Latin Rocks

The Basilica dei Santi Silvestro e Martino is dedicated to two saints from the 4th century who never actually crossed paths. Because of this, the church can be said to suffer from an identity crisis! Saint Silvester was the Pope who carried the church into the age of Constantine. Saint Martin of Tours was the former soldier who became a monk to champion the poor in what would become France. Their names are linked here in this building and in the layers of history.

The Church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls is the resting place of the Apostle Paul, buried in what was originally a burial spot outside the city walls. The original church was established by Constantine over the site where a Christian woman named Lucina buried Paul after his martyrdom. In 386, a massive five-aisled basilica replaced the smaller structure, and despite a catastrophic fire in 1823, the church was rebuilt to its original dimensions, remaining focused on the Ap

The Basilica of San Lorenzo in Damaso gets its name from Pope Damasus I, who held the papacy from 366 to 384 AD. He is known as the pope who commissioned Jerome to translate the Bible into the Latin Vulgate. Unlike the other churches bearing the name of Lorenzo, there are no relics or physical elements related to Saint Lawrence. Instead, Damasus was an admirer of Saint Lawrence and built the church over his own home. San Lorenzo in Damaso is a titulus church.