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Basilica of Sts. John and Paul (Tomb of St. Paul of the Cross)

Saints & Tombs Not Applicable
Rome, Italy 4th century Feast day: October 19

The burial place of St. Paul of the Cross.

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The Story

The Basilica of Saints John and Paul (Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio) rises on Rome's Caelian Hill, built above a complex of ancient Roman houses traditionally identified as the home of its two patron martyrs. It is one of the city's venerable titular churches, and beneath its floor the excavated rooms known as the Case Romane del Celio preserve frescoes and traces of early Christian devotion. According to the traditional account, John and Paul were Roman officers in the service of the imperial court who were put to death for the faith in their own house during the reign of Julian the Apostate, around the year 362, and were buried secretly where they died. By the end of the fourth century the senator Pammachius had raised a basilica over the site, and the church has been a place of Christian worship ever since, restored and embellished many times across the centuries. In 1773 Pope Clement XIV entrusted the basilica and its adjoining monastery to the Passionists, the congregation founded by St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775) to keep alive the memory of Christ's Passion. The saint spent his final years here and died in the monastery in 1775. Canonized in 1867, he now rests in a large chapel off the nave, where his relics are venerated by pilgrims and by the Passionist family throughout the world. Today the basilica draws visitors both to the tomb of St. Paul of the Cross and to the remarkable Roman houses beneath the church, joining in one place the witness of the early martyrs and a modern school of devotion to the Passion of Christ.

Church Recognition

A minor basilica and ancient titular church of Rome, served by the Passionists since 1773; St. Paul of the Cross was canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867 and his relics are enshrined here.

Catholic Teaching

The basilica unites the memory of the early martyrs with devotion to the Passion of Christ, which St. Paul of the Cross called the greatest work of God's love; the veneration of the saints' relics reflects the communion of saints (CCC 946-962, 1674).

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Practical

Additional Information

Pilgrims venerate the relics of St. Paul of the Cross in his chapel and may visit the excavated Roman houses beneath the basilica; his feast on October 19 is especially observed by the Passionist family.

Go Deeper

Read the letters and spiritual writings of St. Paul of the Cross on the Passion of Jesus, explore the Passionists' resources on their founder, and see the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the communion of saints (CCC 946-962).

Location

Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →

In the Area

Other sacred sites within 40 miles.