Roman Station Church for the Friday after Ash Wednesday: Basilica of Saints John and Paul on the Caelian Hill (Italian: Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio)

The Church was built in 398, by Senator Pammachius, over the home of two Roman soldiers, John and Paul, martyred 362 by emperor Julian. The church was sacked in 410. It suffered from an earthquake in 442. It was restored by Pope Paschal I in 824, sacked again in 1084 by the Normans, and again restored, adding a monastery and bell tower.

It is currently the mother house of the Passionists and is the burial place of Saint Paul of the Cross.

The inside has three naves, with pillars joined to the original columns. The altar is built over a bath, which holds the remains of the two martyrs. The apse is frescoed with Christ in Glory (1588) by Cristoforo Roncalli (one of the painters called il Pomarancio); while below this fresco are three paintings: a Martyrdom of St John, a Martyrdom of St Paul, and the Conversion of Terenziano (1726) by Giovanni Domenico Piastrini, Giacomo Triga, and Pietro Andrea Barbieri respectively.

Each day of Lent, traditionally, has a prayer over the people.

Today, the prayer is at follows:

Prayer over the People

Let us pray.

Bow your heads to God.

Watch over Your people, O Lord, and mercifully cleanse them from all their sins; for no harm can come to them if no evil has power over them. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

R. Amen.