Church Of St Mary In Palmis In Rome, Italy Editorial Photo

Inside view of the church of St Mary in Palmis better known as Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis located about some 800 m from Porta San Sebastiano on the via Appia Antica in Rome, Italy. The church was erected on the site, where according to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, Saint Peter met Jesus while the former was fleeing persecution in Rome. According to the legend, Peter asked Jesus, `Lord, where are you going?` Latin: Domine, quo vadis?. Jesus answered, `I am going to Rome to be crucified again` Latin: Eo Romam iterum crucifigi. The two footprints on a marble slab at the center of the church — nowadays a copy of the original, which is kept in the nearby Basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le mura — are popularly held to be a miraculous sign left by Jesus. It is likely that these footprints are actually the draft of an ancient Roman `ex voto`, a tribute paid to the gods for the good outcome of a journey.There has been a sanctuary on the spot since the ninth century, but the current church is from 1637. The current façade was added in the 17th century.