Private Tour: Villa d'Este (Tivoli) & Roman Basilicas - Faith, Art & History

Erected during the fourth century AD, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura) is one of the four major basilicas of Rome, and the second largest after St. Peter's Basilica. It was founded on the burial ground of St. Paul. When Paul the Apostle was executed in the first century AD in Rome, his followers built a shrine over his grave. In 324 a small church was consecrated on the same grounds, which was later demolished in 386 to make space for the construction of a larger and more beautiful basilica, completed in 395. After the fire, many countries made donations for the restoration of the church, which was reopened in 1840. The temple was later declared a national monument. The interior of the Basilica of St. Paul is magnificent, with enormous marble columns and beautiful gold mosaics. Unfortunately, because of the fire of 1823, few parts of the Medieval basilica remain intact. However, the church still houses some mosaics from the thirteenth century, a large twelfth-century chandelier, or the marble tombstone under which the remains of St. Paul lie. On the basilica’s walls, visitors will be able to observe the portraits of each of the popes, while a ray of sunlight lights up the portrait of the current Pope.The atrium located in the exterior is one of the most noteworthy parts of the church. It is made up of 150 columns, and from here, visitors can see the façade of the Basilica covered by an enormous golden mosaic built between 1854 and 1874, which reflects the rays of sunlight. The centre of the portico houses a colossal statue of St. Paul. Although the Basilica isn’t in the heart of the city, we recommend visiting this unique and astonishing church in order to see its impressive mosaics, atrium and interior. It is one of the most worthwhile of Rome.

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is an ancient Catholic basilica that is considered to be the largest of the churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Rome. It is one of the city’s four major basilicas. Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore was built on a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Cybele, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore was built in the mid-fourth century under the orders of Pope Liberius. According to legend, the Virgin appeared before the Pope with the instructions for building the church, and the shape of the floor was designed based on a miraculous snowfall. Over the years, the basilica has had many different names, such as Saint Mary of the Snow (due to snow that led to the church’s shape), Santa Maria Liberiana (for Pope Liberius), St. Mary of the Nativity (because it received a relic of the Holy Nativity), and it was finally called Santa Maria Maggiore, as it is the largest of the 26 churches in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary.