Nestled south of Rome’s center, near the historically renowned Aqua Salvia springs, stands the Abbey of the Three Fountains (Tre Fontane). This site’s name, derived from a pivotal event in Christian history, marks the martyrdom of Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. Every year on January 25th, the liturgical feast of Saint Paul’s conversion is celebrated, epitomizing the triumph of divine grace.
Apocryphal texts compiled between the 4th and 7th centuries recount that Roman soldiers escorted Saint Paul to this site for his execution. Tradition says that when executioners beheaded Paul, his head struck the ground three times, and a spring burst forth at each point. This legend gave the site its name: the Abbey of Saint Paul at the Three Fountains.
The Story of St. Paul
Today, the Abbey complex commemorates the martyrdom of Saint Paul. To understand its significance, one must first ask: who was Saint Paul, and why did Rome execute him?
Saint Paul was born around 8 A.D. in Tarsus, in the region of Cilicia, in present-day Turkey. He lived at the crossroads of Roman, Greek, and Jewish cultures and worked as a tentmaker. Through his father, Paul inherited Roman citizenship, a legal status that later shaped the course of his trial and death.
Between 30 and 32 A.D., Paul’s life changed forever on the road to Damascus. Once a fierce persecutor of Christians, he encountered Christ in a dramatic moment of conversion. From that point forward, Paul devoted himself to preaching the Gospel. Between approximately 48 and 59 A.D., he traveled across more than 15 regions of the Roman world, establishing Christian communities and strengthening the early Church.
Paul’s missionary activity eventually led to his arrest in Jerusalem. Jewish authorities accused him of defiling the Temple, and Roman officials imprisoned him in Caesarea for two years. As a Roman citizen, Paul exercised his right to appeal directly to the Emperor, prompting authorities to send him to Rome for trial.
During the reign of Emperor Nero, Roman leaders blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome. Amid this persecution, officials condemned Paul to death between 64 and 67 A.D. Because of his Roman citizenship, executioners carried out his sentence by decapitation, a punishment reserved for citizens and performed outside the city.
The Church of Saint Paul at the Three Fountains preserves the column traditionally associated with Paul’s beheading. Roman custom typically placed burial sites near execution grounds, yet followers buried Paul’s body four miles away. That burial site later became the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.
Together, the Abbey of the Three Fountains and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls bear witness to the Apostle Paul’s life, martyrdom, and enduring legacy nearly 2,000 years later.
Originally posted on January 30, 2023. Adapted and updated by Jacob Stein.
