While I was studying in the seminary in Rome, I had the great privilege of leading pilgrims through what is known as the scavi tour underneath St. Peter’s (scavi is the Italian word for excavations).
For those of you who have not yet been to Rome, or had the chance to get underneath the present-day Basilica, the scavi is a rather small area of land that was unearthed back in 1939 at the time of the death of Pope Pius X. The Holy Father had requested in his will to be buried next to Pope Pius IX, and as the workers began preparing the place for his grave, they struck the top of a façade that was old, very old! In fact, the façade turned out to belong to a mausoleum that dated back more than 1,700 years, to the time when the area that St. Peter’s now occupies was a necropolis, literally a “city of the dead.” This necropolis was adjacent to a complex known as the Circus of Caligula and Nero, which was built in the 1st century by the Roman emperors of those same names. It was in this circus that the Apostle Peter was crucified in A.D. 64.
In fact, the obelisk that now stands in the center of St. Peter’s Square once stood in the center of that circus. The obelisk came from Egypt, constructed hundreds of years before Peter’s time, and perhaps also saw Moses and the Israelites on their way out of Egypt to the Promised Land. As it was also in the circus at the time of Peter’s crucifixion, it was perhaps the last thing that he saw before he died. If only things could talk about what they had seen!
After Peter was crucified, he was then buried in a very simple, tile-covered grave in the necropolis. Over the years, a series of different kinds of monuments were built atop that simple grave, so that it would continue to be visible for pilgrims who wanted to pray at the grave of a man that not only knew Jesus, but who had been entrusted with the care of His Church.
As a result of the excavations, it is now possible for people to walk through the remains of the necropolis, some 40 feet beneath the main floor of St. Peter’s Basilica. It is a fascinating journey, as it reveals the brilliance of ancient Roman building techniques and architecture, as well as an interesting insight into the various religious customs present among the Romans at the time.
But the highlight of the tour is the end. At the end you actually have the chance to stand beside a wall, inside of which were placed at one time, and perhaps still reside today, the bones of Peter. It is truly an awe-inspiring moment! And this is so not only because of the fact that you are standing next to the grave of a man who was there the night that Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” It is also awe-inspiring because for more than 250 years Christians used to come to this very spot to pray at the risk of their lives, since Christianity was an illegal superstition in the Empire and the subject of many persecutions. It is at this point that you realize you just finished not a tour but a pilgrimage.
The incredible gift of going on a pilgrimage, whether to Rome, the Holy Land, Lourdes, Fatima, or whatever site you choose, is that you are actually at the place where God acted, either directly, or, as is more usual, through His servants. And as Christians, it is important to always keep in mind that God is a God who acts in time and space. When we stand at certain places, whether the scavi, or Calvary, or the Empty Tomb, or the grotto of Lourdes, or the theatre in Ephesus, our faith comes alive! The things we read about in Sacred Scripture, or in the history of the Church, happened right here! This is why, for example, so many people call the Holy Land “the fifth Gospel.” It is one thing to hear the Gospels proclaimed at Mass each Sunday; it is entirely another to stand at the very place where they happened. Upon returning from such a pilgrimage, then, you can share those experiences with those around you: in your family, in the parish, at work, or at school, so that they, too, may somehow come more closely into contact with the beauty and the truth of our faith.
So, to wherever you are contemplating traveling, go with a sense of eagerness and expectation; go with great faith, and ask the Lord to increase that faith through your time away.
Fr. John Riccardo is a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit. He studied at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and at the Gregorian University in Rome. He received a Sacred License in Theology (STL) from the Pope John Paul II Institute. He is the pastor of St. Anastasia Catholic Church in Troy, MI, and is a very popular speaker.
Catholic Exchange’s Travel Channel sponsor, Corporate Travel Service, includes a tour of the scavi under St. Peter’s Basilica on several of its tours. Please click here to review an upcoming pilgrimage to Italy.
