Episode 1 of 2
Fire Destroys Basilica
- When
- 15 July 1823
- Where
- Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
A workman repairing roof gutters started a fire on 15 July 1823, causing near-total destruction of the basilica.
The incident began when a workman repairing the copper gutters of the roof started a fire. This fire led to the near-total destruction of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, which had preserved its original character for 1435 years, making it unique among Roman churches.
Sources
- Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-29
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.