture in modern Rome. Dedicated to the Patron Saints of Rome and designed by Arnaldo Franchini, an architect and university professor who worked alongside Marcello Piacentini during the design of numerous architectural works of the regime. The Basilica is characterized by a cross shape. It has a reinforced concrete structure with a central cube and a hemispherical dome, the second highest in the city after that of St. Peter's Basilica.

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The Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian, dedicated to the physician saints martyred in 303 AD, was created in the 4th century by uniting two ancient Roman buildings and later entrusted to the Franciscans in 1512. Its present Baroque appearance dates to the papacy of Urban VIII, while the interior features a single nave, a richly decorated coffered ceiling, and exceptional early Christian mosaics. The apse and triumphal arch preserve masterpieces from the 6th–7th centuries, depicting Christ, the Apostles, the titular saints, and scenes from the Apocalypse.

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The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls is one of Rome’s four papal basilicas and the second largest after St. Peter’s. Its 19th-century façade by Luigi Poletti is adorned with mosaics, while the 13th-century cloister by Jacopo and Pietro Vassalletto is a masterpiece of medieval art, distinguished by paired marble columns richly decorated with mosaics. The adjoining Benedictine monastery preserves gardens inspired by biblical tradition, including the Garden of the Simples, where medicinal plants are cultivated according to centuries-old monastic practices.

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