Ad Astra Gradus

Ad astra gradus. The Scala Santa and the Sancta Sanctorum in Rome under Sixtus V (1585-1590)

Roman Studies of the Bibliotheca Hertziana, Volume 35

A unique sacred site in the Lateran was created under Pope Sixtus V when the so-called Scala Santa, a set of steps revered as a holy relic that once led up to the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, and the chapel housing holy relics known as the Sancta Sanctorum were brought together. The complex overall interpretation of the architecture by Domenico Fontana and his typological program of frescoes covers the analysis of iconographic traditions and aspects of contemporary veneration practices as well as papal self-presentation.