About the Church of Domine Quo Vadis:
Although officially called the Church of Santa Maria delle Piante, it is perhaps better known as Domine Quo Vadis, or The Church of “Lord, Where are You Going?”.
The church is small….almost a chapel really…and easily missed.
On this spot, according to tradition, Peter met the crucified Christ. Peter had been urged to flee Rome to avoid the terrible persecutions of the Christians.
However, as he hurried out of the city, he was astonished to see Christ headed in the opposite direction, back towards the city.
“Lord, where are you going?” Peter asked, to which Christ replied, “I am going back to Rome to be crucified again.” Paul then returned to Rome, where he was arrested and later crucified.
We have no official record of this, so it is up to the those who visit as to whether to believe it. However, in 1983 Pope John Paul II the church “a place that has a special importance in the history of Rome and in the history of the Church.” Special because, even if this event did not occur, still the message remains the same: embrace your cross.
Inside you will find the bust of Henryk Sienkiewicz, author of the novel “Quo Vadis”, published in 1895 and who won the Pulitzer Prize for his work in 1905. “Quo Vadis” is a narrative of the Time of Nero (Quo vadis: Powieść z czasów Nerona). The novel tells the story of a romantic love that develops between Lygia (Ligia in Polish), a Christian woman and barbarian hostage, and Marcus Vinicius, a young Roman patrician. It takes place in the city of Rome under the rule of Roman emperor Nero, from around 64 AD to 68 AD, when Nero committed suicide.
Sienkiewicz died on November 15, 1916 at the Grand Hotel du Lac in Vevey, Switzerland where he was buried on November 22. The cause of death was ischemic heart disease. His funeral was attended by representatives of both the Central Powers and an address by Pope Benedict XV was read. He is buried in Saint John’s Cathedral in Warsaw.
Traveling to the Church of Quo Vadis in Rome, Italy:
You will find the church very close to the Catacombs de Castillo
Address: Via Appia Antica, 51, Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 06 512 0441