Cagliari, Necropolis of Saint Paul

The area of the necropolis and the church of San Paolo was located on the eastern edge of the late ancient and early medieval settlement of Santa Igia, a short distance from the church of San Pietro dei Pescatori.
During the nineteenth century, the church of San Paolo was still visible, albeit in a state of ruins, near which tombs of the type “fossa” and “ad enchytrismos” were found. The burials should be related to a suburban necropolis, extended from Viale Sant'Avendrace to the Santa Gilla lagoon.
Giovanni Spano reports that in 1865 “behind the destroyed church of San Paolo, a small round building from the Roman era was cut by the railroad (perhaps a small mausoleum?). Nearby there were some burials formed by embryces and in part a white marble headstone was found”. Still, Spano reports that in 1874 “at the destroyed church of San Paolo, in the field called Rapallo, when building the foundations of the plant (of ceramics), many burials were discovered made of embryces and covered by tombstones of one meter and more. Only bones were found without any other badges.” He also reports that he himself found inside the Church of Saint Paul an inscription commemorating a 'Paulinus subdiaconus', a member of the ecclesiastical hierarchy.
In the area surrounding the cult building and the Fangario region, funerary inscriptions dated between the 5th and 6th centuries AD were found, on different occasions and times, partly kept in the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari. The epitaphs refer to a late-Roman necropolis used by the Christian community, as evidenced by the name day and the epigraphic form. In addition to the faithful, the inscriptions cite members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, such as a 'subdiaconus' and a 'lecter'. In particular, an inscription found in 1864 near the church of San Paolo clearly mentions relics and a “blessed” Theodore.

History of excavations
Archaeological excavations have not been conducted in the necropolis area, but only superficial survey investigations. The news dates back to the nineteenth century.

Bibliography
G. Spano, Remembrance on some bronze idolets found in the village of Teti and archaeological discoveries made on the island throughout the year 1865, Cagliari, 1866, p. 34; L. Pani Ermini-M.
Marinone, National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari. Catalogue of early Christian and early medieval materials, Rome, 1981, pp. 36-39; E. Usai-R. Zucca, “Archaeological evidence in the area of S. Gilla from the Punic period to the early medieval period. Contribution to the reconstruction of the topography of Carales”, in S. Igia the judicial capital. Contributions to the Study Meeting “History, Physical Environment and Human Settlements in the Territory of S. Gilla”, Pisa, ETS, 1986, pp. 155-201;
A.M. Corda, The Christian Inscriptions of Sardinia before the 7th Century, Vatican City, 1999, pp. 63-64, 73-74, 93-94;
D. Salvi, “Cagliari: the archaeological area of Santa Gilla”, in On the Borders of the Empire. History, art and archeology of Byzantine Sardinia, curated by P. Corrias-S. Casentino, Cagliari, M&T Sardegna, 2002, pp. 231-235;
A.M. Colavitti, Cagliari, series “Ancient Cities in Italy”, Cagliari 2003, p. 43.

How to get there
The Church of Saint Paul has been completely destroyed. The area of the necropolis corresponds to a sector of the area now between Viale Trieste and the railway line.