"The original catacomb where Rome hid its apostles and buried its arrow-pierced soldier"
Basilica of St. Sebastian Outside the Walls, Rome
Rome, Lazio, Italy
San Sebastiano fuori le Mura stands on the ancient Appian Way, above the catacombs that gave all Christian underground cemeteries their name. During the Valerian persecution, the relics of Peter and Paul were hidden here. Saint Sebastian, the soldier whose arrow-pierced image has become iconic, was buried in these tunnels. A stone preserves what tradition calls Christ's footprints from his appearance to Peter on this road—the Quo Vadis moment that turned the apostle back toward martyrdom.
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Quick Facts
Location
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
41.8558, 12.5142
Last Updated
Jan 31, 2026
Learn More
Constantine built the original basilica over catacombs that had hidden Peter and Paul's relics. Sebastian's burial shifted the dedication. The current Baroque church dates from 1609-1613.
Origin Story
In 258, during the Valerian persecution, Christians hid the relics of Saints Peter and Paul in these catacombs. The site, already used for Christian burial, became temporarily the most sacred in Christendom. Constantine later built the Basilica Apostolorum here. Around 350 CE, the relics of Saint Sebastian, martyred under Diocletian, were placed in the catacombs, and the basilica gradually took his name. According to tradition, Sebastian was a Roman soldier who secretly practiced Christianity. When discovered, he was ordered shot with arrows. Surviving, he was nursed to health, only to confront the emperor again. This time he was beaten to death, and his body, thrown into a sewer, was recovered by a woman directed by a vision to bury him near these catacombs.
Key Figures
Saints Peter and Paul
Saint Sebastian
Emperor Constantine
Cardinal Scipione Borghese
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Spiritual Lineage
San Sebastiano fuori le Mura was one of the traditional Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome until 2000, when it was replaced by the Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore. Many pilgrims still follow the historical route. The basilica was entrusted to Cistercians in 1714 and to Franciscan Friars Minor in 1826, who still administer it. Sebastian is honored as the third patron of Rome, after Peter and Paul.
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