The Catholic Church celebrated the 396th anniversary of the dedication of the Basilicas of the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul on 18 November. It is the historic temples located in the city of Rome, where the remains of these two great apostles, symbols of the unity of Christianity, rest.
Saint Leo the Great, Pope, said in one of his sermons dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul: “… We must always rejoice when we celebrate the commemoration of any of the saints, but our joy must be greater when it comes to commemorating to these parents, who stand out above the rest, since the grace of God raised them, among the members of the Church, to such a high place, that he made them the two eyes of that body whose head is Christ.
It is clear, then, that since the dignity of these two apostles is so high, the basilicas that bear their names in the Eternal City -heart of the Church- receive the honors that are proper to their dedication. Both the Basilica of Saint Peter, located in the central square of the Vatican, and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, ‘outside the walls’ of the ancient city, are loaded with symbolism and spiritual density for the enrichment and greatness of the Church of all the times.
The first Basilica of Saint Peter (Vatican City) was built on the tomb of said apostle by order of Emperor Constantine, in the year 323. The current building dates from 1454 and its construction took 170 years. It was started during the pontificate of Pope Nicholas V and was completed by Pope Urban VIII, who consecrated it on November 18, 1626.
Rafael, Bramante, Miguel Ángel and Bernini, eminent masters, worked on it capturing the best of their art. St. Peter’s Basilica measures 212 meters long, 140 meters wide and 133 meters high (towards the highest point of the dome). No other temple in the Christian world equals it in proportions.
For its part, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, after ‘Saint Peter’, is the largest temple in Rome. Its construction was also the will of Constantine. Unfortunately, in 1823, it was almost entirely destroyed by a terrible fire.
Pope Leo XIII began its reconstruction and, once finished, it was consecrated again on December 10, 1854, by Pope Pius IX. One of the most beautiful and striking details inside is the presence of the images of each and every one of the Pontiffs who have governed the Church throughout history.
The Popes -from Saint Peter to Francis- are represented in independent circular mosaics, one after the other, arranged along the upper contour of the interior of the building, covering both the central nave and the lateral naves of the Basilica.