The basilica's monumental stairs

The stone stairs in front of the basilica have 56 steps, arranged in three flights. The numbers 33 and 15, often associated with this entrance, describe only parts of the complete staircase. The remaining steps complete the approach between the square and the church.

The 33 steps of the central flight symbolise the years of Jesus's earthly life. Fifteen steps above the first terrace refer to Mary's traditionally assumed age before Christ's birth. This arrangement gives the ordinary act of climbing stairs a meaning connected with pilgrimage.

Broad flights and terraces form an extensive approach to the church. The stairs link the square with its entrance, while the Calvary occupies the opposite hill. They belong to the basilica's architectural composition, not to the stairways through the Calvary chapels. Their arrangement is easiest to see by looking at the whole entrance: terraces separate the individual flights, and the facade closes the view along their axis.