Vatican Grottoes

Between the floor of the present St Peter's and the ancient necropolis below lies the grotto level, formed when the new basilica was raised over the old one in the sixteenth century, and it holds papal tombs from the tenth century onward along with fragments of the Constantinian church: columns, mosaics and monuments moved down when the old building came apart.

History

The grottoes were formed around 1590-1591, when the floor of the Renaissance basilica was raised over that of Constantine's 4th-century church, an idea Antonio da Sangallo the Younger had put to Pope Leo X after Raphael's death in 1520. In 1592 Clement VIII renovated the old crypt as the Clementine chapel, near the tomb of Saint Peter, Paul V added corridors to the Confessio and chapels in 1616-1617, and under Urban VIII Bernini designed four small oratories at the foot of the piers carrying the dome. From the mid-20th century chapels of several nations were added around the apostle's tomb, and in 1979 a great arch opened the view of the Confessio; the grottoes hold the tombs of many popes, in a lower church of three naves (Wikipedia, Vatican Grottoes).

Highlights

• The papal tombs - burials running from the tenth century onward.
• The old basilica fragments - columns and mosaics from the Constantinian church.
• The level itself - the space made when the new floor was raised.
• The monuments - the tomb sculpture moved down from above.

When to go

November to March is the quietest window. The grottoes close earlier than the basilica. Queues form in the middle of the day.

Practical notes

It is a one-way route and you cannot linger or go back. Photography is not permitted and the dress code for the basilica applies. It can be very crowded in the middle of the day.

Nearby

St Peter's Basilica is above, and the necropolis is below.

Key facts