St Peter’s Square and Basilica

Holy Week in Rome. There are very few examples of Pageantry with a capital ‘P’ grander than Holy Week in Rome.

The Pope himself delivers several masses between Palm Sunday and Easter, and tens of thousands of pilgrims and fellow travelers are on hand to celebrate with him.

The following will give you an idea of what’s going on and when; most services take place in St Peter’s Square or inside the Basilica (consider a walking tour in Rome to get your bearings). You can certainly expect crowds in Rome and the Vatican during Easter Week. But for Catholics and religious-minded travelers (frankly, for anybody and everyone who appreciates ritual and pomp) , the experience of Easter Week is unforgettable.

Palm Sunday (March 16)
Palm Sunday, a sort of prequel, starts off Holy Week in the morning with the Pope’s blessing of the palms in St Peter’s Square. At the end of the mass, the Pope usually sends a special message - the ‘Angelus’ - to the youth of the world.

Holy Thursday (March 20)
After a few days’ break (the Pope will honor his predecessor on Holy Monday), during which you might notice a steadily increasing population density in and around the Vatican, the Easter celebration begins in earnest. On Holy Thursday (also called ‘Maundy Thursday’), the Pope performs a rare morning mass, known as the ‘Mass of the Chrism’, in St Peter’s Basilica (’chrism’ is a mixture of olive oil and balsam, which, once blessed, is used in some of the sacraments). In the evening, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper commemorates Christ’s bathing of the feet of the Apostles.

Good Friday (March 21)
On Good Friday, instead of a mass, choirs sing St John’s version of Christ’s crucifixion. Later that night, the Pope traces the Via Crucis, or Stations of the Cross, from the Colosseum to Palatine Hill. This torch-lit procession is one of the grandest, most solemn things you can witness in Rome.

Saturday
Saturday night is traditionally the time of the Easter Vigil, when the Pope celebrates a late mass in St Peter’s Basilica. This is also traditionally when converts are accepted into the Catholic Church.

Easter Sunday (March 23)
On Easter Sunday, the Pope says mass in St Peter’s Square. Despite the crowds - typically this is the most attended event of Holy Week - you should be able to spot the Holy Father, high above the square on a balcony of the church. At noon, he delivers the ‘Urbi et Orbi’ message - ‘to the city and the world - in which the Pope grants forgiveness to those present and to Catholics world wide.

St Peter’s Basilica from the Tiber

Being there
Although these events are generally free, some require tickets (a must if you want a seat, or in some cases if you want to get in at all). For Catholics, this is usually arranged through your bishop. You might also try the American Seminary in Rome. For non-Catholics, it’s a bit dicier, but you might try the American Seminary.

The official Vatican liturgical calendar for Holy Week can be found here.

The Vatican museums (and those throughout Rome) are generally open during Holy Week, with the exceptions of Easter Sunday and the following Monday.

Ideas on spending the rest of your time in the Eternal City can be found in our complete list of things to see and do in Rome.

–Bruce Melendy

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 2:45 pm and is filed under Destinations, Europe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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