San Paolo alle Tre Fontane

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Church of San Paolo alle Tre Fontane, Rome
San Paolo alle Tre Fontane
San Paolo alle Tre Fontane is a 16th century pilgrimage and titular church.

The church is part of the Abbazia delle Tre Fontane, which is an ancient pilgrimage site. The Abbey of the Three Fountains stands on the site where St Paul the Apostle is believed to have been martyred. In addition to San Paolo, there are two other churches, namely Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio and Santa Maria Scala Coeli.  

According to legend, St Paul was beheaded at a spot now marked by the church of San Paolo. Three springs of water are said to have emerged from the ground where his head bounced. His body was then carried some distance to the site of San Paolo fuori le Mura for burial. 
Facade Plaque, Church of San Paolo alle Tre Fontane, Rome
Facade Plaque
The present church was begun in 1599 on the orders of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, the nephew of Pope Clement VIII (r. 1592-1605), and completed two years later. The architect was Giacomo della Porta. 
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The ornate plaque above the entrance reads: S PAVLI APOSTOLI MARTYRII LOCVS VBI TRES FONTES MIRABILITER ERVPERVNT (The place of the martyrdom of St Paul the Apostle, where three springs miraculously broke out).

The two statues on the pediment are St Peter and St Paul (1599) by Ippolito Buzio.
Interior, Church of San Paolo alle Tre Fontane, Rome
Interior
There is a vestibule between the entrance and the nave, which is a transverse rectangle. In the centre of the floor is an ancient mosaic of The Four Seasons, which was installed in 1867. 

Facing the entrance are three aedicules over the original three springs.  The central aedicule has an apse behind it. The conch of this apse has a fresco depicting The Apotheosis of St Paul, with the apostle being presented to the Trinity by St Stephen. On the wall behind the aedicule is another fresco depicting The Martyrdom of St Paul. 
Nave, San Paolo alle Tre Fontane, Rome
Nave
​The church has two altars, in apses facing each other. The altar of St Peter has a copy of The Martyrdom of St Peter by Guido Reni (the original is in the Vatican) and that of St Paul has The Martyrdom of St Paul by Bartolomeo Passarotti (1529-92).