Editing St. Peter's Basilica (section)

===Saint Peter's burial site===
{{Main|Saint Peter's tomb}}
[[Image:Circus of Nero.png|thumb|A modern conjectural reconstruction of the relative locations of the circus, and the [[Old Saint Peter's Basilica|medieval]] and [[St Peter's Basilica|current]] Basilicas of St. Peter<ref>Based on "[https://web.archive.org/web/20100305113143/http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/images.htm Outline of St. Peter's, Old St. Peter's, and Circus of Nero]".</ref>]]
After the [[crucifixion of Jesus]], it is recorded in the Biblical book of the [[Acts of the Apostles]] that one of his twelve disciples, Simon known as Saint Peter, a fisherman from [[Galilee]], took a leadership position among Jesus' followers and was of great importance in the founding of the [[Christianity|Christian Church]]. The name Peter is "Petrus" in Latin and "Petros" in Greek, deriving from ''petra'' which means "stone" or "rock" in [[Greek language|Greek]], and is the literal translation of the Aramaic "Kepa", the name given to Simon by Jesus. ([[s:Bible (King James)/John#1:42|John 1:42]], and see [[s:Bible (King James)/Matthew#16:18|Matthew 16:18]])

Catholic tradition holds that Peter, after a ministry of thirty-four years, travelled to Rome and met his [[martyrdom]] there along with Paul on 13 October 64 AD during the reign of the [[Roman Emperor]] [[Nero]]. His execution was one of the many martyrdoms of Christians following the [[Great Fire of Rome]]. According to [[Jerome]], Peter was crucified head downwards, by his own request because he considered himself unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2708.htm |title=Jerome, De Viris Illustribus (On Illustrious Men) |website=New Advent |access-date=27 May 2021 |archive-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717003620/http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2708.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The crucifixion took place near an ancient Egyptian obelisk in the [[Circus of Nero]].<ref name=JL-M/>  The obelisk now stands in [[St. Peter's Square]] and is revered as a "witness" to Peter's death. It is one of several ancient [[Obelisks of Rome]].<ref>Frank J. Korn, ''Hidden Rome'' Paulist Press (2002)</ref>

According to tradition, Peter's remains were buried just outside the Circus, on the [[Vatican Hill|Mons Vaticanus]] across the [[Via Cornelia]] from the Circus, less than {{convert|150|m}} from his place of death. The Via Cornelia was a road which ran east-to-west along the north wall of the Circus on land now covered by the southern portions of the Basilica and St. Peter's Square. A shrine was built on this site some years later. Almost three hundred years later, [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]] was constructed over this site.<ref name=JL-M/>

The area now covered by the [[Vatican City]] had been a cemetery for some years before the Circus of Nero was built. It was a burial ground for the numerous executions in the Circus and contained many Christian burials as for many years after the burial of [[Saint Peter]], many Christians chose to be buried near him.{{fact|date=January 2024}}

In 1939, in the reign of Pope Pius XII, 10 years of archaeological research began under the crypt of the basilica in an area inaccessible since the ninth century. The excavations revealed the remains of shrines of different periods at different levels, from [[Pope Clement VIII|Clement VIII]] (1594)  to [[Callixtus II]] (1123) and [[Pope Gregory I|Gregory I]] (590–604), built over an [[aedicula]] containing fragments of bones that were folded in a tissue with gold decorations, tinted with the precious [[murex]] purple. Although it could not be determined with certainty that the bones were those of Peter, the rare vestments suggested a burial of great importance. On 23 December 1950, in his pre-Christmas radio broadcast to the world, [[Pope Pius XII]] announced the discovery of [[Saint Peter's tomb]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Steven |last=Hijmans |title=University of Alberta Express News |work=In search of St. Peter's Tomb |url=http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/article.cfm?id=794 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060125031014/http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/article.cfm?id=794|archive-date=25 January 2006 | access-date=25 December 2006}}</ref>