The Fire of 1823

On the night of 15-16 July 1823, a devastating fire ravaged the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The fire was allegedly caused by the negligence of two tinkers performing maintenance work, leading to the destruction of much of the building and its decorations.

The Byzantine door also suffered significant damage. The flames caused the metal plates to warp and the silver of the agemina to melt, fusing with the orichalc of the panels. As a result, the need for restoration became immediately evident. Initially, the surviving fragments were collected and reassembled in a museum room within the remaining sections of the ancient basilica. However, a proper conservation effort did not take place until the 1960ˢ, under the direction of Vittorio Federici. After this intervention, the doors regained their vibrant color and were relocated to the back of the Holy Door of the same basilica. More recently, two additional conservation projects were undertaken, the latest of which involved polishing the entire surface of the door.

Following the fire, some parts of the panels were lost or ended up in private collections. In addition to the Pentecost fragment now housed in the VIVE collections, a fragment of the tile depicting the prophet Habakkuk is now preserved in Paris at the Medals Cabinet of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.