The courtyard and golden mosaic facade of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

Italy

The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

Catholic Orthodox General Christian History lovers

What is Saint Paul Outside the Walls?

The golden mosaic gable of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

Saint Paul Outside the Walls stands over the burial place of the Apostle Paul, beyond the ancient city walls of Rome where he was martyred.

First built by the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century and rebuilt after a fire in the nineteenth, it is one of the four great papal basilicas. Beneath the main altar lies Paul's tomb, marked by his chains.

Along the nave runs a famous row of portraits of every pope in the history of the church.

If Saint Peter's honours the rock of the church, this basilica honours its greatest missionary.

Paul was beheaded outside these walls and buried here, and the long journey that began in Tarsus and crossed the whole Roman world ended on this spot. Pilgrims come to pray at the tomb of the apostle whose letters still teach the faith, and to close the circle that runs from Jerusalem to Rome.