necropolis
A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' ().
The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...
that lies underneath
Vatican City
Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...
, at depths varying between below
Saint Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian Renaissance architecture, Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the cit ...
. The Vatican sponsored archaeological excavations (also known by their Italian name ) under Saint Peter's in the years 1940–1949, which revealed parts of a necropolis dating to the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
. It is the home to the Tomb of the Julii, which has been dated to the third or fourth century. The necropolis was not originally one of the
Catacombs of Rome
The Catacombs of Rome () are ancient catacombs, underground burial places in and around Rome, of which there are at least forty, some rediscovered since 1578, others even as late as the 1950s.
There are more than fifty catacombs in the underg ...
, but an open-air cemetery with tombs and mausolea.
The Vatican Necropolis is not to be confused with the Vatican Grottoes, the latter of which resulted from the construction of St. Peter's Church and is located on the ground level of the old Constantinian basilica.
Origins of the necropolis
The Vatican necropolis was originally a burial ground built on the southern slope of
Vatican Hill
Vatican Hill (; ; ) is a hill in Rome, located on the right bank (west side) of Tiber river, opposite to the traditional seven hills of Rome. The hill also gave the name to Vatican City. It is the location of St. Peter's Basilica.
Etymology
...
, adjacent to the Circus of Caligula. In accordance with the Roman law, it was forbidden to bury the dead within the city walls. For this reason, burial grounds sprang up along the roads outside of the city cemeteries. One of these streets, the Via Cornelia, ran north along Vatican Hill.Zander (2009), p. 6
Caligula's Circus
At the top of the circus that Caligula built is an Egyptian obelisk that had been placed there in ancient times. In 1586, it was moved from its original place by
Domenico Fontana
Domenico Fontana (154328 June 1607) was an Italian"Domenico Fontana." ''
Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V (; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death, in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order, where h ...
when St. Peter's Square was added.Zander (2009), p. 10
The original location was just in front of the present-day Excavation Office () of the Fabbrica di San Pietro and is marked by a plaque in the ground.
Construction of Old St. Peter's
According to tradition, the
Apostle Peter
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...
was martyred in the year 64 or 67 during the reign of
Emperor Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until hi ...
. Peter is said to be buried in the necropolis because of its proximity to the
Circus of Nero
The so-called Circus of Nero or Circus of Caligula was a circus (building), circus in ancient Rome, located mostly in the present-day Vatican City.
It was first built under Caligula.
History
The ''Ager Vaticanus'', the alluvial plain outs ...
where he was martyred. After the
Edict of Milan
The Edict of Milan (; , ''Diatagma tōn Mediolanōn'') was the February 313 agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. Frend, W. H. C. (1965). ''The Early Church''. SPCK, p. 137. Western Roman Emperor Constantine I and ...
, the Emperor
Constantine the Great
Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
began construction of the first St. Peter's Church, also known as
Old St. Peter's Basilica
Old St. Peter's Basilica was the church buildings that stood, from the 4th to 16th centuries, where St. Peter's Basilica stands today in Vatican City. Construction of the basilica, built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero, began dur ...
. At this time, the Roman necropolis was still in use. This is known because a coin was found inside an urn dating from 318 AD.Zander (2009), p. 21 During this time, the necropolis was protected by law and was untouchable. However, Emperor Constantine decided to build a basilica, which would be located just above the supposed grave of the Apostle Peter. To obtain the necessary amount of flat area for the planned construction, Emperor Constantine excavated part of the necropolis of Vatican Hill.Zander (2009), pp. 21, 22 This caused the necropolis to be filled with soil and building debris, with the exception of St. Peter's tomb, which was preserved.
Excavations
20th century
The first modern excavations of the Necropolis occurred from 1940 to 1949, during the pontificate of
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
. The purpose of these excavations was to locate the grave of St. Peter, which for centuries had been assumed to be beneath St. Peter's Basilica.
A series of mausoleums were unearthed during the excavations. The mausoleums were initially labeled with the Greek alphabet letters (), () and (). Later, Latin letters were used. Mausoleum M had already been described in 1574, and Mausoleum O was discovered when it was unearthed during the construction of the foundation for the statue of
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...
. Mausoleums R and S were discovered when the southern part of the foundation for the canopy of
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italians, Italian sculptor and Italian architect, architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prom ...
was created.Zander (2009), p. 24
Mausoleum A is the first structure to be built on the site. In later years, in rapid succession, the mausoleums B, C, D and E were built next to each other. Mausoleum G is very likely from the same time as Mausoleum B, while Mausoleum F was probably created during the reign of Emperor
Antoninus Pius
Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius (; ; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from AD 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty.
