Saint Peter: St. Peter’s Basilica

 

Saint Peter's tomb lies directly below this structure

Life and Martyrdom

• c. 1 BC – 30 AD: Born Simon in Bethsaida, Galilee, Peter was a fisherman by trade. He became one of Jesus’ first disciples around 30 AD, renamed “Peter” (Greek: Petros, “rock”) when Jesus declared, “Upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).
• 30–64 AD: After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, Peter emerged as a leader of the early Church, preaching in Jerusalem and beyond, as recorded in Acts. Tradition holds he traveled to Rome, the imperial capital, to lead its Christian community.
• c. 64–68 AD: During Nero’s persecution following the Great Fire of Rome (64 AD), Peter was martyred. Early sources like Tertullian and the Acts of Peter (2nd century) say he was crucified upside down on Vatican Hill, at his request, feeling unworthy to die like Jesus.

Burial and Tomb Development

• c. 64–68 AD: Immediately after his death, followers buried Peter in a simple grave in a necropolis on Vatican Hill, near Nero’s Circus, a site outside Rome’s walls.
• 2nd–3rd Centuries: Early Christians venerated the site, marking it with a small shrine, as evidenced by later archaeological finds.
• 313–349 AD: After Constantine legalized Christianity (Edict of Milan, 313 AD), he ordered the construction of Old St. Peter’s Basilica over the necropolis, completed around 349 AD. The altar was placed directly above Peter’s presumed tomb.
• 1506–1626 AD: The original basilica deteriorated, leading Pope Julius II to commission a new St. Peter’s Basilica in 1506. Designed by Bramante, Michelangelo, and others, it was consecrated in 1626, preserving the tomb’s location beneath the high altar.
• 1939–1968 AD: Excavations under Pope Pius XII revealed the Vatican Scavi, a 1st- and 2nd-century necropolis. A grave with graffiti (Petros eni, “Peter is here”) and bones of a 60–70-year-old man, wrapped in purple and gold cloth, were found. Pope Paul VI declared these Peter’s relics in 1968.

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