The Roots of Martyrdom:
St. Peter's Basilica, Prison and Glory

With this itinerary we will visit the places of St Peter's great witness of faith in Rome:
the Mamertine Prison and the great Vatican Basilica dedicated to him.

The itinerary begins with a visit to the Mamertine Prison, St Peter's prison. Here, according to tradition, the Apostles Peter and Paul lived their last days before being executed. While awaiting execution they continued their mission, baptising their jailers and many prisoners. From this place their journey towards martyrdom began.

Following the itinerary of the audio guide dedicated to the centre of Rome, you can walk to St Peter's Square and the Vatican.

St. Peter's Basilica was built in 324 A.D. by Emperor Constantine near the Circus of Nero right on the site of Peter's martyrdom and burial. On this tomb that still stands today in the deep heart of the Basilica, the majestic sacred building that we see today has developed over the centuries, the largest church ever built by human hands. Great artists such as Michelangelo, Bernini, Raphael have left their highest testimonies of beauty.

This Basilica is the ideal center of Christianity, the seat of the successors of Peter. The history of the Church has passed here, of its pontiffs, of its Ecumenical Councils and of its Jubilees that have seen millions of pilgrims from all over Europe and the world come to confirm their faith on the tomb of Peter. The history of Europe has also passed here: many kings and emperors such as Charlemagne have been crowned here; kings and queens have come to bring the sign of their nations' fidelity to the Christian faith.

 

TAPPE

1. Entrance to the Mamertine Prison (St. Peter's Jail) with audio guide

• Immersive experience with multilingual audio guide.
• Visit the place where, according to tradition, Saint Peter was imprisoned before his martyrdom.

2. Free walk towards St. Peter's (duration about 15-20 minutes)

• audio guided tour “The Heart of Rome” included in the app

3. Guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica (with priority access)

• tour of the basilica with an official Vatican guide
• Discovery of Michelangelo's masterpieces (Pietà, Dome), Bernini (Baldacchino), and sacred places such as St. Peter's Tomb