Italy Day 3-the Vatican

On our trip to Rome four years ago, we visited the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, but did not make it inside St. Peter's Basilica because of the line. We also did not get to do what we wanted to do most in Rome: the scavi (excavations) tour of St. Peter's tomb underneath St. Peter's Basilica. Getting reservations for this tour is hard because only 120 people per day are allowed. You must email months ahead of time and wait for a response.

The guided tour lasts about 90 minutes and ends next to Peter's tomb. It is very fascinating and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Rome. The excavations were carried out between 1939-1950 so the discovery is pretty new. Here is the abbreviated story:

After being crucified, Peter was buried in a hillside necropolis, a city of the dead. This was a place, where wealthy pagan families buried their dead. In the 4th century Emperor Constantine eventually became a Christian and began the construction of a church over the tomb of St. Peter.

In the 16th century, the present basilica was built on the site. As time went on, the memory of the necropolis beneath the basilica vanished. In 1939 workers digging a tomb for the deceased Pope Pius XI, broke through a wall beneath the church and found the necropolis. Pope Pius XII ordered the excavation of the necropolis. Since the necropolis is the foundation of St. Peter's Basilica, the entire area could not be uncovered without the possibility of having the Basilica collapse. Work continued for a decade and on December 23, 1950, Pius XII announced the discovery of St. Peter's tomb. On June 26th 1968, Pope Paul VI announced that the remains of St. Peter had also been discovered.

There are, of course, no photos allowed in the necropolis so I don't have anything to show you except an excellent video tour I found on the Vatican website. It takes a bit of navigation but watch the introduction and then use your cursor to move about the necropolis. Watch here.

The tour takes you through several family burial mausoleums and ends at St. Peter's Tomb. These mausoleums are interesting because some of them have signs that let you know that the family was Christian (Ivy painted on the ceiling, a sunburst painted on another). If I remember correctly this was the way the family showed they were Christian. They were tricking the pagans into thinking they were actually worshipping "the sun".

When you arrive at the tomb you see a small hole in a wall with a red light (denoting this is St. Peter's tomb). You are allowed to look through the hole in the wall and there you can see two plastic boxes, holding 18 small bones of a man somewhere between 60 and 80 years old. The feet were missing, having been broken off at the ankles. St. Peter was crucified upside down, and missing feet are typical because the body is chopped free before burial.

Here are some photos of St. Peter's Basilica

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

Directly over St. Peter's tomb:

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

Castel Sant'Angelo

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

A statue on Pont Sant'Angelo

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

Pantheon

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

And my new favorite church in Rome: Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, considered the only Gothic church in Rome. Very unassuming from the outside:

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

It was so dark inside it was very hard to get a good photo

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican

For dinner we went to Roma Sparita in Trastevere, near our b&b. It was a treat--we all had the cacio e pepe (literally cheese and pepper) served in a parmesan bowl. If you are in Rome, go there!!!

From 12/22/11 Italy Day 3--Rome: Vatican