Discover the Roman churches dedicated to the women who are Patrons of Europe and Doctors of the Church

A walking tour through the center of Rome will allow visitors to rediscover a series of churches linked to those women who have been proclaimed Patrons of Europe and Doctors of the Church. This mini pilgrimage aims to show the importance of some of the most important European female saints to pilgrims and tourists alike.

A selection of significant churches has been made to highlight these figures of holiness. In some cases the link is with the title of the church itself, as in the case of St Brigid in Santa Brigida in Campo de' Fiori, or, in other cases the link lies in the presence of relics, as in Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where the body of Saint Catherine of Siena is kept.

The church of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, for example, has been chosen because of its historic links to Rome’s university, recalling, as it does, the figure of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, the philosopher and martyr. The basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, dedicated to the patroness of musicians, recalls the historic figure of Hildegard of Bingen, who among the many arts also played a major role in the development of music. The famous church atop the Spanish Steps, Trinità dei Monti, in included because of its links to France – it houses the memory of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the ‘Little Flower’. Finally, visitors will stop off at the dramatic Santa Maria della Vittoria, with its famous ‘Ecstasy of Saint Teresa’ by Bernini, which recalls in artistic form the figure of Saint Teresa of Avila.

For further information: Here