Church of San Paolo and the Sanctuary of the Scala Santa

Fascinating places of worship in Abruzzo

In Campli, in the province of Teramo, in the area between the valleys of the Fiumicino and Siccagno streams, is a particularly evocative area of worship: the Church of San Paolo and the Sanctuary of the Scala Santa.

The 14th-century church has a gabled roof, a stone-framed lintel portal and a two-bell tower at the rear of the building. Leaning against a longitudinal side of the church is the Sanctuary, which houses the so-called Scala Santa, to which Pope Clement XIV granted the same indulgences as the Scala Santa in Rome in 1772. There are 28 steps to be climbed, exclusively on your knees, to be forgiven for your sins.

Beyond its religious value, the Sanctuary is home to a rich artistic and cultural heritage: the Staircase is lined with six large canvases that accompany the penitent and allow them to metaphorically retrace the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. At the top of the stairs, we find the heart of the Sanctuary: through a grille you enter the Sancta Sanctorum, which preserves some fragments of the Cross of Christ and numerous relics.