Ancient site · Vatican City · Restored

Vatican Necropolis

Necropoli vaticana

The Vatican Necropolis is an ancient Roman burial complex located beneath St. Peter's Basilica, consisting of a long street of mausoleums, freestanding tombs and burial chambers dating from the 1st–4th centuries AD. Excavations in the 20th century revealed brick-faced façades, vaulted interior chambers with stucco, painted decoration and marble-lined tombs; one area (Field P) contains a small commemorative shrine associated in tradition with the grave of the Apostle Peter.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

AD 160

Today

Restored

As it stood in AD 160

What Vatican Necropolis looked like in its prime.

A narrow, ancient funerary street lined by contiguous brick-faced mausoleum façades and niche doorways, some capped by low terraces and external steps; interiors are low, vaulted chambers with opus latericium brickwork, areas of stucco, polychrome painted plaster and occasional marble lining. Scale is intimate (the excavated area c.69 × 18 m), lit today by controlled lamps and protected by modern glass barriers, but at its prime the street lay open to sky along the slope of the Vatican Hill.

Step inside

9 places to explore in AD 160.

The record describes 9 distinct spots at Vatican Necropolis, including 4 interiors: mausoleum f — interior burial chamber, mausoleum h — atrium and family burial rooms, valerii mausoleum — decorated interior and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

Via Cornelia approach — the funerary streetRow of mausoleum façades (M–G)Mausoleum F — interior burial chamberMausoleum H — atrium and family burial roomsValerii Mausoleum — decorated interiorField P — Trophy of Gaius (commemorative shrine)Graffiti Wall adjacent to the TrophyTerraced mausoleum with external staircaseMarble-lined tombs and sarcophagi

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