We were able to take the Scavi Tour while we were in Rome. These are small groups (about 12) taken underneath the Basilica to see the excavations that were done in the middle of the twentieth century.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of my own to show you of the tour because photos are not allowed during the tour. I did find an archived article from LIFE (remember that?) from 1950 that has some good pictures. The color plates of the tombs are very similar to how they look now, some 70 years later.
It was only in 1949 that the news of the excavations and were leaked, making front page news in the New York Times. Of course, this has generated no end of controversy and varied opinions as to whether or not they really are the bones of Peter. Margherita Guarducci worked in the area of the tomb and discovered, hidden in the wall, a wooden box believed to contain the remaining bones of St. Peter. The fragments were eventually submitted for scientific analysis which was completed in 1963 leading to the historic announcement by Pope Saint Paul VI on 26 June 1968.
A row of Roman tombs from the first century was found that runs the length of the current basilica, ending at the traditional tomb of Peter and the remains of the church Constantine built. The altar in that church was over the spot where St Peter’s bones are said to have been and all the subsequent main altars were over that same spot, up to the current basilica. It seems a reasonable conjecture that Constantine chose that spot because Christians had been venerating this particular tomb in the cemetery. In that spot they discovered 1st century bones fitting the description we would expect for a crucified man of the correct age at the time of St Peter’s martyrdom.1
It was a moving experience to be among tombs that dated to the time of the very early Church, to once again see the layers of history that are Rome. Even more so to be able to pray in the presence of the remaining bones of the Prince of the Apostles.
On the way out from the tour, we passed through the Vatican grottos, where many previous Popes are laid to rest. I paused for a minute by one of my favorites, Benedict XVI.
Then, once back outside, we passed by four impressive mosaics that looked to be fairly recent, all depicting scenes of Jesus and Peter. The plaques indicate they were made by the Vatican mosaic studio.
After being divided into three groups for Scavi tours, our group reunited in St. Peter’s square for a group photo before heading on to our next stop. Even though we saw the Basilica, and the necropolis underneath, our day wasn’t over yet.
Grace & peace,
Chris
If you want to dive in further, here’s a Wikipedia article.
First place we went on our honeymoon!! Incredible!