As it lay outside the Aurelian Walls , the basilica was damaged in the 9th century during a Saracen raid . Consequently , Pope John VIII ( 872 &ndash; 82 ) fortified the basilica , the monastery , and the dwellings of the peasantry , forming the town of Johannispolis ( Italian : '' Giovannipoli '' ) which existed until 1348 , when an earthquake totally destroyed it
an earthquake
1348 Friuli earthquake
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls