Vatican Necropolis

Vatican Necropolis
Person with the attributes of Apollo or Helios. Taken from a mosaic from the necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
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General information
Location	Vatican City
Coordinates	41°54′08″N 12°27′12″E / 41.902301°N 12.453293°E / 41.902301; 12.453293

The Vatican Necropolis lies under the Vatican City, at depths varying between 5–12 metres below Saint Peter's Basilica. The Vatican sponsored archaeological excavations (also known by their Italian name scavi) under Saint Peter's in the years 1940–1949 which revealed parts of a necropolis dating to the Roman Empire.^[1] The work was undertaken at the request of Pope Pius XI who wished to be buried as close as possible to Peter the Apostle. It is also home to the Tomb of the Julii, which has been dated to the third or fourth century. The necropolis was not originally one of the Catacombs of Rome, but an open-air cemetery with tombs and mausolea.

The Vatican Necropolis is not to be confused with the Vatican Grottoes, the latter of which resulted from the construction of St. Peter's Church and is located on the ground level of the old Constantinian basilica.