Lenten Station Church
4th Wednesday in Lent
St. Paul Outside the Walls
(San Paolo fuori le Mura)

The Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls is one of Rome's four major papal basilicas, along with the Basilicas of St John Lateran, St Peter's, and St Mary Major. The basilica was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of Paul of Tarsus, where it was said that, after the apostle's execution, his followers erected a memorial. This first basilica was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324. In 386, Emperor Theodosius I began erecting a much larger and more beautiful basilica. It was probably consecrated around 402 by Pope Innocent I. The work, including the mosaics, was not completed until Leo I's pontificate (440–461). In the 5th century, it was larger than the Old St Peter's Basilica. On 15 July 1823, a workman repairing the copper gutters of the roof started a fire that led to the near-total destruction of this basilica, which, alone among all the churches of Rome, had preserved much of its original character for 1435 years. In 1825, Leo XII issued the encyclical encouraging donations for the reconstruction. A few months later, he issued orders that the basilica be rebuilt exactly as it had been when new in the fourth century, though he also stipulated those precious elements from later periods, such as the medieval mosaics and tabernacle, also be repaired and retained. These guidelines proved unrealistic for a variety of reasons and soon ceased to be enforced. The result is a reconstructed basilica that bears only a general resemblance to the original and is by no means identical to it. Many foreign rulers also made contributions. Muhammad Ali Pasha, Viceroy of Egypt gave columns of alabaster, while the Emperor of Russia donated precious malachite and lapis lazuli that was used on some of the altar fronts. The transept and high altar were consecrated in 1840 and that part of the basilica was then re-opened. The entire building was reconsecrated in 1854 in the presence of Pope Pius IX and fifty cardinals. Basilica St Paul Outside the Walls Exterior Views Basilica St Paul Outside the Walls Interior Views Saul of Tarsus persecuted some of the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem prior to his conversion. One day Paul was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him in a great light. He was struck blind, but after three days his sight was restored by Ananias of Damascus. Saul was converted, his name was changed to Paul, and he began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God. Paul is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age and from the mid-30s to the mid-50s AD he founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe. Thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to Paul. Today, Paul's 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 Outside the Walls will be visited one more time during the Lenten Calendar - Tuesday Within the Octave of Easter. Reference: 'Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls' on WikiPedia.org 'Paul the Apostle' on WikiPedia.org All Photographs are from Commons.WikiMedia.org Roman Basilicas - St Paul Outside the Walls 129 (1949) Map of St Paul's Journey from Caesarea to Rome 304 (1961) St Paul's Arrival in Rome 19th Century Anniversary - Basilica of St Paul 306 (1961) Martyrdom Sts Peter & Paul in 64 A.D. - St. Paul 449 (1967) 26th Holy Year - St Paul 567 (1974) Martyrdom of St Paul 1950th Anniversary 1654 (2017)