St. Paul’s Outside the Walls: A Virtual Basilica

Link: https://rcweb.dartmouth.edu/CamerlenghiN/VirtualBasilica/index.php

Project Status: Ongoing

This website gives access to data related to one of Rome’s most important churches: The Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, purported to the resting place of one of Christianity’s most influential figures—the apostle Paul. Because the basilica burned tragically in 1823, what exists today is a vast reconstruction that has deliberately retained the footprint and volumes of its predecessor, but it preserves few of the historical artefacts that accrued there over the course of 1,500 years. Such loss has impeded scholars, students, tourists and pilgrims from gaining a more complete understanding of the building’s long history. The aim of this website is to make available some of the primary sources, digital reconstruction models, still-frame images, walk-through videos and interactive virtual reality environments, all of which help to shed light on this monumental structure.