A. N. Wilson

2 months ago | the-tls.co.uk | Jonathan Egid |A. N. Wilson |Barnaby Rogerson |Peter Geoghegan

In the shadow of St Peter’s Basilica, across the piazza degli scalpellini, or “square of the stonecutters”, lies another, more ancient structure. Dedicated to the first Christian martyr, the monastery of Santo Stefano is one of the few structures in the Vatican to have survived the demolition of the old St Peter’s and the construction of the domed behemoth.