St. Paul’s Outside the Walls

Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls is one of the four major basilicas in Rome. It was founded by Constantine I, on the spot of the burial of Saint Paul after his execution. After its consecration in 324, emperor Theodosius I committed a bigger basilica with a central nave and four aisles. In the 19th century, a man repairing the roof started a fire that destroyed the beautiful basilica. It was however reconstructed as the previous one and using the part survived at the fire, too. Nowadays, the basilica shows a refined style, with an elegant colonnade that hugs the visitors. The face is decorated with a mosaic where four prophets appears, while on the upper part the mount Paradise is represented with its four rivers, symbols of the four gospels. On the last section, Jesus Christ sat in between saint Paul and saint Peter. The upper and the lowest sections show a golden background.