The church of San Paolino is the parish church of Viareggio, in the present centre of the city; in April 1958 Pope Pius XII raised it to the dignity of a minor basilica.
What to see
It was built in 1896 and enlarged between 1936 and 1948 as the city grew; it was consecrated on 15 August 1921. The bell tower, finished in 1921, was destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1954, the year its bells were also cast: four bells in D3, cast by Lorenzo Lera, besides two small bells now unused, which form one of the heaviest sets in the whole of Versilia. On the roof there is also a small bell-gable with two unused small bells.
The interior has three naves and follows the scheme of the early Christian basilicas, with an apse, a triumphal arch and an apse vault decorated with a gold-ground mosaic of Saint Paulinus and angels. The façade has a large gold-ground mosaic, cleaned in 2006. A general restoration took place in 1990; the Costamagna organ of 1960 was overhauled in 2005.
Visiting
The church is in the centre of Viareggio. The sources consulted give no opening hours or visiting arrangements: check them.
Our editors' tip
In 1996 the oratory, called «I Pretini» by the people of Viareggio, was restored.
