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Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls

Shrine & Basilica Not Applicable
Rome, Italy 4th century (rebuilt 19th c.) Feast day: June 29

Built over the burial place of St. Paul the Apostle; one of the four papal major basilicas.

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The Story

The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls rises over the tomb of the Apostle Paul on the Ostian Way, south of Rome's ancient walls. One of the four papal major basilicas, it has marked the apostle's burial place since the earliest centuries of the Church. According to the constant tradition of the Roman Church, Paul was beheaded near the Ostian Way during the persecutions under Nero, in the mid-60s of the first century, and buried close by. Christians venerated the grave from the beginning, and in the fourth century the Emperor Constantine raised a basilica over it, later replaced by a far grander church begun under three emperors at the end of that century. For more than a millennium it was the largest church in Rome. In July 1823 a catastrophic fire destroyed most of the ancient basilica. The Catholic world contributed to its rebuilding, faithful to the original plan, and the new basilica was consecrated in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. Its cool colonnaded nave, golden mosaics, and the famous series of medallion portraits of every pope preserve the memory of the church that stood before. Beneath the papal altar, excavations publicized in 2006 brought to light a marble sarcophagus aligned with the ancient inscription 'Paulo Apostolo Mart' — 'to Paul, Apostle and Martyr.' In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI announced that carbon dating of bone fragments from within the tomb placed them in the first or second century, a finding he said seemed to confirm the unanimous tradition that these are the remains of the Apostle. Pilgrims today pray at the tomb, venerate the chain by tradition associated with Paul's imprisonment, and pass through the basilica's Holy Door in jubilee years.

Church Recognition

St. Paul Outside the Walls is one of the four papal major basilicas, served by a Benedictine abbey; the apostle's tomb has been venerated there since antiquity, and in 2009 Pope Benedict XVI announced scientific findings consistent with the tradition that it holds St. Paul's remains.

Catholic Teaching

The apostle's tomb anchors the Church's teaching on apostolicity — the Church is built on the foundation of the apostles (CCC 857) — while devotion at the tomb reflects the veneration of martyrs and their relics from the earliest centuries (CCC 1674; 2473).

Plan Your Visit

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Additional Information

Pilgrims venerate the tomb of St. Paul beneath the papal altar.

Go Deeper

See the basilica's official website at https://basilicasanpaolo.org, the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline letters, Pope Benedict XVI's catecheses from the Year of St. Paul (2008–2009), and CCC 857 on the apostolic Church.

Location

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

In the Area

Other sacred sites within 40 miles.