Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio

The Basilica of Saints John and Paul on Rome's Caelian Hill stands over an ancient Roman house associated by tradition with the martyrs John and Paul.

Why it matters

The basilica preserves an early Christian place of worship developed within a domestic building. Excavations beneath it reveal layers of Roman housing, commerce and religious activity that explain the church's unusual origin.

What to notice

The exterior includes a Romanesque portico and bell tower built over structures associated with the Temple of Claudius. Inside, Baroque decoration overlays the basilica's earlier form. Beneath the church, the Case Romane preserve rooms with frescoes dating from the first to fourth centuries, including spaces that served as shops, storage and a private residence.

Context and history

The church is recorded in 499 as the Titulus Pammachii. Tradition identifies the site as the house of John and Paul, Roman officers executed under Julian around 362. Senator Pammachius established a basilica here at the end of the fourth century. The building was damaged by the Goths in 410, an earthquake in 442 and the Norman sack of 1084. Twelfth-century rebuilding produced the portico and bell tower. Later restoration campaigns altered the interior and facade.