San Lorenzo fuori le Mura

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Church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (St Lawrence outside the Walls), Rome
San Lorenzo fuori le Mura
The basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (St Lawrence Outside the Walls) is located in the north of the city, near the Via Tiburtina, the ancient Roman road to Tibur (modern Tivoli).

Saint Lawrence, one of the seven deacons of Rome, was martyred in 258 and his grave soon attracted hordes of pilgrims. The emperor Constantine the Great (r. 306-337) had a sanctuary built on the site, which was rebuilt in 579 by Pope Pelagius II (r. 579-90). St Lawrence is buried in the crypt, under the high altar. 
The tomb of Pope Pius IX, San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, Rome
The Tomb of Pope Pius IX
Pius IX (r 1846-78), the longest-reigning pope in the history of the papacy, is also interred in the crypt.
Statue of Saint Lawrence by Stefano Galletti, church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (St Lawrence Outside the Walls), Rome
Saint Lawrence by Stefano Galletti
Pope Pius IX commissioned the bronze statue of St Lawrence, the work of Stefano Galletti (1832-1905), which sits atop a granite column in front of the church. The three-metre-high statue was unveiled in 1865. ​
Interior of the church of San Lorenzo fuori le mura (St Lawrence Outside the Walls), Rome
Chancel
​The church was radically remodelled by Pope Honorius III (r. 1216-27). The apse was demolished, the nave was extended westwards and the orientation was completely reversed. The original nave was raised and this became the chancel of the new church. This explains why the late-6th-century mosaics appear to be on the wrong side of the chancel arch. 

​The mosaics commemorate St Lawrence and the building of the church in his honour by Pope Pelagius II. 
Nave, Church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, Rome
Nave
San Lorenzo fuori le Mura boasts a beautiful Cosmatesque pavement. ​
Ancient bas-relief (3rd century CE), reused in the 13th century tomb of Cardinal Fieschi, church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, Rome
Tomb of Cardinal Fieschi
The tomb of Cardinal Guglielmo Fieschi (died in 1256), which can be found on the west wall of the church, reuses an ancient Roman sarcophagus that sports a splendid relief of a wedding ceremony. 

The church's charming little cloister was built at the end of the 12th century.
The Allied Bombing of the church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, July 19th, 1944, Rome
After the Bombing
On the night of July 19th 1943, allied bombs fell on San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, partly destroying the ancient basilica. Tthe target was meant to have been the nearby railway station. It was the only church in Rome to suffer serious damage during the Second World War, but by the end of the decade the damaged parts of the church had been carefully rebuilt. 
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