The genius and devotion of the artists in support of a catechesis concerning images centred on the Eucharist.

1) Patriarchal Lateran Basilica and Lateran Baptistery
From Baptism to the Eucharist, a sacramental reading beginning with Christ the Saviour, mystery of faith celebrated and adored in the redemptive sacrifice. In the Cathedral of Rome, Head and Mother, the papal altar, the ciborium, the basso-rilievos and the statues show the sacraments of the New Testament and their roots.

2) Patriarchal Basilica of St. Peter
From the eucharistic dimension of the cupola and the altar to the chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament, opened on the occasion of the Holy Year 1675.

3) Patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major, the Bethlehem of Rome, St. Mary of the Eucharistic Bread.
Every year on the arrival of the procession of Corpus Domini, the solemn eucharistic blessing concludes here the feast of the body and blood of the Lord.
The relics of the crib of Jesus, as mystery of the incarnation, before it, as before the Most Holy Sacrament burns perennially a lamp, gift of the Patriarch Athenagoras.

4) Patriarchal Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls.
On the banks of the Tiber, two kilometres from the Aurelian walls, the tomb of St. Paul, Apostle of the Eucharistic mystery (1Cor II: 17-34) celebrated in the "Supper of the Risen Lord." The liturgical significance of the aule baslicale, from the atrium to the papal altar over the tomb of the Apostle and of the disciple Timothy.

5) The catacombs
From the burials of celebrated martyrs and of "unknown soldiers," mute witnesses of faith in Christ, a message of light and of hope through the frescos and graffiti an iconographic and eucharistic journey to:
- St. Callistus and the cubicles of the Sacraments
- Priscilla with the Greek Chapel and the fractio panis
- Sts. Marcellinus and Peter with the numerous representations of banquets, from funeral banquets to the eucharistic sinaxis.
- Commodilla, along the via delle Sette Chiese, near the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, the Eucharistic Lamb in the act of touching with the wonder-working stick seven baskets of bread.

6) The Eucharistic faith of St, Philip Neri in his traditional "visit to the seven churches."

7) From the Imperial Forums to the Coloseum, memory, history and devotion of the Saints and Martyrs of the Roman Canon, the places of the trials, of detention, of martyrdom.

8) The Eucharistic Saints among whom:

- Gregory the Great: church of St. Gregory al Celio, the hill of charity, of the table for the poor at Teresa of Calcutta.
- St. Brigid and St. Catherine of Siena. From the monastery of the Brigittines to Piazza Farnese, to Santa. Maria sopra Minerva.
- St. Charles Borromeo, promotor among religious and the laity of eucharistic piety as the centre of Christian life: visit to the church of Sts. Charles and Ambrose on the Corso.

9) Eucharistic devotion and activity of the Company of Jesus: from the Church of Gesù to St. Ignatius.

10) The churches of the Eucharistic Adoration from St. Mark at Piazza Venezia to Santa Maria inVia Lata as far as St Claude, Sanctuary of Adoration.

11) Mary the mystery of the Incarnation: an itinerary among monumental buildings and signs of popular piety. Marian devotion from St. Mary del Popolo to the column of the Immaculate, to the "madonnelle" in the region of Trevi.

The Sanctuary of Divine Love.

12) Eucharistic devotion in monastic communities that unite the adoration of God who chose to remain among us under the sign of bread and wine, and the charity, presence of God in the brother.
- The Aventine, the hill that prays.
- Santa Francesca Romana, from St.Cecilia in Trastevere to Tor de'Specchi.

13) St. Francio of Assisi, from Ara Coeli to St. Francis a Ripa in Trastevere.

14) Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel: a reading from the eucharistic point of view in the iconography, in the statues, in the epigraphy from the Pre-Christian museum to the Rooms of Raffaello to the "Historia Salutis" in the frescos of the Sistine Chapel.

On the occasion of the celebration of the XLVIII International Eucharistic Congress it seems opportune to propose to pilgrims and visitors a series of eucharistic itineraries in the spirit of exhortation of our Bishop John Paul II "to learn Rome and to learn from Rome," to read the Church of the successor of the Apostle Peter in the light of the sacrament which is by antonomasia the mystery of the faith…, to know fully the riches of meaning which the places and signs of the Christian presence portray and present"(C. Ruini).
A series therefore of eucharistic itineraries that "permit one to discover the artistic riches and the various expressions of devotional vivacity that the Christian community has produced at Rome in the centuries of which remain monuments and memories"(F. Marinelli).
The planning, the programming, the realization of these itineraries was entrusted to Prof. Francesca Graziani, teacher at the I.S.S.R. Ecclesaia Mater, responsible of the special section "City as school" at the school office of the Vicariate, as well as collaborator of the Roman Agency for the Jubilee and for the centre of the Jubilee Voluntary service.
The pastoral animation is in the hands of workers of the Pastoral of pilgrimages and cultural religious itineraries formed in the homonymous course at the l'I.S.S.R. Ecclesia Mater of the Pontifical Lateran University and coordinated by prof. Francescaa Graziani.

The itineraries indicated are purely illustractive and were chosen in a very wide ambit.

For information apply to the school Office, section "City as school."
Tel. 06/69886188; fax 69886172.

With cordial greetings,

Rome, 29 May 2000.