Day 7 - Vatican Necropolis, Basilica of St. Peter

Coming off the exam, Day 7 started an hour later. Class, after reviewing our exams, focused on the Dark Ages following the death of Charlemagne; the "Gregorian Reforms" of Pope Gregory VII against lay investiture, simony, clerical marriages, concubinage, and nepotism; and the papacy of Innocent III.

We had barely enough time to grab lunch before we had to get on the subway to Vatican City for our first stop in the ecclesiastical monarchy. Today was apparently the day that every large group decided to visit St. Peters, so navigating the crowds was intense. Our first stop was the Scavi Necropolis, and our tickets allowed us to go into the basilica following the tour of the excavations.

For those of you who don't know, in the late 30's Pope Pius XI accidentally uncovered the top of one of the mausoleums of a cemetery below St. Peters. Pope Pius XII, in the 40's, then lead an excavation of the site, which unearthed 22 mausoleums. The excavations are often considered to have been done unprofessionally, leading to the loss of much of the valuable historical significance of many of the burials. Nonetheless, the "necropolis", or "city of the dead", was found to have been immensely important. The most important find was the Tomb of St. Peter, which held what are believed to be the bones of Peter himself. 

After making it to the left side of St. Peters, we spoke with the carabinieri, who let us through the line. We then were stopped by a member of the Swiss Guard, who looked over our papers before granting us access. Another Swiss Guard told the girls to cover up before entering; we were then allowed to go in. Prof. Coolman dealt with the ticketing (while I purchased a guidebook to the Necropolis) and soon after we were led inside by a well-informed art historian tour guide.

The entrance to the Scavi Necropolis office

Unfortunately, not only are you not allowed to take photographs inside the Necropolis, you are actually "forbidden" to do so. Someone was caught taking a picture and the tour guide immediately made her delete the photo. For this reason, I have absolutely no photos to show of the Vatican City of the Dead. I would provide you with stock photos instead, but none of them are very good as most of them were taken hastily to avoid being seen by guides. If you Google "Vatican Necropolis Scavi", you can get somewhat of a sense of what we got to see today. I can, however, show you a map of where the Necropolis is in regards to the basilica above and what the layout looks like.

Layout of the Necropolis. 1 on the top image and 14 on the bottom designate the location of Peter's tomb

Unfortunately, the tomb of St. Peter cannot be easily seen. This issue is thanks to the fact that 3 different altars, plus one next to it, are placed on top of the tomb. If they were to excavate any more, a few tons of marble would fall through, destroy the tomb, and create a rather large hole in the middle of St. Peters. My plans to hide behind the tomb so as to avoid the terrors of this world were thwarted by archaeology. Just my luck. Oh well.

And FYI, I was rather looking forward to this experience because of, once again, "Angels and Demons". The characters run through the Necropolis towards the end, which planted the seed years ago for me going to see the excavations. It was definitely worth the trip.

Following the tour, we were able to sneak past the 1000-person-long line for entrance into the basilica.

Walking inside, I actually lost my breath for a second when I saw the High Altar. I had no idea of the shear enormity of the church and the awe-inspiring beauty of it. Absolutely incredible.

Just before entering, overlooking the piazza

The horde trying to get inside

Matthew 16:18 "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." This passage regarding the primacy of Peter lines the dome in Latin

"St. Peter's Baldachin", a work of Bernini's. The original Solomonic columns from the Old St. Peters Basilica can be seen on either side of the baldachin above the two statues

St. Peter

"The Chair of St. Peter",  also by Bernini, which holds an actual wooden chair (connection to Peter unknown)

"Pietà" by Michelangelo

The tomb of Pope John Paul II

Body of Pope John XXIII 

A list of all the popes interred at St. Peters, whether in the Necropolis, the Grottoes, or the basilica itself

My stereotypical Swiss Guard picture

The whole gang!

Another piece of Bernini wonder, which is used in "Angels and Demons", is this panel set into the piazza outside the basilica. I snapped a picture as it started to rain.

After returning to the College, I was able to make it to Latin Mass at the Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini around the corner from the Pantheon. I drastically underestimated the time it would take to get there, so we were late. I now know for next time! It was amazing nonetheless. After touring countless churches, it was awesome to be able to use one of these centuries-old structures for what they were made for: worship of God. I will hopefully make it back to witness the Mass in its entirety.

Tomorrow, the group takes a break from the city of Rome and takes a train to Assisi, where we will see various sites with a special focus on St. Francis of Assisi.

Thus ends the 7th day. Thus ends the 1st week.