Click here to view the ancient cemetery and see the tomb of St. Peter
Summer reading suggestion: The Bones of St. Peter-The First Full Account of the Search for the Apostle’s Body
A reviewer at Amazon writes:
A most exciting find for lovers of Christianity, April 23, 2008I have taken a “Scavi” (excavation) tour of the necropolis under Saint Peter’s basilica. Relatively few tourists are afforded this pleasure, some might say “grace,” but it is one of the most staggering experiences of my life, and was over much too quickly. To tread the very soil that was Vatican Hill 2000 years ago was a privilege and awe-inspiring.
But once the tour is over, the doubts begin to arise. Just what did I see? How do we know that this is Saint Peter’s very tomb? Walsh’s book answers many of these questions, and more. Through the book, you will learn the history of the internment of Saint Peter, or at least what can be gleaned from the evidence. From a poorly-marked 1st-century criminal’s grave to a 2nd-century “trophy” or victory marker, to a more ornate altar structure once Christianity was legalized, the location of Saint Peter’s purported Have been tracked with some care since his martyr’s death circa 64 AD. The first basilica, raised in the 4th century over the site, filled in the Roman necropolis where he lay, sealing off the site for centuries. By the time this crumbling structure was razed and the current St. Peter’s was built in the 16th century, the existence of St. Peter’s tomb seemed little more than a legend. Walsh details the refinding of the necropolis in the late 1930s, and the digging that eventually uncovered the tomb and St. Peter’s remains. Walsh is at his most fascinating when describing the attempts of Professor Margherita Guarducci to decipher the graffiti scratched into a wall near the tomb. By carefully noting how certain letters ere written, written over, and connected with lines, she could unravel the accumulated messages left by pilgrims of the first centuries of the Christian Church. She identified several occurrences of graffiti in which the letter P was drawn with an E emerging from its upright — representing both the first letters of Peter (Latin, “Petrus”) and also resembling the key to the kingdom entrusted to him by the Lord.
A fascinating and informative look at a little known, very important and under-appreciated historical and religious site.
Does the church that Peter built still exist till this day?
Q: Does the church that Peter built still exist till this day?
I am wondering since he has the words imparted right from the mouth of Christ himself. There are just too many churches that claim to be the true church.
A: Click the link for the true story about St. Peter, and precisely where his bones are buried.
Then you’ll have no doubt that Jesus wasn’t kidding, when he said,
“On this Rock I will build my Church.”
Then you’ll have no doubt that Jesus wasn’t kidding, when he said,
“On this Rock I will build my Church.”
Fascinating True Story – Discovering the Bones of St. Peter
Mid 20th century excavations below St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said, “Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church.”
It was St. Peter who fearlessly went to Rome, and who established the Catholic Church there around 42 AD, to be eventually martyred on orders from the crazed emperor, Nero.
The ancients were right when they remembered St. Peter being crucified upside down, on or very near the spot where the famous obelisk now stands, in the middle of St. Peter’s square.
Peter’s skeleton … minus the ankles and feet … was found buried directly below the basilica named for him there, in the Vatican.
The excavation site (“Scavi”) is open to the public, and it provides an amazing view of the ancient necropolis (cemetery) where large numbers of the faithful apparently arranged to be buried in close proximity to the final resting place of the man that Jesus hand-picked to “Feed my sheep”.
Early Christian graffiti marks the spot.
This is something every Catholic should become familiar with, since many anti-Catholic groups still attempt to deny that St. Peter was appointed the leader of the Church by Christ, and they also attempt to deny that St. Peter ever went to Rome.
Click the link to read the whole story:
http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Necropolis/Scavi.htm
Doug Lawrence's Catholic Site 