Born into a senatorial family, Antoninus held var ...
(138–161 AD). These seven mausoleums were placed in a row, built as standalone buildings with different heights, and forming an approximately long road.Zander (2009), p. 13
In later times, the gap was filled by Mausoleums G and O and with other buildings. In the reign of Emperor
Hadrian
Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...
(117–138 AD), Mausoleum O was built. Only Mausoleum H, from the second half of the 2nd century, deviates from the straight row because of a pre-existing atrium. By this time the Circus was no longer in use; thus, it was no longer an obstacle to the spread of the necropolis to the south. The Circus at the time was already overbuilt with various tombs. A grave from the same time as the construction of Mausoleum H was found near the foundation of the obelisk. When the Circus was eventually razed, to the already existing series of mausoleums was built another group, namely the Mausoleums Z, (), () and (. In the period from the end of the 2nd century to the middle of the 3rd century, mausoleums were built along with various freestanding buildings.Zander (2009), p. 14 All buildings except Mausoleum R1 had their entrance to the south, in the direction of the Circus and the Via Cornelia.Zander (2009), p. 15
The mausoleums had been used by many generations and shared by several families. Archaeologists found around 120 burials in Mausoleum F, and at least 170 in Mausoleum H. An approximate calculation of the number of body and urn burials in the 22 excavated tombs yielded a number of more than 1,000 funerals. This large number is due to the high infant mortality and low life expectancy in the 2nd century.
The former owners of six mausoleums (A, C, H, L, N, and O) have been identified from inscriptions above the entrance door. Mausoleum N is an example of a mausoleum that was used by different families at the same time. The inscription reports that it is the mausoleum of Marcus Aebutius Charito, but that one half belongs to Lucius Volusius Successus and Volusia Megiste, who jointly purchased some of it.
21st century
More of the necropolis was unearthed in 2003 during construction of a car park. The site is now open to visitors.
Some tombs have undergone restorations, such as the ten-month project involving the Valerii Mausoleum.
St. Peter's Grave (Field P)
The field named P (Peter Campus) is the small area in which the suspected grave of the Apostle Peter is located. Peter was, according to tradition, buried here after his martyrdom in the Circus of Nero. Some 100 years after the death of Peter, a
shrine
A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...
was erected over his grave. This shrine is adjacent to the so-called Red Wall.Zander (2009), p. 114 Immediately adjacent to the suspected tomb of Peter, other tombs were found. The arrangement of the graves suggests that the place of Peter's tomb was the site of some early veneration.Zander (2009), p. 115 The shrine, also called the "Trophy of Gaius", is named for the theologian Gaius of Rome, who lived in Rome during the time of
Pope Zephyrinus
Pope Zephyrinus was the bishop of Rome from the year 199 until his death on 20 December 217. He was born in Rome, and succeeded Victor I. Upon his death on 20 December 217, he was succeeded by his principal advisor, Callixtus I. He is known fo ...
(198–217 AD). Consider this quote from Eusebius of Caesarea:Zander (2009), p. 126
The Greek term used by Gaius——usually refers to a monument or a trophy of victory. Eusebius interpreted the quote 100 years later as an indication of honorific graves. On the right side of the "Trophy of Gaius" is attached at right angles, the so-called Graffiti Wall, named after the large number of Latin graffiti to be found there.Zander (2009) pp. 243, 244 During the excavations in the grave the mortal remains of the Apostle Peter were not found. There were, however, in a marble-lined hole of the graffiti wall, some human bones. The archaeologist
Margherita Guarducci
Margherita Guarducci, also spelled Guarduci (20 December 1902 – 2 September 1999), was an Italian archaeologist, classical scholar, and epigrapher. She was a major figure in several crucial moments of the 20th-century academic community. A stud ...
suggested that during the time of construction of the Constantinian basilica, the remains of the Apostle Peter were removed from his original grave and placed in the opening. The archaeologist pointed to inscriptions in the wall behind the pillar monument including the letters "PETR... EN I", as the designation of Peter relics. Other archaeological sites in Rome also have similar graffiti, suggesting that therein is a commemoration (by Christians) to Peter and
Paul
Paul may refer to:
People
* Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people
* Paul (surname), a list of people
* Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament
* Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
as martyrs.
On 26 June 1968,
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...
announced that following scientific study, the
relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
of
Saint Peter
Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
had been identified convincingly.
Guided tours
Tours of the excavations can be arranged with the Excavations Office in advance; for conservation, the number of visitors is limited. The tour lasts about an hour.
See also
*
Index of Vatican City-related articles
Index (: indexes or indices) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index''
* The Index, an item on the Halo Array in the ...