The popularly named "Tomb of the Julii" (Mausoleum "M") survives in the

Vatican Necropolis The Vatican Necropolis lies under the Vatican City, at depths varying between 5–12 metres below Saint Peter's Basilica. The Vatican sponsored archaeological excavations (also known by their Italian name ''scavi'') under Saint Peter's in the y ...

beneath

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

. The serendipitous discovery near the

crypt A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a c ...

has a vaulted ceiling bearing a

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

depicting

Helios In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Helios (; grc, , , Sun; Homeric Greek: ) is the god and personification of the Sun (Solar deity). His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...

(Roman

Sol Invictus Sol Invictus (, "Unconquered Sun"), sometimes simply known as Helios, was long considered to be the official sun god of the later Roman Empire. In recent years, however, the scholarly community has become divided on Sol between traditionalists ...

) with an aureole riding in his chariot, within a framing of rinceaux of vine leaves. The mosaic is dated to the late 3rd century to early 4th century. Other mosaics in this tomb depicting Jonah and the whale, the good shepherd carrying a lamb (the ''

kriophoros In ancient Greek cult, kriophoros ( el, κριοφόρος) or criophorus, the "ram-bearer," is a figure that commemorates the solemn sacrifice of a ram. It becomes an epithet of Hermes: ''Hermes Kriophoros''. Myth At the Boeotian city of Tan ...

'' motif), and fishermen have encouraged its interpretation as a Christian tomb. This tomb was first discovered in 1574 AD when workmen accidentally broke through the ceiling while conducting some floor alterations in the basilica. The inside was briefly explored and documented before the opening was sealed over once more.The Bones of Saint Peter, John Evangelist Walsh 1982

References

* Beckwith, John 1979. ''Early Christian and Byzantine Art'' (Yale University Press): 19 * Perler, Othmar 1953, ''Die Mosaiken der Juliergruft im Vatikan'' (Universitätsverlag): 34–36 * Walsh, John Evangelist. ''The Bones of Saint Peter'' (The Chaucer Press): 15 ;Specific

See also

References

Further reading