The Story Behind the Basilica of St Paul’s Tomb

by Gunther Simmermacher · February 16, 2024

(Left) Pilgrims pray at the tomb of St Paul below the altar of the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. (Right top) The outside of the basilica with statue of St Paul. (Right middle) Jesus flanked by Ss Paul and Peter, and the four evangelists, on the facade of the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls. (Right bottom) The three most recent popes are depicted in mosaics, with a spare medallion next to Pope Francis reserved for the next pontiff.

In around 65 AD, during the reign of Emperor Nero, the apostle Paul was beheaded for preaching the faith in the Lord Jesus. After his execution, Christian followers buried him in a small cemetery on the Via Ostiense, just outside the ancient city walls of Rome.

For the next 250 or so years, the site was venerated by successive generations of Christians, even when it was necessary to temporarily remove St Paul’s relics, and those of St Peter, to the catacombs of St Sebastian for safekeeping.

In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine legalised Christianity, which meant that the followers of the faith could now build churches. By 324, a church was consecrated on the site of St Paul’s tomb and named St Paul Outside the Walls (or San Paolo fuori le Mura, in Italian). The same year the basilica of St John Lateran was built, and the original St Peter’s basilica was under construction over the tomb of St Peter.

Big fire of 1823

Over the centuries, St Paul Outside the Walls underwent several reconstructions, including repair to damage sustained in an earthquake in 801. Perhaps the most significant remodelling occurred 200 years ago, after a fire on July 15, 1823, destroyed much of the basilica’s interior.

The fire was caused by a welder named Giacomo who had accidentally left a pan of coals burning on the roof. But before that finding was made, conspiracy theories made the rounds, pointing the finger at revolutionary movements and, in keeping with the anti-Semitism of the age, the Rothschild family, who had happened to be in Rome at the time.

In 1825, Pope Leo XII in his encyclical Ad plurimas, encouraged donations for the reconstruction. The restoration of the basilica became a symbol of unity and cooperation among different nations and faith bodies. Various Catholic rulers, along with contributions from other Christian communities and countries, generously supported the reconstruction efforts. Help came even from the Ottoman ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, who donated alabaster columns.

Pope Leo ordered that the basilica be rebuilt according to its original 4th-century design, while retaining the great surviving artworks. While that plan was not entirely possible, the reconstructed basilica has a general resemblance to the original, though the portico with its 150 columns was added a century later.

Inside, the central nave is flanked by side aisles, leading to the imposing apse at the far end. The 80 colossal granite columns lining the nave add to the grandeur of the space.

The rebuilt basilica, reconsecrated in 1854, has a magnificent interior with superb mosaics, impressive columns, and intricate artwork. Especially stunning is the 5th-century mosaic in the apse, which depicts Christ flanked by Ss Peter and Paul, among other scenes from the Bible.

Above the columns that separate the aisles from the nave, every pope in history is represented in a mosaic medallion form (before the 1823 fire, these were murals). The incumbent pope is illuminated by a spotlight. Also worth noting is the richly decorated 5,6m-high marble Easter candle stand, created in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Tomb of St Paul

But the highlight, of course, is the tomb of St Paul, located in a crypt 1,3 metres beneath the main altar. The relics — minus the head, which tradition says is kept in St John Lateran basilica — rest in a white marble sarcophagus. In 2009, radiocarbon tests dated the bones in the sarcophagus to the 1st or 2nd century, suggesting that they are indeed Paul’s.

The crypt is not accessible, but parts of the sarcophagus can be seen through a window below the altar. The altar boasts one important relic: the chains which, according to tradition, bound St Paul in captivity.

Attached to the usually tranquil basilica is a Benedictine monastery, which was established there in ancient times. The current structures date to the 1200s.