So many churches, so little time (must narrow down!)

I haven't been to all the ones you listed, but San Giovanni in Laterano was amazing. Be sure to go into the Cloister garden. And do check out the baptistery next door for some really old mosaics. San Clemente is also amazing. I had read about the three levels, but had no idea how cool it would be to go down into them. I wasn't too impressed with St. Peter in Chains. Michelangelo's Moses is great, but the setting for it just feels wrong to me. SM Maggiore was also not too impressive to me. As for Chiesa del Gesu, we went there for the 5:30 daily dramatic unveiling of the silver statue of St. Ignatius and thought it was way over the top - unintentionally campy. The statue looked to me like a cross between the Tin Man and Liberace. And it takes them about 20-30 minutes of the dramatic presentation before they actually lower the painting to unveil the statue. One of the highlights for me that's not on your list was Santa Prassede (near SM Maggiore). The mosaics in this church and in the tiny Chapel of San Zeno were a highlight of our recent trip to Rome. Also, consider Santo Stefano Rotondo for a completely different church. It's worth a little research to decide if you would want to see it. I didn't spend a lot of time inside, but it's unlike any other church you'll see in Rome. Just my opinions, of course. Have a great time.

San Giovanni in Laterno is worth a visit and Scala Santa can be seen at the same time since it is nearby. We saw St Pauls outside the Walls on way back from Ostia. My new favorite may be St Maria Aracoeli though for its many beautiful chandeliers-enter from the back to avoid all those steps in front of it. Santa Maria Maggiore underwhelmed me-a bit gloomy.

Hi Maria,
I haven't seen it yet (next year!) - but 20 odd years later my mum is still stunned by the statue of Moses at St. Peter in Chains. If sculpture is your thing, I'd put it at the top of the list. Ruth

St Peter in chains. As a Jew I found it to be very moving. I have had people ask me if I had horns and it is because of that statue. The chains and the morbid decorations make it an unusual church as well.

I had these churches, among others, on my list when visiting Rome just last month. Of those on your list that I saw, I can recommend: San Clemente, for its layers of religious history St. Peter in Chains, if only for the one piece of sculpture Santa Maria della Vittoria, for Bernini's amazing set piece
Chiesa del Gesu - if you want to see Baroque, this is it. I felt Santa Maria Maggiore was a little underwhelming, yet still had notable mosaics. I wanted, but never made it, to Chiesa di San Francesco a Ripa for another of Bernini's best works, 'The Blessed Ludovica Albertoni.' If you are near the Pantheon, there is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva only a few steps away. It's said to be the only Gothic church in Rome. For more by Bernin, there is Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, a complete work, building and all, by this sculptor/architect.

San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria Maggiore, and St. Paul Outside the Walls are Jubilee churches, in addition to the Vatican; it's cool to visit all of them. I liked Santa Maria Maggiore because of its interesting features - it has a double facade (the Baroque one is built over the medieval one) and because of its history - the gold on its ceiling was given to the pope by the Spanish in the 16th century. Santa Maria della Vittoria might have the body of St. Teresa of Avila (I forgot which church in Rome has her). She's in a glass box - really fascinating.

As others, I would highly recommend St Peter in Chains. It is not far from the Colosseum, Eternal City, etc. Moses, who was recently cleaned, is one of the world's greatest statues, and is worth the quick trip. Take time to admire the work on his arms and legs.

Glad to hear that Moses has been finally cleaned. When we were last there, you could walk over his head on scaffolding and there was a restoration specialist working on him, stuffing cotton balls into his folded robes and pulling them out with tweezers. It was fascinating to watch.

Here's a good website that should help: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-churches.htm

For those interested in the Moses statue and its restoration - or for that matter, anyone interested in Michelangelo - this PBS program, Secrets of the Dead: Michelangelo Revealed, is fascinating. The restorer that the previous poster saw working discovered some amazing things that revealed a lot about Michelangelo's thoughts and beliefs. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/episodes/michelangelo-revealed/226/

Not on your list: Santa Maria del Popolo for amazing art work - sculpture by Bernini, a Caravagio, Raphael and others not to mention some fantastic Baroque sculpture within - go out of your way to see this Santa Maria in Cosmedin - a hodge-podge of scavanged Roman building materials in one of the older extant churches in Rome, also home to "The Mouth of Truth" - most famous from Roman Holiday Tempietto in San Pietro in Montorio - worth a stop if in the area for the first Renaissance building and the spot believed to be where St. Peter was crucified On your list and well worth the effort:
San Giovanni in Laterano - pretty impressive San Clemente - layers of history fairly unique in Roman churches Santa Maria della Vittoria - the Ecstasy of St. Teresa is one of the best Bernini's there is Il Gesu - an incredibly important design and full of rich artwork St Peter in Chains is worth it only if in the area to see the chains and Moses but it's not a very interesting church

I second Douglas' recommendation Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria for their Berninis and the Caravagio. Be aware of opening and closing times as we have found churches closed for many hours at mid-day. Not always the same hours. I once sat through a service in Latin just to see the St. Teresa by Bernini because they were closing the church for a service. We had arrived after the long closed lunch hour only to find the church closing again for the service! It was worth the extra effort. @Penny. Thanks for the link and information about the PBS program. I'll definitely take a look at it.

That's an amazing PBS episode. I really wish I had seen it before we went to Rome last month. I did go see the Moses statue and this would have added so much to that experience. Thanks for posting that.

Many thanks to all who've offered their impressions! I've been able to add some and delete/"lower" others on the list.
Thanks also for the wonderful links. Love the RS community. 6 more days and we'll be in Italy!