The Staircase

Visitors entering the church from Via Crociferi would find themselves in front of a monumental entrance staircase, almost a portico, called the Staircase of the Angels.

The name comes from the eight statues, made in marble stucco in 1763 by Nicolò Mignemi, depicting angels. Among them, we can recognise the archangel Michael, thanks to the shield on which the motto “Quis ut Deus” is engraved, the archangel Raphael, identified by the pilgrim’s shell on his cloak, and the angel of Benedictine monasticism, with the order’s coat of arms.

The gilded wooden portal leading into the church was only made in 1950 by Carmelo Abate, although it is well suited to the setting. The two stained glass windows depict St Benedict and his sister, Sister Scholastica, while the Eucharistic symbol of the pelican and the biblical symbol of the serpent and staff decorate the lower part of the two entrance doors.