There are several things to see at Santi Giovanno e Paulo. First pay a visit to the basilica itself for a fascinating slice of religious architectural history stretching over several centuries. Saints John and Paul were martyred in early 361 A.D. for violating the edicts of the Emperor Julian the Apostate; the remains of the first church built shortly after can be seen in the present church from the medieval period. The basilica was restored by Pope Leo I in the fourth century A.D. but then sacked by Norman Raiders in 1084. It was restored yet again during the 11th and 12th centuries and eventually redesigned in its present Baroque style in the 18th century. The present order of Passionist fathers who now serve the church took up residence in the late 18th century. It was also in the 18th century that the remains of the saints’ houses were uncovered. It wasn’t until the 20th century however that the last major restoration took place under the aegis of American Francis Cardinal Spellman, who got financial support from Joseph Kennedy for the project; at the same time, further excavations of the subterranean areas were financed.
The basilica’s exterior reflects its interesting changes, from the Romanesque bell tower (c. 1150) that rests on travertine from the Temple of Claudius, to the third-floor monastery windows that mark the room of St. Paul of the Cross, the 18th century founder of the Passionist Congregation. Highlights of the church’s interior include a fresco of Christ with Apostles, in the Byzantine style (c. 1255) located behind the chapel left of the high altar (sacristan will allow you to view on request); the ancient porphyry urn beneath the altar containing the relics of St John and St Paul; the frescoes and paintings in the apse area. The frescoes have recently undergone an extensive three-year restoration project. Other points of interest are the domed chapel off the right aisle that has the relics of St. Paul of the Cross, and two other chapels by the entrance housing the relics of earlier Christian martyrs.
Excavation on the houses beneath the church was completed just in 1958, and the 20 or so rooms are interesting for their mixture of both Christian and pagan artwork. Depicting the old gods and rituals was clearly neither at an end nor completely separate from the new religion during these early days of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. There is also an early medieval oratory under the church. Above ground, we toured a modern, well-lit museum of artefacts from the houses, displaying objects that give you a living image of everyday life still continuing despite often difficult circumstances of persecution and upheaval in the city above.