Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Its location, shape and size make the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul one of the visual focal points of EUR, the district of Rome built for the 1942 Universal Exhibition. Seventy-two metres high and clad in travertine, the basilica is built on a Greek cross plan with clear, harmonious volumes culminating in an enormous hemispherical concrete dome covered in slate tiles. The scenographic effect is enhanced by the special position of the building, at the top of the staircase that concludes the long straight avenue of Viale Europa, and by the two large travertine statues that precede the entrance, portraying St. Peter (by Domenico Ponzi) and St. Paul (by Francesco Nagni). The church was designed by Arnaldo Foschini (with the collaboration of Tullio Rossi, Costantino Vetriani and Alfredo Energici) and its construction began in 1938; the works, interrupted by the war, were only completed in 1955.