Sao Paulo-fuori-le-mura

Founded by the emperor Constantine at the place of the alleged burial of St.. Paul (in 2006, archaeologists announced that they had found his sarcophagus under the temple). In 386, Theodosius I found that church unworthy of such a sacred place and began the construction of a much more imposing church. When Pope Leo I completed construction, there was no more spacious basilica in Rome. The poet Prudentius glorified her beauty for Emperor Honorius .

Pope Gregory the Great engaged in all sorts of improvements in temple architecture; when it was near the cathedral already operated two monasteries, male and female. In 846, the basilica was plundered and partially destroyed by the Saracen pirates ^[1] , which prompted Pope John VIII to strengthen the religious complex, which was allocated to a separate city called Giovannipoli .

In the 10th century, the basilica and its surrounding monasteries were taken over by the Cluny monks. Gregory VII , who was abbot here, gave the temple bronze doors of Byzantine work. In 1215, the Latin patriarch expelled from Alexandria settled here; the basilica remained the cathedral of his successors until 1964 . In 1220-1241, an elegant monastic courtyard in the Gothic style was built.

Unlike the rest of the Patriarchal Basil, the Cathedral of Sts. Paul outside the wall has not undergone significant changes either during the Renaissance or the Baroque era, but on July 15, 1823, it burned down almost to the ground. The losses include the mosaic of Pietro Cavallini in the apse , but the mosaic of the 5th century (the order of Galla Placidia ) miraculously survived. The restoration of the temple continued until 1840 , and a completely new classicist facade was built. Malachite and lapis lazuli to recreate the altar sent by Tsar Nicholas I. Re-consecration of the temple took place only in 1854 . After restoration, the size of the temple was 132 m long, 65 m wide and 30 m high ^[2] . In the years 1890-1928, a colonnade of 146 granite columns was built, surrounding the western courtyard of the temple. In the center of the courtyard was a statue of the Apostle Paul by Pietro Canonica .

One of the characteristic features of the basilica is a gallery of portraits of all the Popes , placed in medallions on the inner perimeter of the building. Before the fire in the medallions, frescoes with papal portraits were placed; they were replaced with mosaic portraits when the temple was restored. Several surviving frescoes are kept in the museum at the basilica. At the moment, only a few medallions are empty. One of the legends says that when there are no empty medallions left and the last Pope dies, the End of the World will come.

During the aftershocks of October 30, 2016, the building of the cathedral was damaged, cracks appeared on the walls, and it was closed to believers. ^[3]

Sarcophagus with the relics of St. Apostle Paul was kept in the crypt of the Basilica. After the fire of 1823, the sarcophagus was buried under a frozen layer of molten stones and metal. For a long time no attempt was made to remove the ark, only in 2005, careful excavations began, as a result of which the sarcophagus was discovered and removed ^[2] .

On the memorial day of the Apostle Paul on June 29, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI said that for the first time in history a scientific study of the sarcophagus, located under the altar of the temple, was conducted. According to the pope, in the sarcophagus were found "... the smallest fragments of bones, which were subjected to research using carbon-14 by experts who did not know about their origin. According to the results, they belong to a man who lived between the first and second centuries. ” “This seems to confirm the unanimous and indisputable tradition, according to which we are talking about the remains of the Apostle Paul,” said the pontiff at the ceremony marking the end of the celebrations associated with the 2000 anniversary of St. Paul. To open the ancient find for a long time did not dare. The sarcophagus tried to illuminate X-rays, but the stone was too thick. “In the sarcophagus, which had never been opened for centuries, the slightest hole was made for insertion of the probe, through which traces of precious linen fabric dyed in magenta were found, a plate of pure gold and blue fabric with flax fibers. The presence of red incense was detected, as well as protein and calcareous compounds. ” The pontiff promised that when the scientists completed the research, the sarcophagus with the relics would be available for worshiping the believers.

The main organ of the work of Farinati (Farinati) was presented to the basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1885 , and was reconstructed several times over a hundred years. The last revision and restoration was carried out in 1993-1995 by the Roman firm Stefano Buccolini (Stefano Buccolini), which continues to serve the organ. In particular, the air supply system was replaced from pneumatic to electric. The tool has 48 registers, 2 manuals on 61 keys and a foot keyboard with 32 keys. Date of construction - 1883 year . Installed in the left apse. Described in the catalog of organs

• Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo - ( May 31, 2005 - July 3, 2009 );
• Cardinal Francesco Monterisi - ( July 3, 2009 - November 23, 2012 );
• Cardinal James Michael Harvey - ( November 23, 2012 - present ).

• Official site
• St. Paul's Outside the Walls: A Virtual Basilica