St Paul's Outside the Walls - Cloisters

The church, built above the tomb of St Paul, suffered damage over many centuries and a large part of the structure was burnt in 1823. The old cloister, built 1208-1235 with Cosmatesque decoration survived and has an inscription describing the importance of cloisters in the life of a monk - as a place for meditative study. A new and rather boastful cloister was built as part of the new church after 1823.