170th Anniversary of the Rededication Basilica of Saint Paul

On the night between July 15 and 16, 1823, a fire, parked by embers accidentally left burning on the roof, devastated the Basilica of San Paolo. It fell to Pope Leo XII to give new life to the Pauline temple, and he undertook an ambitious reconstruction project, launching a sort of early “crowdfunding” effort. The result was extraordinary: the monumental neoclassical building was rebuilt over the course of 30 years under the direction of architect Luigi Poletti with the same dimensions as the previous basilica. On December 10, 1854, Pope Pius IX consecrated the third and current Basilica of San Paolo in the presence of Cardinals and Bishops, who had come to Rome from around the world for the proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. In the present Pauline complex, stylistic traces of different eras are visible: early Christian, Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance The stamp, issued by the Vatican for the anniversary, depicts the apse mosaic of the Basilica of Saint Paul, created by Venetian masters around the 13th century under Pope Honorius III, following the iconography and execution techniques of Byzantine tradition. At the center stands the majestic figure of Christ Pantocrator. Christ’s open book bears the words of the Last Judgment, while the scrolls held by Peter and Paul affirm their faith.To Christ’s right, in a place of honor, are Paulk, whose name is written uniquely in both Greek and Latin, and Luke, his “biographer” in the Book of Acts.