Death of Benedict XVI: what is the papal necropolis of Saint Peter’s Basilica?


Clotilde Dumay, edited by Juliette Moreau Alvarez
modified to

07:18, January 05, 2023

This Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI will be buried in the former tomb of John Paul II, in a crypt under St. Peter’s Basilica which houses the bodies of many former popes in the history of the Catholic Church. These Vatican grottoes, also called the papal necropolis, also house characters who have never been pope.

This Thursday, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on December 31, will be buried, after his remains were exposed in the heart of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. After the ceremony, the coffin of the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church will be transported to the “Vatican Grottoes”, located three meters below the basilica. It is in this crypt that dozens of popes rest, but not only. Europe 1 offers you a guided tour of this place as enigmatic as it is solemn.

At the heart of the papal necropolis lies the body of Saint Peter, one of the apostles of Jesus, considered the very first pope in history. To be closer to him, many bishops of Rome later chose to be buried in this crypt. For this same reason, Benedict XVI will also be buried there.

Alongside John Paul I and Pius XII

Most notably, the German pope emeritus will rest in the empty tomb of John Paul II, his predecessor. His body was moved to a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica when he was beatified in 2011, by none other than Benedict XVI. The latter will therefore be alongside illustrious names of the Catholic Church, in particular many of its precursors. Among them, Jean-Paul I, Paul VI or Pius XII, the pope of the Second World War.

In this crypt, also rest the bodies of a dozen figures who have never been pope. We can cite the last three Stuarts, Catholic pretenders to the British throne, or even Queens Christine of Sweden and Charlotte of Cyprus. For the most curious who want to discover these illustrious tombs, or those who want to pay homage to these figures of Catholicism, the Vatican grottoes are open to visitors.



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