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I wanted to post my visit to the Sancta Scala in Rome because it was the first time I truly understood the impact of a relic. While the authenticity of relics is largely unknown, their spiritual significance is still undeniable. Seeing people’s reaction to the steps helped me understand their importance, whether they are the “real thing” or not. Even Martin Luther visited the steps, showing an importance to traditional Catholics and reformists alike. I was surprised to see that people are allowed to climb the steps, albeit only on their knees. Most relics are hidden away or put behind glass, but this one is open to interaction, which made the visit even more impactful to me.

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I chose to post about the Lateran Palace in Rome because it was historically an incredibly important location to Catholicism. Although it was once the residence of popes, it became less important during the Avignon papacy, when the pope moved to France. However, the palace was still used for councils that attempted to make reforms to the Catholic church. Five such councils were held in total, with the fifth and last attempting to affirm the authority of the pope in the face of outside reformists. One thing that surprised me about the Lateran Palace was how many uses the building has cycled through since the Vatican came into use: a hospital, a museum, an office building, and more.

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I wanted to post about my visit to the Beguinage in Bruges because I had never heard of it before visiting and thought it was a very interesting place. The facility’s connection to the Reformation lies in the intentions of the women who lived there: they lived pious, devoted lives based on their faith. However, they were unique in that they did not fully seclude themselves like nuns, but interacted and worked with their community. As I had never heard of a beguinage before my visit, its very existence surprised me since I was unaware that there were religious groups of women under Catholicism other than traditional nuns.

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I am posting my visit to Westminster Abbey because it is such an important religious site to the UK. Although I did not go inside, the significant architecture of the building was clear to see. The abbey underwent the change from Catholicism to Anglicanism alongside the rest of England shortly after the rule of Henry VIII, making it a powerful protestant symbol. Something I found surprising about the abbey was that it is more known for events such as weddings than for religious background.

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I decided to post my visit to the Aix-la-Chapelle cathedral because it was the first church I visited in Europe. The cathedral is significant to the Reformation movement because of the religious art and architecture that has been preserved there. Charlemagne made Aachen something of a “new Athens” by bringing people with immense artistic talent there to create, and the cathedral showcases this very well. Charlemagne even had his chapel specifically made to imitate the Holy Sepulchre, drawing a connection between himself and Constantine. One thing that surprised me about the Aachen cathedral was that it (like many religious sites in Europe, as I came to learn) is not necessarily considered solely a religious place by locals, but a part of their culture.