Are there catacombs under the Vatican?

Peter's Basilica and the crypts, with which you will visit a large part of the church and its catacombs. An expert guide will tell you the historical and artistic details of this monumental basilica and the first level of the underground where the remains of some kings and popes since the tenth century are kept.



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Also known as the Vatican City Necropolis, The Tomb of the Dead, or St. Peter's Tomb, the Scavi is famous for being the final resting place of one of Jesus' 12 apostles, Peter.

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The Catacombs of Rome are underground galleries used for centuries as cemeteries. The catacombs began to take place in the 2nd century and were not finished until the 5th century. Here the pagan citizens, Jews and the first Christians of Rome were buried.

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Pope Gregory was driven by a passion for learning. He ordered that all Egyptian and “Egyptianized” artifacts in the Pontifical states (and Roman antique markets, private villa collections etc.) be gathered together in a new museum.

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The Vatican Secret Archives is home to the largest collection of Catholic books, documents, and doctrine in the world. It boasts letters from well-known figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Mary, Queen of Scots.

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Despite the ritual with which they were transferred, the bones had simply been dumped into the tunnels in large heaps. Slowly but surely the quarrymen lined the walls with tibias and femurs punctuated with skulls which form the basis of most of the decorations that tourists see today.

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The main reason there are no bodies in these catacombs today is due to grave robbing. Not all robbers, however, were interested in hording worldly treasures. Since Christian martyrs were buried here, many early Christians went to these catacombs to collect relics from people who died for their faith.

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