St. Paul's Outside the Walls
A Roman Basilica, from Antiquity to the Modern Era

The book traces nearly two thousand years of architectural transformations to St Paul's Basilica, one of Rome's principal churches.

Nicola Camerlenghi (Author)

9781108429511, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 August 2018

396 pages, 126 b/w illus. 82 colour illus.
28.7 x 22.4 x 2 cm, 1.38 kg

'Usually books covering such a wide span are multiauthored, but Camerlenghi bravely and successfully tackles the whole life-span. His thoughtful meditations on layered identities and how a building, like a new varietal grafted onto an old rootstock, can change but remain the same might be what readers in fields far from Rome will take away from this fine book.' Joseph Connors, Renaissance Quarterly

This volume examines one of Rome's most influential churches: the principal basilica dedicated to St Paul. Nicola Camerlenghi traces nearly two thousand years of physical transformations to the church, from before its construction in the fourth century to its reconstruction following a fire in 1823. By recounting this long history, he restores the building to its rightful place as a central, active participant in epochal political and religious shifts in Rome and across Christendom, as well as a protagonist in Western art and architectural history. Camerlenghi also examines how buildings in general trigger memories and anchor meaning, and how and why buildings endure, evolve, and remain relevant in cultural contexts far removed from the moment of their inception. At its core, Saint Paul's exemplifies the concept of building as a process, not a product: a process deeply interlinked with religion, institutions, history, cultural memory, and the arts. This study also includes state-of-the-art digital reconstructions synthesizing a wealth of historical evidence to visualize and analyze the earlier (now lost) stages of the building's history, offering glimpses into heretofore unexamined parts of its long, rich life.

1. Paul's place in Rome: tomb, trophy, and the Basilica of the Constantinian Dynasty (ca.67–386)
2. The Basilica of the Theodosian Dynasty (386–410)
3. The early transformations (410–700)
4. A fortress of faith during the heart of the Middle Ages (700–1050)
5. The advent, apogee, and end of St Paul's Golden Age (10501–423)
6. Rebirth and modernization (1423–1655)
7. Restoring and reconstructing St Paul's during the long eighteenth century (1655–1823)
Epilogue. The Basilica is dead, long live the Basilica!
Appendix A. Reconciling the evidence and making the model
Appendix B. Carolingian-era patronage.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD], History of architecture [AMX], Architecture [AM], History of art / art & design styles [AC]