Extra moenia

Extra moenia (also: extra muros) is a Latin phrase that means outside the walls or outside the walls of the city.¹

The phrase is commonly used in reference to the original attributes of a building, usually a church, which was built outside the original city walls. Hence, when a city expands over time, a church which was originally outside the walls might end up in the center of the larger city; subsequently, to retain the original architectural context, it would be referred to as extra moenia.²³ The term is also used to indicate an occurrence or activity taking place outside the venue where it would normally be found or reside.

• Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome
• San Gennaro extra Moenia, Naples
• Santa Maria Extra Moenia, Antrodoco
• San Pietro extra moenia, Spoleto