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Is really saint Peter buried there? This dilemma was matter of study and controversy since the Renaissance time when Martin Luther denied that there is no evidence that saint Peter has been buried under the main altar of the basilica dedicated to him.
So often during my tours inside the vatican people who is disoriented ask me" Where are the catacombs here? " I answer them that the catacombs are not here in the north of Rome but if they want to see the ancient christian cemeteries, this people have to take a taxi and reach the Appian way, located in the south of Rome. Well, I use to correct their terminology and reformulate the question again: " Madam, is maybe the scavi tour the one that you are looking for ?"
The vatican excavations have undoubtedly provided the most exciting new documentation for the original basilica of saint Peter since the construction of the present one in the sixteenth century. These digs have also sensationally confirmed that the construction was carried out over a preexisting shrine that was meticulously incorporated within the new church in a highly prominent position on the chord of the apse.
The scene of the first christian persecution is unforgettably described by Tacitus ( a roman magistrate who lived under the emperor Trajan in the second century AD ) in his Annals, when he reports the terrible deaths that Nero inflicted upon the Christians, whom he held collectively responsible for the great fire in the city.
The crucifixions took place across the Tiber river in the area of Nero's gardens in the region just south east of the vatican basilica. Paul, as a Roman citizen, would have suffered decapitation rather than the more ignominious crucifixion and he may therefore have died in another part of Rome, along the Via Ostiense.
No one tells us whether or how the bodies of the two martyrs were recovered or, if so, what was done with them. Eusebius in his church history, incorporated a precious citation from Gaius, an early third century Christian Roman, who reported the existence of what he called the " tropaia" of Peter and Paul on the vatican Hill and on the ostian road, respectively. So we have textual proof of the veneration of saint peter but what Gaius does not make plain is the sense of tropaia. A' Trophy" was a roman victory monument and not a tomb, although there is no reason why such a monument should not have been erected above or around a tomb.
Another place of veneration for both martyrs is mentioned in a text of the fourth century AD: a cronographer reports that on June 29 both Peter and Paul were celebrated in the catacombs along the Appian way, and this tradition is reinforced by the old name of the church of saint Sebastian as the "church of the apostles" ( basilica apostolorum ).
What is clear is that there was a joint cult of Peter and Paul, and there were also separate shrines for each, one on the vatican and one on the ostian way.
For the shrine of Peter the excavations in the 1940s provided a marvelous confirmation. Within the necropolis directly beneath the papal altar of the present basilica the excavators discovered the remains of a small but impressive monument, conventionally called " aedicula" ( shrine ).
The shrine that guested the body of saint Peter had two distinct levels, with two niches separated by a travertine slab supported by columns standing in front of the lower niche.
As the first basilica of saint Peter was intentionally positioned to incorporate this shrine in the most prominent spot in the church, we must assume that already in the second century AD Christians believed that this was the tomb of Peter. We can be confident that the " aedicula" is no other than the tropaion of Peter mentioned by Gaius.
The two pictures in this page represent a fragment coming from the shrine of saint Peter ( red wall ) in which is engraved in greek language the sentence : " Peter is here " ( "Petros eni' or "Petros en-esti' ")
At the present time we, as tour guides of Rome, do not support nor organize tours of the scavi. If you want to see this magic place that is worth seeing once you are in Rome, try to contact the scavi office on the vatican website.