St. Peter's Tomb?

St. Peter's Tomb

For ten years, beneath the towering immensity of St. Peter's basilica in Rome, the Vatican's hereditary corps of workmen, the Sampietrini, have been painstakingly excavating a city of the dead. First discovered during the preparation of a tomb for Pope Pius XI in February 1939, this labyrinth of ancient Roman and early Christian sepulchres has been unearthed, often with bare hands, from the soil with which it was filled by Constantine before he built the first St. Peter's (begun in 323 A.D.).

The excavations and the archeological finds have not yet been opened to the general public; only a portion of the grotto will be ready in time to be seen by pilgrims later in the Holy Year. But this week, in 17 pages of color and black & white photographs, LIFE gives its readers their first look at the rich mosaics and vaulted arches of what may well be one of the most precious authentic shrines in Christendom.

Still unanswered is the big question: Have the diggers found the tomb and perhaps the bones of St. Peter himself (TIME, Sept. 5)? Writes Msgr. Ludwig Kaas, administrator of St. Peter's, who has been in charge of the top-secret excavations :

"For the time being, the discoveries which were made in the central area below the main altar of St. Peter's must remain undisclosed. The Vatican's reserve in this matter has caused some impatience . . . but the last word belongs to science and cannot be anticipated. At the present time a commission of reputable archeologists is preparing the publication of its scientific conclusions on the discoveries . . . In the meantime, one may observe that the excavations have confirmed convincingly the Roman tradition which closely connected Nero's Circus and the Vatican burial ground--or, in other words, the place where St. Peter was executed and the place where he was buried . . .

"Any believer who has passed through the excavated necropolis, who has observed how its street leads directly below the foundations of the first southern bronze pillar of the Bernini altar, and thus into the immediate vicinity of the place assigned by Christian tradition to St. Peter's tomb, succumbs to the silent but eloquent logic of his surroundings. Certainly the discoveries so far made constitute a solid basis for serious discussion on the question which occupies so many minds. Those who believe in the Catholic tradition of St. Peter's burial place below the church will, in the light of these new discoveries, face any such discussion confidently . . ."

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