The tomb of Saint Peter was discovered beneath the Vatican

For centuries, Christians believed that St. Peter the Apostle was crucified upside down in Rome around 64 AD and buried on Vatican Hill. But his burial place had never been archaeologically confirmed.

That changed in the 1940s when Pope Pius XII authorized excavations directly beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Archaeologists uncovered layers of Roman and early Christian history beneath the church.

Among the discoveries was ancient Greek graffiti interpreted as referring to Peter, including the famous words: “Peter is here.” Excavations around the traditional burial site also uncovered a simple tomb and human remains believed by investigators to be connected to St. Peter.

The bones were identified as belonging to a robust elderly man, approximately 60–70 years old, and were associated with traces of purple cloth, a color connected with honor in Roman society.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI announced that the relics had been identified in a manner the Vatican considered convincing as those of St. Peter.

For nearly 2,000 years, millions of Christians have prayed above this very place—the traditional burial site of the Apostle to whom Jesus said:

“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.”