Rome’s underrated churches

By Thomas V. Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Oct 30, 2025

I recently returned home from the longest trip I’ve taken in a decade. I was blessed to be able to spend the whole month of September in Rome, working while there, and then a couple of weeks of traveling around on pilgrimage/vacation. Other than getting to spend a month in the eternal city, the three highlights of my trip were visiting the tomb of St. Augustine (my confirmation saint) in Pavia, the tomb/museum of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Pagani, and the house of Mary and tomb of St. John the Evangelist in Ephesus (Turkey).

Any pilgrim to Rome will be aware of certain sites that are absolute must-visits. A great guidebook to the most important churches is Rome: A Pilgrimage by Dr. Jim Papandrea (host of our Way of the Fathers podcast). For a more general, exhaustive neighborhood-by-neighborhood guidebook to Rome’s historical, cultural and artistic sites, I highly recommend the Blue Guide to Rome, which e-book I have consulted with great profit on my last two visits.

In this article I want to highlight just a few of my personal favorite sites in Rome that are less famous, leaving out some of the obvious ones like the four major basilicas, the Holy Stairs, etc. I will also mention a few great churches elsewhere in Italy that I visited on this trip.

Rome

Many of my favorite churches in Rome are the oldest ones, built above the original house churches from the time before Christianity was legalized. And my favorite aspect of these churches is generally the apse mosaics, some of the oldest Christian art we possess. You can see wonderful mosaics in churches like S. Clemente, Ss. Cosma e Damiano, Santa Prassede, Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Maria in Trastevere, and many others. Another feature of many Roman churches which I brings me delight wherever I find it is the colorful, geometric Cosmatesque style of decoration (usually on floors). At least two of the churches recommended below have beautiful Cosmatesque work: San Lorenzo and San Clemente.

One of the seven ancient pilgrimage churches of Rome is San Lorenzo fuori le mura, which I visited for the first time with a recent podcast guest, Fr. Charles Anthony Mary Robinson, a Franciscan Friar of the Immaculate. It was well worth the trip northeast outside the walls. San Lorenzo, which is actually two churches combined into one, is built over the catacombs of St. Cyriacus, and beneath the sanctuary are the tombs of St. Lawrence, St. Stephen, and (to my surprise and delight) St. Justin Martyr. Not only that, but in the crypt is the large and gorgeously mosaicked tomb of Pope Bl. Pius IX.

Next to the church is one of Rome’s largest cemeteries, the Campo Verano, which you may as well visit as long as you’re out there. Fr. Charles took me into this cemetery to see the tombs of some important churchmen and a couple of Venerables, including Chiara Petrillo. (I only found out while writing this article that the Verano also has the tombs of some important Italian cinema figures, like Vittorio de Sica, Aldo Fabrizi, and Marcello Mastroianni. George Santayana is there too.)

S. Lorenzo fuori le mura is, by the way, one of several Roman churches dedicated to St. Lawrence, all of which I made a point of visiting—S. Lorenzo in Fonte (attached to the prison in which he was held), S. Lorenzo in Panisperna (built on the site of his martyrdom), S. Lorenzo in Lucina (which holds what is supposedly the gridiron he was burnt on), and S. Lorenzo in Damaso (built by Pope St. Damasus).

Santa Sabina: This beautiful church on the Aventine Hill is the mother church of the Dominicans, and the reason you should visit it is that St. Dominic and St. Thomas Aquinas both hung out here. Not only that, but the oldest existing depiction of the Crucifixion is carved into the wooden door.

Those visiting the Roman Forum should get the SUPER Pass to visit Santa Maria Antiqua, a 5th-century church with remarkable Roman-Byzantine frescoes.

S. Clemente: There is plenty one could say about this amazing church now run by the Irish Dominicans. I’ll just mention that it includes the relics of Pope St. Clement I, St. Cyril (of Cyril and Methodius fame—they miraculously found St. Clement’s relics), and St. Ignatius of Antioch. Furthermore, of the various churches in Rome that have a visitable underground excavation, this is one of the very best, as you can visit the actual ancient church underneath (including some mosaics and the original tomb of St. Cyril), and then go even further down into the ancient Roman dwelling beneath that.

