Basilica of Saints John and Paul on the Caelian Hill
Basilica of Saints John and Paul on the Caelian Hill, Minor basilica in Celio district, Rome, Italy
The Basilica of Saints John and Paul is an early Christian church on Caelian Hill in Rome, standing beside an uneven square with a Romanesque front and bell tower built on temple ruins from Emperor Claudius' reign. The interior follows a three-nave plan with columns separating the side aisles from the central space.
The church rose in 398 on the site where two Roman martyrs once lived and underwent repairs after destruction by Visigoths, earthquakes, and Norman attacks. Over the centuries, the building received Baroque additions and a twelfth-century facade.
The three-nave interior contains a sixteenth-century coffered ceiling and the main apse displays Pomarancio's fresco depicting Christ the Redeemer with Heavenly Host.
The church sits in a quiet part of the Celio neighborhood and can be reached on foot through narrow streets from the Colosseum area. Access to the Roman underground levels is limited and requires advance arrangements.
Twenty rooms from Roman houses lie beneath the church floor, dating from the first to the fourth century and decorated with frescoes and mosaics. This underground complex offers insight into the lives of wealthy families during the imperial period.
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