According to
Catholic Church tradition, the Holy Stairs were the steps leading up to the
praetorium of
Pontius Pilate in
Jerusalem on which
Jesus Christ stepped on his way to
trial during his
Passion. Medieval legends claim that
Saint Helena, mother of Emperor
Constantine the Great, brought the Holy Stairs from
Jerusalem to Rome circa AD 326. In the Middle Ages, they were known as the
Scala Pilati ("Stairs of Pilate"). From old plans it appears that they led to a corridor of the
Lateran Palace, near the Chapel of
Saint Sylvester, and were covered with a special roof. In 1589,
Pope Sixtus V had the Papal
Lateran Palace, then in ruins, demolished to make way for the construction of a new one. He ordered the Holy Stairs be reconstructed in their present location, before the
Sancta Sanctorum ("Holy of Holies"), the chapel so named for the many precious relics preserved there. The chapel also houses an icon of
Christ Pantocrator, known as the "Uronica", that was supposedly begun by Saint Luke and finished by an angel. This celebrated icon of
Santissimi Salvatore Acheiropoieton ("not made by human hands"), on certain occasions, used to be carried through Rome in procession. The
Scala Sancta may only be ascended on the knees. For common use, the staircase is flanked by four additional staircases, two on each side, constructed circa 1589. In 1724, Pope Benedict XIII covered the marble stairs in wood for their protection, since the marble had been significantly worn away by the many pilgrims ascending the stairs over time. The stairs remained covered until 2019, when the protective wood covering was removed and the marble exposed following restoration work. When the stairs were reopened on 11 April 2019, pilgrims were permitted to ascend the exposed marble stairs on their knees for the first time in almost 300 years. The stairs remained exposed and open to the public between April 2019 and July 2019, and then were again covered in wood. == Decoration ==