Chiesa Nuova: This church includes the tomb of St. Philip Neri, and if you email the parish you can get a tour of St. Philip’s rooms, in which you will see his confessional box, his death mask, and his chalice with visible bite marks (biting down on the edge of his chalice was one way in which St. Philip stopped himself from going into ecstasy while celebrating Mass).

Sant’Agostino: Excellent Renaissance church with the tomb of St. Monica, a beautiful crucifix venerated by St. Philip Neri, and an extraordinary Caravaggio painting of Our Lady of Loreto.

Capuchin Crypt: I didn’t actually go here on this trip, but on a previous one. You have probably heard about these chapels decorated with the bones of deceased Capuchin friars. Your mileage may vary, but I found the place oddly cheerful in conveying a playful and hopeful attitude toward death. It reminded me that these people are (hopefully) already enjoying their heaven now, not only sometime in the future after the general resurrection. In recent years the establishment has (wisely) added a museum which visitors must visit before getting to the crypt, so that they learn something about the Franciscan order and its attitude toward death rather than just treating the place as a morbid curiosity. The museum includes some relics of St. Pio as well as a Caravaggio painting of St. Francis contemplating a skull.

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere: I had been to this well-known church before and seen the beautiful Maderno sculpture, depicting St. Cecilia in the posture with which she was found in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus. But this was my first time visiting the crypt, which has the actual tombs of the martyrs Cecilia, Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus, as well as the amazing Last Judgment fresco by Cavallini, which is in the choir loft and can only be visited at certain hours.

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme: This church has a connection to St. Helen and I list it here because of its chapel with relics of the Titulus of the Cross, a nail, and thorns from the Crown. When I see things labeled as relics of the Cross or instruments of the Passion, while of course I venerate them reverently, part of me sometimes wonders if this is really from the Cross of Christ. The Titulus (the board with “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”) is the most convincing relic of the Passion I’ve seen. A lesser-known Church Father, St. Caesarius of Arles, is entombed in the altar of this church. There is also the touching tomb of Ven. Antonietta Meo, a 6-year-old saint, with her clothes and toys encased nearby.

Catacombs of Priscilla: I had been to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus on a previous visit, and went to those of Priscilla and St. Sebastian this time. Priscilla is my favorite, because of the amazing specimens of the earliest Christian art in shockingly good condition.

Museums in Rome

Here are some underrated art museums in Rome:

Well, the Vatican Museums are not underrated insofar as everyone goes to the Sistine Chapel, but not everyone visits the galleries. I spent nine hours in the Vatican museums one day, but you should go at least to the medieval art gallery—I personally would trade the heartbreaking Deposition by Carlo Crivelli for fifty Sistine Chapels, as far as my devotional value is concerned. The ethnographic museum may be less on Catholics’ radars, but it included one thing I really dug: noble classical-style sculptures of Native Americans by a 19th-century German artist. There is even some pretty cool stuff in the modern art gallery. Also, when you pass through the hallways to the Sistine Chapel, take your time looking at the ceilings in the Gallery of the Candelabra and find some paintings of my man, Pope Leo XIII, and of the triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas over heresy. There’s also a painting from Leo’s time which depicts a camera!

Galleria Doria Pamphilj: excellent Palace and little art gallery with Caravaggio’s Rest on the Flight into Egypt, and Velazquez’s very striking portrait of Pope Innocent X (literally, as my parish deacon said, he looks like he’s about to strike you).

Capitoline Museum: This is not so much of note for Catholic works (except for pieces of a giant statue of Constantine, and some ancient Christian epitaphs). It is the oldest art museum in the world, started by the Pope and dedicated to pagan classical sculpture. It includes one of my very favorite classical statues, the Dying Gaul.

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Moving on from Rome, just a few other highlights around Italy from this trip:

In Naples, visit the church of San Domenico Maggiore. The most important thing here is to take the tour so you can visit the cell in which St. Thomas Aquinas spent the last two years of his life. In the cell is St. Thomas’s handwriting, a bone relic, the crucifix that spoke to him (“You have written well of Me, Thomas”), and the papal bull of Pope St. Pius V declaring him a Doctor of the Church. There is also a chapel in the church which belonged to the Aquinas family. In the sacristy, oddly enough, is the tomb of the first Bishop of New York, an Irish Dominican who never actually made it to America.

Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii: This shrine founded by now-Saint Bartolo Longo is a large complex with multiple chapels (one of which contains his tomb). The main church is beautiful, and there is a museum with Bartolo’s room and office recreated. And also the shoes of (again) MY MAN, Pope Leo XIII.

Basilica of St. Alphonsus, in the town of Pagani not far from Pompeii: St. Alphonsus Liguori spent his final years living with the Redemptorist community in this town. The Basilica contains his tomb, which is good enough on its own, but in a sense even more unique is the attached Museum of St. Alphonsus (make sure you find out the opening days/hours). I mean, I got to play a C major chord on St. Alphonsus’s harpsichord! (He composed a beloved Neapolitan Christmas song on this instrument.) There are many other memorable items as well, including two different rooms he lived in with their adjoining private chapels, images of Jesus and Mary painted by St. Alphonsus, a clock that chimed every fifteen minutes to remind him to pray a Hail Mary, a sample of his handwriting, and various works of religious art he owned.

Florence

Florence is known for its art more than its saints, but one of my favorite places in Florence and in the world combines both: the convent (now museum) of San Marco, where Bl. Fra Angelico lived, and where he painted a unique fresco for each of the friars’ cells. It is a profoundly special place. (St. Antoninus and Savonarola also lived here.) Now take note—currently until January 25, 2026, there is a major Fra Angelico exhibit in Florence, the biggest the city has seen in seventy years. It is divided between San Marco and the Palazzo Strozzi. If you go to Florence during this time, make sure you take a couple days to visit both venues. It is well worth going out of your way.

Now, the big churches people visit in Florence are the Duomo, Santa Croce, and Santa Maria Novella. These are all important to visit, but I would also recommend San Lorenzo for its unique interior and artworks, including (in the sacristy) bronze doors with remarkable scenes of the saints in theological conversation, and bronze pulpits by Donatello. Another good one is the Chiesa di Ognissanti, where Botticelli and Amerigo Vespucci are buried, there is an important Giotto crucifix, and also a painting of St. Augustine by Botticelli.

I made a day’s visit to Bologna to visit the ornate medieval tomb of St. Dominic in San Domenico.

Ravenna is also well worth a visit for some of the best-preserved early Byzantine mosaics in existence.

I went to Pavia near Milan to visit the tomb of my confirmation saint, St. Augustine. This is in S. Pietro in Ciel d’Oro—and to double your motivation to visit, the great philosopher Boethius (also a saint) is buried in the crypt under St. Augustine.

The Duomo di Pavia is quite striking with its massive, harshly beautiful interior, and holds the tombs of two saints.

While you’re near Pavia, you may as well also visit the Certosa di Pavia near the village by the same name. The Certosa, meaning the Charterhouse (that is, originally a Carthusian monastery) is currently home to Cistercian monks—though sadly they are leaving at the end of the year and the whole place will be a state-run museum. It’s got a grand church, and some of the most amazing, massive cloisters I’ve seen.

Milan

I have to say I liked Milan much better than I expected. I associated it with fashion and modern Italy, but it has just as much of an old city as anywhere else, and it was less packed with tourists. It has excellent art museums such as the Brera and the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana (and of course the Last Supper chapel).

Milan’s Duomo is a truly awesome cathedral, with the crypt of St. Charles Borromeo (one of the most richly decked out saint’s tombs I’ve seen), as well as tombs of two beatified modern bishops of Milan, Schuster and Ferrara. Take plenty of time to visit the roof terraces and the whole church.

Sant’Ambrogio was one of my favorite churches I visited on this trip, even just as far as atmosphere is concerned. An imposing yet warm Romanesque basilica with the tombs of Sts. Ambrose, Protase, Gervase, Ambrose’s sister Marcella and brother Satirus (also saints), and others. I don’t know of any other Church Father whose full skeleton you can still see in full bishop’s regalia, other than St. Ambrose.

Sant’Eustorgio/Portinari Chapel: The church is somewhat dreary (or was during my visit anyway), but the Portinari Chapel with the tomb of St. Peter Martyr (in a similar style to the tombs of St. Dominic and St. Augustine) is awesome. There are also some paleo-Christian artifacts there.

San Lorenzo Maggiore is a 4th-century church with unique construction inspiring the Renaissance. Excellent historical placards about the history of the Church in Milan.