Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura

One of the ancient patriarchal basilicas of Rome, this church stands over the tomb of the martyr Saint Lawrence beside the vast Verano cemetery. The present building fuses two earlier churches joined end to end, creating an unusual plan with a raised chancel and a nave lined with reused antique columns. Cosmatesque marble floors, a medieval portico, and a bishop's throne survive from its long history. Heavily damaged by bombing in 1944 and carefully restored, it remains a place of pilgrimage.