Discover Vatican Necropolis (the Scavi)

Beneath the floor of St. Peter's Basilica there is a Roman cemetery, and it was sealed for sixteen hundred years. The Fabbrica di San Pietro describes a site which remained inaccessible and untouched for sixteen centuries beneath the floor of the Constantinian basilica and the massive Renaissance structures.

The name says the dead; the place shows the living. The "necropolis", meaning "city of the dead", reveals itself as a place that leads us to rediscover a "world of the living", allowing glimpses into their daily lives and religious sentiments through archaeological, epigraphic and iconographic evidence unearthed from the ground in a nearly unchanged form after more than 1,600 years. That last phrase is the whole reason the site matters: almost nothing from Roman Rome survives unchanged, because almost nothing was left alone.

And it is why the basilica stands where it does. In this site, says the Fabbrica, we also rediscover the roots of the Roman Church, which sprang from this land watered by the blood of the Holy Protomartyrs; here, Saint Peter was crucified and buried, and here the Pope still resides today, continuing his mission as shepherd of the universal Church. It is upon the humble tomb of the Galilean Fisherman that the majestic basilica rises, serving both as a treasure chest that preserves it and as a home that gathers all believers.

A warning about this page. The Fabbrica di San Pietro publishes two descriptive paragraphs and a reservation request, and nothing else: no opening hours, no admission price, no age limit, no group size and no visit duration appear anywhere on its public pages. What follows therefore stays inside what the operator actually states, and says so where the record is silent.

The necropolis is the lowest of three superimposed levels. The Fabbrica di San Pietro places it beneath the floor of the Constantinian basilica and the massive Renaissance structures, which is the only description of its position the operator publishes.

Its form is a cemetery, not a building. A "necropolis", meaning "city of the dead" — tombs, not architecture commissioned as a single design.

Its decoration is the evidence. Archaeological, epigraphic and iconographic evidence survives, giving glimpses into their daily lives and religious sentiments, and it was unearthed from the ground in a nearly unchanged form after more than 1,600 years.

And one grave governs everything above. It is upon the humble tomb of the Galilean Fisherman that the majestic basilica rises, serving both as a treasure chest that preserves it and as a home that gathers all believers — a plain statement that the building's plan is organised around a point in the ground.

This page does not go further: the Fabbrica publishes no plan, no dimensions and no architectural account of the necropolis, and nothing here is supplied from any other source.

It was not built as one thing. The necropolis is a "city of the dead" — a Roman cemetery that accumulated, and the Fabbrica di San Pietro publishes no construction account of it.

What is published is how it came to be preserved. It remained inaccessible and untouched for sixteen centuries beneath the floor of the Constantinian basilica and the massive Renaissance structures: it was the building over the top that saved it.

That is why its evidence is intact. The archaeological, epigraphic and iconographic evidence was unearthed from the ground in a nearly unchanged form after more than 1,600 years.

And the building above was positioned by a grave. It is upon the humble tomb of the Galilean Fisherman that the majestic basilica rises, serving both as a treasure chest that preserves it and as a home that gathers all believers.

How do I visit? By reservation request. The Fabbrica di San Pietro's Ufficio Scavi page offers a "Request a Reservation" form as the route of access.

What are the opening hours? The Fabbrica publishes none on its public pages. Ask the Ufficio Scavi.

How much does it cost? No admission price is published. Ask the Ufficio Scavi.

Is there a minimum age? No age limit is published, which is not the same as there being none — ask before booking for children.

How many people are in a group, and how long does it last? Neither the group size nor the visit duration is published.

Why does this page not simply tell me? Because the operator does not, and the alternative would be inventing five practical facts a reader would act on.

Is there someone I can ask? Yes. The Fabbrica offers a Visitor Assistance service: if you need information or personalised advice, our Visitor Assistance service is ready to respond to all your requests.

What is the Vatican Necropolis? A "necropolis", meaning "city of the dead", which reveals itself as a place that leads us to rediscover a "world of the living", allowing glimpses into their daily lives and religious sentiments through archaeological, epigraphic and iconographic evidence.

Why is its condition unusual? Because it remained inaccessible and untouched for sixteen centuries beneath the floor of the Constantinian basilica and the massive Renaissance structures, so the evidence was unearthed from the ground in a nearly unchanged form after more than 1,600 years.

Is the tomb of Saint Peter there? The Fabbrica states that here, Saint Peter was crucified and buried, and that it is upon the humble tomb of the Galilean Fisherman that the majestic basilica rises, serving both as a treasure chest that preserves it and as a home that gathers all believers.

Can I take photographs? No. Photography is not permitted in the Scavi.

Is it the same as the Vatican Grottoes or the basilica? No — it is the level below, beneath the floor of the Constantinian basilica and the massive Renaissance structures, with its own reservation.