Dedication of the Churches of Saints Peter and Paul

In the early church, Vatican Hill was a simple cemetery where believers gathered at Saint Peter’s tomb to pray. In 319, Constantine built a basilica on the site that stood for more than a thousand years until, despite numerous restorations, it threatened to collapse. In 1506, Pope Julius II ordered it razed and reconstructed. The new basilica was not completed and dedicated for more than two centuries.

Saint Paul’s Outside-the-Walls stands near the Abaazia delle Tre Fontane, where it is believed that Saint Paul was beheaded. The largest church in Rome until St. Peter’s was rebuilt, the basilica also rises over the traditional site of Saint Paul's grave.