Church of Saints John and Paul
The Basilica of Saints John and Paul on the Caelian Hill is one of Rome’s oldest titular churches, built in 398 CE over the house where the martyred Christian officers John and Paul were killed under Emperor Julian. Its Romanesque bell tower and medieval portico rise above ancient Roman structures that can still be explored beneath the basilica floor, making it a rare layered monument spanning Roman, early Christian, and medieval history.
At a glance
- Type
- Titular basilica and martyrs’ shrine
- Period
- Founded 398 CE; bell tower 12th century; interior remodelled 18th century
- Style
- Early Christian, Romanesque bell tower, Baroque interior
- Location
- Caelian Hill, Rome, Italy
- Coordinates
- 41.8865° N, 12.4923° E
Overview
The Basilica of Saints John and Paul on the Caelian Hill is an ancient church in Rome, located on the Caelian Hill and originally built in 398 CE. It stands as a titular church of the Roman Catholic Church, dedicated to two Roman officers martyred for their Christian faith. The complex is remarkable for preserving Roman domestic and commercial structures of the 2nd–4th centuries directly beneath the basilica floor, open to visitors as the Case Romane del Celio.
History
John and Paul were Roman officers who, according to tradition, were secretly executed in their own house on the Caelian Hill around 362 CE under Emperor Julian the Apostate for refusing to renounce Christianity. Senator Pammachius built a basilica over the site in 398 CE, incorporating the earlier domestic structures into its foundations. The church suffered damage during the Sack of Rome in 410 and was rebuilt over subsequent centuries, gaining its distinctive 12th-century Romanesque bell tower. The interior was extensively remodelled in Baroque style during the 17th and 18th centuries under the Passionist order, which has administered the church since 1773.
What you see
The exterior presents a Romanesque bell tower of 1150–1200 rising above an elegant 12th-century portico with ancient columns. Inside, the single nave is decorated in 18th-century Baroque style with frescoes by Giovanni Battista Lenardi. Beneath the basilica, the Case Romane del Celio archaeological site reveals a labyrinthine network of Roman rooms including a nymphaeum, a house-church with early Christian frescoes, and evidence of early martyr veneration.
Cultural significance
The church represents one of the clearest examples in Rome of religious continuity from Roman domestic space to early Christian martyrium to medieval basilica. The subterranean Case Romane are among the most significant archaeological sites accessible beneath a Roman church, preserving intact rooms with 3rd–4th century frescoes. Its status as a titular church means it is assigned to a Cardinal of the Roman Curia, linking it continuously to the highest levels of Church governance since late antiquity.
Practical information
- Address
- Piazza Santi Giovanni e Paolo 13, 00184 Roma RM
- Hours
- Check official website for current visiting hours
- Admission
- Basilica free; Case Romane del Celio requires ticket
Getting there
By metro: Line A to Re di Roma or Line B to Circo Massimo, then a short walk uphill to the Caelian Hill. By bus: lines 3 and 81 stop near the Colosseum. On foot from the Colosseum: approximately 10 minutes via Via Sacra and the Arch of Constantine, passing the ancient temple of Claudius.