10 Most Beautiful Churches in Rome

Of the nearly 900 churches you could visit in Rome, I have selected my favourites, in descending order. I don't know if you can guess which one is at the top of my list, but perhaps you haven't decided which ones you want to visit during the rest of your trip to Rome, and we still have time to change that. Without further ado, here is a list of the best churches in Rome.

This building, constructed around 118 AD, was originally a temple dedicated to all the Roman gods. The coexistence of pagan customs and the religion inherited from Hellenistic culture with the growing Catholic cult led the first Christians to transform the Pantheon of Rome into the Basilica of Saint Mary and the Martyrs, also known as Santa Maria Rotonda, in the 7th century.

The Pantheon is the best-preserved building in Ancient Rome, and architecturally it is a marvel. The building was constructed with the idea of uniting human beings with the divine and with the emperor, hence the proportions and structure of the Pantheon: a circular room that forms a perfect sphere with the dome, at the zenith of which is an oculus that acts as the sun.

Many tours of Rome pass by the Pantheon and then continue on to other major monuments in the city, an experience I recommend if you want to get to know the Eternal City in depth.

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This small basilica, which I discovered almost by chance on my last trip to Rome, is a real gem located at the top of the Capitoline Hill, at the top of a staircase next to the Piazza del Campidoglio where the Capitoline Museums are located.

The church is a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, with three impressive naves illuminated by an endless row of candelabra that cast dazzling reflections of colour throughout the interior.

The altar houses the church's most important work of art, a carving of the Baby Jesus which, according to legend, was carved from wood from an olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane, where, according to the New Testament, Jesus prayed for the last time before being crucified.

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Santa Maria dell'Anima is a German parish church, founded as a place of refuge for pilgrims from Germany, whose interior will leave you speechless.

During the Napoleonic occupation of Rome in the 18th century, the Gothic-style Santa Maria dell'Anima was looted and used as a stable, but the temple still houses some important works of art, such as the funeral monument of Pope Adrian VI, an altarpiece by Giulio Romano depicting the Holy Family, and a Roman sarcophagus in the inner cloister.

Another great excuse to visit is that it is located in one of the most beautiful squares in Rome. So I'm sure you'll pass by it, probably on one of the guided tours. Go ahead and step inside!

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Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of the oldest churches in Rome. The church appears in most guidebooks to Rome because of the impressive Byzantine mosaics from the 12th and 13th centuries that decorate the interior apse and the exterior façade. The images inside depict six moments in the life of the Virgin Mary, and the façade features an unusual scene of Mary on the throne with the baby Jesus, accompanied by ten women.

But for me, what is really impressive is the history of this place: according to legend, in 38 BC, on the very spot where this temple now stands, a stream of oil gushed from the ground, which was interpreted as a sign of the coming of Christ. This spring was named Fons Olei, and is now the presbytery of this church, which was the first official place of Christian worship in Rome.

The church is a popular meeting point for tours of the Trastevere neighbourhood, a great way to get to know this neighbourhood and its charming corners. As the church closes late, I recommend visiting Trastevere at night or going to one of the neighbourhood restaurants for dinner after visiting the church. You will fall in love with this place at sunset.

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The most important church in the Christian world, one of the architectural wonders of the Western world, and sometimes the only reason millions of tourists need to travel to Rome.

Of course, I couldn't finish this list without mentioning St. Peter's Basilica, an essential stop on any visit to Rome, even though it's technically located in Vatican City and not in the Eternal City. The main church of Christianity, designed by the famous artist Michelangelo and built over the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle, houses the tombs of popes, a sacristy and a treasure, which has been converted into a museum that you can visit.

During your visit, whether on your own or on a guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica, be sure not to miss Michelangelo's Pietà, located in the first chapel on the right as you enter the basilica, take time to admire the impressive Baldacchino above the high altar, look up and lose yourself in the dome and its beautiful frescoes, and marvel at the Baroque art spectacle of the tomb of Alexander VII.

And while you're there, I highly recommend visiting the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums. You won't regret it!

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As well as being one of the most beautiful churches in Rome, the Basilica of San Clemente also bears witness to the beginnings of Christianity in Rome until the Middle Ages.

Entering this temple dedicated to Pope Clement I is not only exciting from a spiritual point of view, but also from an archaeological point of view, as walking through the different levels on which the building stands takes you on a fascinating journey back in time as you descend the stairs.

Excavations carried out in the 19th century revealed the existence of a much older church that serves as the foundation for the current one and, beneath it, an ancient mithraeum and some amazing 1st-century structures that support the entire structure. When you see it, you will be literally speechless!

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• Admission: Admission to the Basilica is free, but visiting the excavations costs £10, with free admission for children under 16.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9.45 am to 12.30 pm and from 3 pm to 5.30 pm. On Saturdays, the morning opening hours remain the same (9:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and the afternoon opening hours are from 3:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. On Sundays, it is open all day from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• How to get there: It is located at Via Labicana, 95. By metro, take line B to Coliseo station.

Unlike other churches in Rome, the interior decoration of the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione is not as impressive and is characterised by its modest dimensions. However, it is a place much visited by tourists due to the temple's peculiar crypt, known as the Capuchin Crypt.

It is a surprising place whose small chapels are decorated with the bones of thousands of Capuchin friars who died between the 16th and 19th centuries to remind us of the transience of human life and the immortality of souls.

Most visitors come to the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione exclusively to see this chapel, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Gothic church of Sedlec in the Czech Republic.

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• Admission: Admission to the church is free. Admission to the museum and crypt costs €6.
• Opening hours: Closed on Tuesdays. Open every other day, including weekends, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• How to get there: It is located at Via Vittorio Veneto, 27, and can be reached by metro, line A, Barberini station.

Alex's Traveler Tip

The Capuchin Crypt of the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione is a very impressive place. For this reason, it may not be suitable for sensitive visitors.

Another of Rome's churches that should be on your list of places to visit is Santa Maria in Cosmedin, famous for housing the Mouth of Truth and the glass reliquary containing the remains of Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers.

There are two powerful reasons to visit this 6th-century Romanesque church, whether you are religious or not. Compared to other churches in the city, this temple has very little decoration, although it still preserves some very interesting features such as the mosaics on the floor, the baldachin and the choir, and the bishop's throne.

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• Admission: free
• Opening hours: open Monday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• How to get there: located in Piazza della Bocca della Verità, 18. You can get there by metro, line B, Circo Massimo station.

The Church of the Gesù is located in a very central area of Rome, near Piazza Venezia and the Monument to King Victor Emmanuel II. You can take advantage of your visit to the "Vittoriano" viewpoint (one of the best views of Rome) to visit this temple, the first of the Society of Jesus to be built in Rome, which initially perfectly embodied the values of the Council of Trent with which it was built.

However, its decoration was soon changed to a more sumptuous Baroque style, which quickly spread to other parts of the world.

Some of the most striking features of this church are its single-nave floor plan and its façade (a revolution at the time), but especially the beautiful frescoes on the vaulted ceiling, which will leave you speechless as soon as you enter.

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• Admission: Admission to the Church of the Gesù or Church of Jesus is free.
• Opening hours: Every day from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and in the afternoons from 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• How to get there: Located at Via degli Astalli, 16. You can get there by metro, line B, Colosseo station.

If you have the opportunity to stroll through Piazza del Popolo, one of Rome's most popular squares, I recommend visiting the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, a very special temple from a decorative point of view, as some of the most famous artists of the time, such as Caravaggio, Raphael, Pinturicchio and Bernini, worked on its chapels.

The Church of Santa Maria del Popolo is therefore richly decorated and well worth a visit. Not so much on the ceiling, as is the case with other Roman churches, but on the walls of the building.

In addition, as an anecdote, the origin of this church has a very striking history: the Romans believed that a tree had grown on the site where Nero was buried, and that it was haunted because it attracted many crows.

To put an end to the rumours, Pope Paschal II ordered the tree to be uprooted and a Romanesque chapel to be built on the site, which eventually became the current church. Interesting, isn't it?

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• Admission: Free
• Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 7:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday open all day from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Closed on Sundays.
• How to get there: Located in Piazza del Popolo. Accessible by underground, line A, Famino station.

The churches of Rome are sacred places where Catholic worship is celebrated, so they have a strict dress code that requires shoulders and knees to be covered regardless of gender. As summers in Rome are very hot, my advice is to bring a scarf or large shawl to cover your shoulders and knees or wear very light long trousers. You must also remove any type of hat or cap when entering.

Admission to most churches in Rome is free. You will find many ways to leave a donation, although you are never obliged to do so.

Especially in the case of St. Peter's Basilica, I recommend buying a combined ticket for the basilica and St. Peter's dome or hiring a guided tour, as this will save you from the long queues that form at the entrance.