One of the most sacred places of all Christendom is the so-called Sancta Sanctorum, also known as the Chapel of San Lorenzo. The chapel is a small architectural gem, considering the cosmatesque floor from the medieval age, as well as the frescoes on the side walls, from the Middle Ages. But in reality, the true treasure of the Sancta Sanctorum consists of the numerous relics, some related directly to Jesus, which are here housed.

At the beginning of the last century, some of these relics were moved to the Vatican Museums, while others have remained here, in this most holy place. The Chapel of San Lorenzo, in fact, was the private chapel of the Popes when, before moving it into the Vatican, lived in the so-called Patriarchium. This building complex was located near the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, which, not surprisingly, is still the official seat of the papacy. Over the centuries, the Patriarchium has experienced a number of interventions, restoration, modernization and various movements (here an example), until the Chapel of San Lorenzo was moved to its current location, just on the top of the Scala Santa. The steps paths today, on their knees, the pilgrims would experience from Jerusalem and would be the ones brought to Rome directly by Saint Helena, the Costantine's mother, at the beginning of the IV century a.D.. These were, according to tradition, the stairs traversed by Jesus himself when he went to the Sanhedrin, before the judgment against him and the meeting with Pilate.

Returning, however, to the Chapel of San Lorenzo, O must talk about the image of Jesus that is located on the back wall, under an inscription that reads "Non est in toto sanctior orbe locus" ("does not exist in the world most holy place"). This would be a painting made directly by St. Luke depicting Jesus. The image is imprinted on linen and glued to a wooden panel. Very little remains of what it would be, however, the pictorial composition of the original, since many were the vicissitudes undergone by the work (as when he was hidden and moved during the iconoclast fury of the VIII century a.D.). Many alterations were made over the years, as the silk cloth, ordered by Pope Alexander III in the XII century which shows the face of Jesus. Or as the gold halo that surrounds Christ, added in the X century. Imagine how for centuries, only the Popes, and especially on the occasion of processions or specific rites, they could see or touch such a holy picture.

Only with the pontificate of pope Sixtus V during the 80's of the XVI century, also to the pilgrims was given the opportunity to climb Scala Santa on their knees, admire the work and, as a result, the face of Jesus. And here we come to the crux of the matter, since this image is defined acheropita. The term comes from the Greek acheiropoietos, which means "not painted by human hand". In fact, according to one of the traditions that revolve around the painting, Saint Luke would have only sketched the drawing, which would have been perfected and brought to an end by the angels. As you can understand, therefore, the face of Christ in the Sancta Sanctorum is not a simple relic, but it would be a direct testimony of human and spiritual existence of Christ on Earth...