Basilica Saint-Paul-out-the-walls

The basilica Saint-Paul-out-the-walls belongs to the 4 major Basiliques of Rome with Saint-Jean-of-Lateran, Holy-Marie-Major, Saint-Pierre of Rome.

History

With his death, Paul is buried in a necropolis along the Ostienne way. Before the Edict of Milan, there was already a secret worship returned on the tomb of Paul saint. One built even a shelter there (Memoriae Concealed), as on the tomb of Pierre saint.

As of the officialization of Christianity in 313, Constantin creates a basilica on the tomb of holy Paul, to approximately 2 km of the wall aurélienne which girdled Rome. This first building, directed towards the occident, is devoted in November 324 by the pope Sylvestre

It was replaced at the time of the reign of Théodose Ier, emperor of the East, by a basilica new, directed this time in the opposite direction, i.e. towards the East, and which was also much vaster.

In 384, Valentinien II decided the beginning of work, as a letter addressed by the emperor to the prefect testifies some to the town of Rome, Sallustius, which was in charge of the work study.

This building is called Théodosina, and although finished under Honorius, it was built by Cirade, was said " Professor Mechanicus" who projected the plan with 5 naves and the gantry with 4 arcades. The building was devoted by the pope Sirice.

Placidia official reception, girl of Théodose, and marry of Honorius, made add the mosaic of the triumphal arch, which will be remade between the 8th century and the 9th century.

The basilica was ransacked by the Lombards in 739 and by the Sarrasins in 847. To defend the holy place, Jean VIII ordered the construction of a fort, around whose a borough called was formed Giovannipoli, of which there does not remain today any more any trace.

With the wire of the centuries, the popes always embellished the basilica, by the addition of frescos, vaults, coffered ceiling on the transept,…

The basilica before the fire

The basilica after the fire

Under the pontificate of Black and white VII, in the night from July 15th to 16th 1823, a fire destroyed the major part of the building, the cloister was not damaged. Leon XII dealt with the rebuilding of the building. It was selected to keep the paléochrétien plan and to build a new building.

The project of Giuseppe Valadier was adopted by the Saint Sits. But the Commission on the rebuilding entrusted work to Pasquale Belli. Its death Luigi Poletti succeeded to him the head of work.

The end result, although having kept typology basilicale paléochrétienne is far from the building of Théodose.

One stopped half of the windows of the central nave to add tables telling the life of saint Paul, one removed all the irregularities (twisted columns, decorations under the arcades,…). One replaced the uniform marble pavement by a geometrical pavement. One placed a coffered ceiling on the central nave, marking the frame.

The mosaic of the frontage, of the 11th century, was replaced by a news, far from the esthetic guns paléochrétiens. Remainders of the first mosaic are visible behind the triumphal arch.

The current basilica is a neo-classic building, style which draws its references in the High-Empire, witness of its time, and not a building paléochrétien, drawing from the art of last times of the Romain Empire.

See too

Internal bonds

late Antiquity

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