5-2-1 예수가 십자가형 받고 올랐다는 '聖계단'

Faithful kneel on the newly restored Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta),

which according to Catholic Church is the stair on which Jesus Christ stepped leading on his way to the crucifixion

Three small bronze crosses are embedded in the marble and there are spots some believe are stained by Christ's blood 

The Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Angelo De Donatis,

 blesses the restored Holy Stairs in Rome

The marble was covered some 300 years ago on the orders of pope Innocent XIII amid fears

it was getting worn down by the hands and knees of worshipers,

who caused a dip in the stone of 15cm in some parts

Faithful, with protective coverings on their feet, kneel on the steps

after they were opened since the first time since the fifties

A woman kneels on the newly restored Holy Stairs during a special opening in Rome on Thursday 11 April 

예수가 십자가형을 선고받은 법정으로 갈 때 밟고 올랐다고 알려진 '성(聖)계단(Scala Sancta)'이

약 300년 만에 나무 덮개를 뗀 상태로 일반에 공개됐다.
28단(段)으로 되어 있는 이 대리석 계단은 원래 예루살렘에 있었지만,

313년 '밀라노 칙령'으로 기독교 신앙을 허용한 로마제국 콘스탄티누스 대제의 어머니 헬레나가 기독교로 개종한 뒤

326년 로마로 가져와 성계단 성당에 설치한 것으로 전해진다.
로마 동남부에 있는 성계단 성당의 대리석 계단이 약 10년에 걸친 복원 작업을 마무리하고 최근 일반에 공개됐다.

예수가 직접 밟았던 것으로 알려진 계단이라 해마다 순례객 수십만 명이 예수의 고난을 묵상하며

발이 아닌 무릎과 손으로 올라가는 것으로 유명한 성지다.

계단의 마모가 심해지자 1723년 교황 이노센트 13세는 대리석 위에 나무 덮개를 씌웠으며,

대리석 계단 자체는 300년 가까이 일반에 모습을 드러내지 않았다.

이 성당의 프란치스코 게라 주임신부는 로이터 인터뷰에서 "복원 전 성계단은 완전히 비정상적으로 닳아 있었다"며

 "순례객들이 밟고 올라가며 완전히 파인 상태였다"고 말했다.

대리석 성계단은 나무 덮개에 덮여 있을 때처럼 덧신을 신은 채 무릎과 손으로만 오를 수 있다.

성령강림절인 오는 6월 9일 이후에는 다시 보호를 위해 나무 덮개를 씌울 예정이다.

The marble steps Jesus is believed to have climbed before being sentenced to crucifixion have been unveiled after 300 years.    

The Scala Sancta, or Holy Staircase, had been encased in protective maple wood

since 1723 in a bid to protect the steps from years of use. 

But it has since been stripped back and restored with pilgrims now flocking to see the sacred steps. T

hree small bronze crosses are embedded in the marble and there are spots some believe are stained by Christ's blood. 

The marble was covered some 300 years ago on the orders of pope Innocent XIII amid fears it was getting worn down

by the hands and knees of worshipers, who caused a dip in the stone of 15cm in some parts. 

The 28 steps were believed to be part of Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem

and were moved to Rome in the fourth century AD by Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine,

who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Now, after a year-long restoration, the staircase has been opened to pilgrims.

It will stay open to the public for 60 days, covering the Easter period, ending on June 9.

The steps are now housed in an old papal palace in St. John's Square in southeast Rome, 

across from the Basilica of St. John the Lateran.

There was unveiling ceremony yesterday marked by the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Angelo De Donatis,

kneeling as he inaugurated the restored Holy Stairs.  

A marble staircase known as the Scala Sancta – the Holy Staircase – is believed to be the site

where Jesus walked right before he was sentenced to crucifixion.

While much of the story comes from tradition,

historians have long been working to piece together evidence of the actual events that unfolded.

The 28 marble steps are said to have originated in Jerusalem, where they led to the Pretorium of Pilate.

‘According to tradition, the steps were those Jesus climbed during the evening of his Passion,

making his way to Pilate’s Jerusalem courtroom,’ explains author Joe Nickell,

who attempted to investigate the site using a scientific approach in a 2007 book, Relics of the Christ.

It’s said the marble stairs were later brought to Rome around 326 AD by Helena of Constantinople,

the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great. She was 80 years old at the time.

When Constantine came to power, he put an end to Christian persecution in Rome

and pushed the expansion of Christianity throughout the Empire.

Still, archaeologists have cast doubts on the authenticity of the Scala Sancta story and others like it.

Recent research suggests the Pretorium of Pilate was not actually located where the legend says it was. 

The site itself has ‘no traces of ancient stairs, removed or otherwise,’ Nickell notes, citing an earlier investigation

by archaeologists Carsten Peter Thiede and Matthew D'Ancona.

Helena (St. Helena, St. Helen) is also credited with discovering the ‘True Cross’

– upon which Jesus was crucified – after it was hidden in Jerusalem.

The cross was brought back to Constantinople, though a portion remained in Jerusalem.

 Experts have debated the validity of the story over the years, with little evidence to corroborate the details. 

In 2013, however, Turkish archaeologists discovered a chest which they say contained a piece of the cross.

The stairs were last opened in the 50s and as work commenced this year to see them opened again,

experts from Vatican Museums found notes an other offerings that were shoved under the planks. 

Paolo Violini, the coordinator of the restoration, said: 'We found them step by step as we removed the floorboards

 – many, many little notes and coins, left as offerings.' 

The entire sanctuary is currently undergoing restoration work which has lasted 60 years,

with frescoes already returned to former glory, and work is expected to be completed next year. 

Guido Cornini, a curator from the museums, said:

'If you close your eyes for a moment, you can imagine yourself back in the medieval era, t

he last time that people scaled these steps on their knees.'