Overview
The Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls stands relatively far from the centre of Rome, outside the Aurelian Walls, as the church's name suggests. For visitors to the Eternal City, however, it is a site not to be missed. Not only is it the largest Roman church after St. Peter's (five naves, 65 metres wide, over 130 metres long), but it is also one of the oldest Christian basilicas, adorned with outstanding works of art: a beauty that also extend to the adjacent Benedictine Abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls, with which the basilica forms a single complex. It is still the extraterritorial property of the Holy See, which is no wonder, since it is a place of fundamental importance for Christianity. It stands on the site where Saint Paul was buried, was commissioned by the Emperor Constantine himself and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester I in around 330. Rebuilt later in the 4th century, between 15 and 16 July 1823, it was destroyed by a fire that spared only the transept, the holy arch and part of the façade (which was, however, demolished).
The basilica was promptly rebuilt with the same dimensions and floor plan, replicating the decorations where it was not possible to save the original ones. On the internal side of the right portal are preserved the bronze doors of the ancient basilica, which were cast in Constantinople in 1070. Inside, the masterpieces include the Gothic ciborium on the high altar, a 1284 work by Arnolfo di Cambio, possibly made with the help of Pietro Cavallini, the large mosaic on the apse, which dates back to the time of Honorius III (pope from 1216 to 1227, seen portrayed in minuscule form at the feet of the Blessing Christ), and the paschal candle stand, made in the 12th century by Nicolò di Angelo and Pietro Vassalletto. Mosaics from the medieval church can also be seen on the arch of triumph. Under the Papal Altar, the tomb of St. Paul and the remains of the Constantinian basilica were found.
From the right arm of the transept you access the art gallery, with 16th-century Umbrian works and paintings by Bramantino and Cigoli. The splendid cloister is the work of the Vassalletto family, who completed it in the early part of the 13th century. Its twin columns are of different shapes, some with mosaic inlays, and it contains artefacts belonging to the ancient basilica and the Ostiense burial ground, a large necropolis that stretched between the cliff known as the Roccia di San Paolo, not far from the church, and the bend in the Tiber.
