Save the Stairs is the name of the appeal launched by the Passionist Brothers who are responsible for the upkeep of the Holy Staircase at the Basilica of San Giovanni in Rome. Funds are required for urgent restoration work on the 16 th century frescoes decorating the walls of the building enclosing the stairway believed to be brought from Pontius Pilates house in Jerusalem by Constantines mother Helena and one of the most revered relics in Christendom.
The frescoes were painted between 1587 and 1589 by a team of artists led by Cesare Nebbia and Giovanni Guerra and cover 1700 sqm with stories from the Old and New Testaments, leading up to the scene of the crucifixion at the head of the stairs, which devout pilgrims mount on their knees.
Last year, the Paul Getty Grant Program helped finance the documentation and restoration of the Chapel of San Silvestro, on the left of the Scala Santa and some years earlier
