BASILICA DI SAN PAOLO FUORI LE MURA (MAJOR BASILICA OF SAINT PAUL OUTSIDE THE WALLS)

Along with the Lateran, the Vatican and Santa Maria Maggiore, St. Paul's Outside the Walls is one of the four major basilicas of Rome and, as such, part of the Vatican territory. Saint Paul, martyred in 67 AD, was buried there along the Via Ostiense, lined, like the other exits, with cemeteries. In the ^4th century, Constantine had a small sanctuary built over the tomb of the saint. To cope with the influx of people, towards the end of the century, Honorius redesigned the complex, reversing the orientation which, as it was originally, blocked the development of the building because of the height that dominates this place. During the ^VIII century it was the center of a small feudal monastic state, Giovannopoli. Inhabited until 1348, Giovannopoli was later abandoned. In the ^9th century, the basilica was surrounded by a fortified enclosure and later enriched, especially in the Middle Ages, by Arnolfo di Cambio and by Pietro Cavallini. The fire that ravaged it in 1823 was felt as a disaster. It was rebuilt as much as possible and as well as possible. The result is there to prove it. The vast atrium that precedes the main entrance is ^{19th-early20th} century; unfortunately, it is useless to dwell on it. The nave is impressive by its dimensions and its forest of granite columns: there are 80 of them. The light comes from the openings lined with transparent alabaster, which gives it a very particular shade. The statues in the side niches represent the apostles and are from the ^19th or ^20th century. The triumphal arch is decorated with a mosaic of the^fifth very well restored. The ciborium of the high altar is by Arnolfo di Cambio (1285), it is a beautiful example of the so-called international Gothic that triumphed at the time. The mosaic of the apse, executed at the request of Honorius III, is from the ^13th century. Very beautiful pieces of furniture were saved from the fire. In the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, to the left of the transept, there is a wooden Christ, by Cavallini, and a statue of Saint Brigid, by Maderno. The candelabra of the Paschal candle is by Vassaletto. The adjacent cloister is also worth a visit. Finally, you should spend some time in the picture gallery, to see in particular the state of the complex after the disaster of 1823, described in a series of engravings. One will notice the medallions in mosaic placed on the entablature of the whole basilica. They represent all the popes since Saint Peter.