Lenten Station Church
Friday After Ash Wednesday
Sts. John and Paul on Caelian Hill
(Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio)

The Basilica of Sts John and Paul (Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio) is an ancient basilica church in Rome, located on the Caelian Hill. It was originally built in 398 by senator Pammachius over the home of two Roman soldiers, St John and St Paul. The church was thus called the Titulus Pammachii and is recorded as such in the acts of the synod held by Pope Symmachus in 499. The church was damaged during the pillage by Alaric I (410) and because of an earthquake (442), restored by Pope Paschal I (824), pillaged again by the Normans (1084), and again restored, with the addition of a monastery and a bell tower around 1099. The inside of the Basilica has three naves, with pillars joined to the original columns. The altar is built over a bath, which holds the remains of the two martyrs. The apse is frescoed with Christ in Glory (1588) by Cristoforo Roncalli; while below this fresco are three paintings: a Martyrdom of St John, a Martyrdom of St Paul, and the Conversion of Terenziano (1726) by Giovanni Domenico Piastrini, Giacomo Triga, and Pietro Andrea Barbieri respectively. During excavations performed in the 19th century, a series of Ancient Roman rooms were discovered under the nave of the church. Some of these rooms were dens that were part of a structure in which wild animals were kept before being used in entertainments held at the Colosseum. A low vaulted passage connected this with the Colosseum. On 9 December 1773, St Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists, together with his 17-fellow religious, took possession of the venerable old buildings. The Sts John and Paul Basilica is the home to the Passionists (a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men) and is the burial place of St Paul of the Cross. Sts John and Paul on Caelian Hill Exterior Views Sts John and Paul on Caelian Hill Interior Views St John the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is traditionally held to be the author of the Gospel of John, and many Christian denominations believe that he authored several other books of the New Testament. As he was traditionally identified as the beloved apostle, the evangelist, and the author of the Revelation and several Epistles, John played an extremely prominent role in art from the early Christian period onward. It is traditionally believed that St John was the youngest of the apostles and survived them all. He is said to have lived to old age, dying at Ephesus sometime after AD 98, during the reign of Trajan. St Paul (previously called Saul of Tarsus) was commonly known as Paul the Apostle. He spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. Generally regarded as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age, he founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-40s to the mid-50s AD. Fourteen of the 27 books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to St Paul. Today, his epistles continue to be vital roots of the theology, worship and pastoral life in the Latin and Protestant traditions of the West, as well as the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox traditions of the East. St Paul's influence on Christian thought and practice has been characterized as being as "profound as it is pervasive", among that of many other apostles and missionaries involved in the spread of the Christian faith. The tradition is that St Peter was crucified upside down and that St Paul was beheaded due to the fact that Paul was a Roman citizen, and Roman citizens were normally exempt from crucifixion. Reference: 'Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio' on Wikipedia.org 'John the Apostle' on Wikipedia.org 'Paul the Apostle' on Wikipedia.org All Photographs are from Commons.WikiMedia.org Martyrdom Sts Peter & Paul in 64 A.D. - St Paul 449 (1967) 26th Holy Year - St Paul 569 (1974) World Communications Year - St Paul Preaching C74 (1983) Europa 1998 - Festivals & Celebrations; Feast of St Paul 1064 (1998) Pauline Year - Conversion of St Paul 1392 (2008) Pauline Year - St Paul Preaching 1393 (2008) St Paul:1997 Gold Coin V7 (2001) Evangelist St. John by Fra Angelico C58 (2071) St John w/Eagle V14 (2022) St Paul of the Holy Cross - the Founder of the Passionists 586 (1975)