Every June 29th, the city of Rome celebrates its patron saints Peter and Paul with La Festa di San Pietro e Paolo, The Day of Saint Peter and Paul. This day is a public holiday in the Eternal City, and schools, banks, stores, and of course the Vatican, are closed in honor of the occasion.
Who were St. Peter and St. Paul?
The feast day honors the martyrdom of the two saints that are considered to be cornerstones of the Catholic Church. St. Peter was one of the 12 apostles, as well as the first pope and founder of the Roman Church – hence the name behind St. Peter’s Basilica and Square in Vatican City. He was martyred sometime between 64 and 68 AD during Roman Emperor Nero’s persecution of the Christians.
St. Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, was converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus, Syria, shortly after Jesus Christ’s death. He was beheaded and martyred sometime between 64 and 68 AD by emperor Nero. While it is unlikely that the two saints were martyred on the same day and year, tradition stipulates that June 29 marks the day they were both martyred in the city of Rome by Emperor Nero.
How is the feast day celebrated in Rome?
During the day, Rome is home to religious and secular celebrations. The pope, for example, holds a mass in which he gives a pallium, a special white vestment worn over the shoulders, to any archbishops appointed in the past year. The day is crowned with a spectacular fireworks display.
The celebrations aren’t limited to June 29, however. There are a number of religious celebrations that take place leading up to the feast day. On the Saturdays of June 17 and June 24, 2023, St. Peter’s hosted a candlelit procession inspired by the Via Crucis, the Stations of the Cross. This modern rendition, called Via Petri, features 12 stations where the faithful can revisit the life of St. Peter through prayers and Bible readings. And every Wednesday in June, the faithful participate in “Petrine itineraries,” short pilgrimages inside St. Peter’s Basilica where they pray before images of St. Peter. And, on the evening of June 28, there is a prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square to prepare for the day ahead.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.