# Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, Rome

> St Paul Outside the Walls is one of Rome's four papal basilicas, built over the tomb of the Apostle Paul and second in size only to St Peter's. Mosaic portraits of every pope run around the walls. Entry is free, it opens roughly 7:00–18:30, and Metro B stops right outside; 45 minutes is enough.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 57/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 45 min
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entry: Free
- Cloister: Ticketed, 13th-century mosaic columns
- Opening hours: ≈ 7:00–18:30 daily
- Dress code: Shoulders and knees covered
- Time needed: 45 minutes, about an hour with the cloister
- Location: Ostiense, 2 km beyond the Aurelian Walls; Metro B Basilica S. Paolo
- Coordinates: 41.85861, 12.47722
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **4th century** — the first basilica over Paul's tomb was built under Constantine (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1854** — the rebuilt basilica was consecrated (source: English Wikipedia)
- **2nd** — largest basilica in Rome after St Peter's (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Every pope** — appears in a mosaic medallion along the walls (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1285** — Arnolfo di Cambio's Gothic ciborium over the altar (source: English Wikipedia)
- **80 columns** — of granite divide the church into five aisles (source: English Wikipedia)

## History

Tradition holds that the **Apostle Paul** was buried beside the road to Ostia, outside the city walls — hence the name. A church was built over the grave under **Constantine** in the 4th century and later enlarged; until the 16th century it was the largest church in Rome. In the 19th century the basilica had to be almost entirely rebuilt, and the new one, faithful to the old plan, was consecrated in **1854**.

It's one of the **four papal basilicas**, with [St Peter's](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica), the [Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) and [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore), and its grounds belong to the Holy See even though they're far from the Vatican.

## Inside the basilica

You enter through a **quadriportico** — a courtyard of 150 columns, palms and a statue of Paul holding his sword — under a façade of glittering 19th-century **gold mosaics**. Inside, **80 granite columns** march down five aisles beneath a gilded coffered ceiling.

Around the top of the walls runs a band of **mosaic medallions showing every pope**, from Peter to the present; the current pope's portrait is lit. Over the high altar stands **Arnolfo di Cambio's ciborium** of 1285, and below it, behind a grille, you can see the **tomb of St Paul**. The apse has a 13th-century mosaic of Christ enthroned.

## Highlights

- **Quadriportico** — the colonnaded courtyard and statue of St Paul.
- **Bronze Holy Door** — opened only in Jubilee years.
- **Papal portraits** — a medallion for every pontiff.
- **Tomb of St Paul** — beneath the high altar, visible through a grille.
- **Arnolfo di Cambio's ciborium** — a Gothic canopy over the altar.
- **Paschal candlestick** — a carved 12th-century marble column.
- **Cloister** — a 13th-century courtyard of twisted columns inlaid with mosaic by the Vassalletto workshop.

> **Don't skip the cloister** The cloister is one of Rome's loveliest medieval courtyards — twisted and straight columns studded with coloured mosaic around a garden. It's ticketed, with the desk inside the basilica, and includes a small museum of fragments from the old church.

## How to get to St Paul Outside the Walls

1. Metro line B to **Basilica S. Paolo** — 5 minutes' walk to the entrance.
2. Buses 23 and 769 stop on Piazzale San Paolo.
3. From the [Pyramid of Cestius](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pyramid-of-cestius), 2 km down Via Ostiense, about 25 minutes on foot.
4. From Testaccio, 20–25 minutes' walk through Ostiense.

## Best time to visit

It's rarely crowded — fewer visitors make the trip out than to the centre. Come in the **morning**, when sun streams through the high windows, or in the afternoon on the way to [Testaccio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/testaccio). On 25 January, the feast of the Conversion of St Paul, the pope usually celebrates a solemn service here.

## Is it worth the trip?

Yes, if you want to see all four papal basilicas, or simply a vast, bright, peaceful church with no queue. It's 15 minutes from the Colosseum on Metro B. The papal portraits and the mosaic cloister are unlike anything in Rome's other basilicas.

## Before you go

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Cover shoulders and knees
- [ ] Take Metro B to Basilica S. Paolo
- [ ] Spot the lit medallion of the current pope
- [ ] Visit the mosaic cloister
- [ ] Combine with Testaccio and the Pyramid of Cestius

## Rome's churches: compare and choose

Churches and basilicas in Rome rated by YesGo.

- [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon) — YesGo score 82/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · ≈ €5
- [St Peter's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15
- [Sistine Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sistine-chapel) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25
- [Archbasilica of St John Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; cloister ≈ €5
- [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free
- [Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free
- [Church of the Gesù](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/church-of-the-gesu) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Sant'Ignazio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sant-ignazio) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Santa Maria sopra Minerva](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-sopra-minerva) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Santa Maria in Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-in-trastevere) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2
- [Catacombs of Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/rome-catacombs) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €10–12 with guide
- [San Pietro in Vincoli](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-pietro-in-vincoli) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [San Luigi dei Francesi](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-luigi-dei-francesi) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Santa Maria della Vittoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-della-vittoria) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-carlo-alle-quattro-fontane) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Tempietto](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/tempietto) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Santa Sabina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free
- [Baths of Diocletian](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/baths-of-diocletian) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12
- [Basilica of San Clemente](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-clemente) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12

## The papal basilicas in a day

Santa Maria Maggiore near Termini in the morning, then a walk to the Lateran and the Scala Santa, and St Paul Outside the Walls after lunch.

1. [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free
2. [Archbasilica of St John Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; cloister ≈ €5
3. [Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free

## Don't mix it up

'Outside the Walls' means beyond the ancient Aurelian Walls, on the road to Ostia. Rome also has San Paolo alla Regola and the Three Fountains abbey linked to St Paul — both separate sites.

## Tips

- Hardly ever a queue.
- The current pope's medallion is lit up.
- The mosaic cloister is Rome's finest medieval courtyard.
- 15 minutes from the Colosseum on Metro B.

## Questions

### Is St Paul Outside the Walls free?

Yes; only the cloister and museum charge.

### How do I get to St Paul Outside the Walls?

Metro line B to Basilica S. Paolo, 5 minutes' walk.

### Is St Paul buried there?

By tradition, yes — his tomb lies beneath the high altar.

### What are the portraits along the walls?

Mosaic medallions of every pope, from Peter to the present.

### What are the opening hours?

Roughly 7:00–18:30 daily.

### Why 'Outside the Walls'?

It stands beyond the ancient Aurelian Walls on the road to Ostia.

### How long do you need?

About 45 minutes, an hour with the cloister.

## How we checked

History, interior and papal portraits from English Wikipedia. We couldn't confirm hours and the cloister fee on the official site at the time of checking, hence the 'checking' badge.

## Sources

- Basilica Papale San Paolo fuori le Mura, official website
- English Wikipedia, Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

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