Porta San Paolo is one of the most important gates in the Southern part of the Aurelian wall system in Rome, equal to Porta San Sebastiano and to Porta Asinaria which was replaced at the end of the 16th century by the nearby Porta San Giovanni.
Once known as Porta Ostiensis because the road to the coast departs from here, Porta San Paolo is located just a few metres from the Cestia Pyramid. However, unlike the Pyramid which is settled well inside the walls, Porta San Paolo is completely decontextualized by the new urban layout of the roads, and isolated, a monument to itself, at the centre of a major junction linking Via Ostiense, Via Marmorata and Viale Aventino.
As the commercial importance of the Port of Ostia began to fade over time, the gate became increasingly identified with “Paul” given the vicinity to the nearby Basilica and Christianised in name.
Restored between the 4th and 5th centuries, today it is a small castle with a central body flanked by two towers with merlons. The fortified structure houses the Museum of Via Ostiense which displays reconstructions of the harbours of Ostia and the monuments discovered along the ancient route.
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