The holy relic that drew the young monk most was Pilate’s Staircase, the Scala Santa. It stood in a small chapel near Saint John Lateran. It consisted of twenty-eight white marble steps and was supposed to have been trod by Jesus when he was brought before Pontius Pilate. Constantine’s mother, Saint Helen, had brought the staircase from Jerusalem to Rome in the fourth century. Legend had it that the dark stains in the marble were drops of Christ’s own blood. Penitents stood in a long line to crawl up the Scala Santa on their knees. They were supposed to kiss each step on the way up, then at
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