Religious tours of Rome

Since the very first Jubilee in 1300, a number of specific Jubilee itineraries have been followed by pilgrims. In order to obtain indulgence and pardon for sins, pilgrims had to complete well-defined itineraries connecting the most important sacred sites in Rome. From north to south and east to west, these nine itineraries link the four patriarchal basilicas, St. Peter's, St. John Lateran, St. Paul's Outside the Walls and St. Mary Major, the stational churches (those near the patriarchal basilicas, where pilgrims would gather for their visit to the main basilica), the national churches (reference points for foreign pilgrims), early Christian basilicas (places of worship from the early centuries of Christianity) and the catacombs (sacred sites of early Christianity).