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St. Peter's Bones: How the Relics of the First Pope Were Lost and Found . . . and Then Lost and Found Again
An exciting and fascinating account of the search for the remains of the world's first pope, none other than Peter, the apostle of Jesus.
In 1448 a team of architects and engineers brought Pope Nicholas V unhappy news: the 1100-year-old Basilica of St. Peter suffered from so many structural defects that it was beyond repair. The only solution was to pull down the old church-one of the most venerable churches in Christendom-and erect a new basilica on the site. Incredibly, one of the tombs the builders paved over was the resting place of St. Peter.
Then in 1939, while working underground in the Vatican, one workman's shovel struck not dirt or rock but open air. The diggers shone a flashlight through the opening and saw a portion of an ancient Christian mausoleum. An archaeologist was summoned at once, and after inspecting what could be seen through the hole the diggers had made in the mausoleum's roof, he authorized a full-scale excavation. What lay beneath? The answer and the adventure await.
In 1448 a team of architects and engineers brought Pope Nicholas V unhappy news: the 1100-year-old Basilica of St. Peter suffered from so many structural defects that it was beyond repair. The only solution was to pull down the old church-one of the most venerable churches in Christendom-and erect a new basilica on the site. Incredibly, one of the tombs the builders paved over was the resting place of St. Peter.
Then in 1939, while working underground in the Vatican, one workman's shovel struck not dirt or rock but open air. The diggers shone a flashlight through the opening and saw a portion of an ancient Christian mausoleum. An archaeologist was summoned at once, and after inspecting what could be seen through the hole the diggers had made in the mausoleum's roof, he authorized a full-scale excavation. What lay beneath? The answer and the adventure await.
126 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 2013
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November 18, 2013
According to the New Testament, St. Peter was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, the apostle that Jesus called the “rock” on which he would build his church. Church history holds that Peter travelled to Rome to spread Christianity after Jesus died. Peter was eventually martyred, probably while in his mid 60s, as part of the Emperor Nero’s persecution of Christians after the Great Fire of Rome. According to legend, Peter was crucified upside down because he told his executioners he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.
Peter was executed in Nero’s arena. The Egyptian obelisk that stands in St. Peter’s Square was the turning point on the arena’s chariot track.
The Roman Catholic church considers Peter to have been the first Pope and a saint. After Peter died, early Christians buried his body near the site of the execution, in a cemetery on the Vatican hill outside the walls of Rome. Because it was the location of St. Peter’s grave, the site was considered holy. It was the site of a shrine created to honor him, and eventually the Emperor Constantine built a basilica over it. Much later, in a construction project that took over a hundred years, the basilica was built that stands there today. The altar of St. Peter’s Basilica is said to be directly over the tomb of St. Peter.
Bernini’s bronze baldacchino (canopy), something of a Baroque monstrosity, marks the high altar of the basilica and St. Peter’s tomb below.
St. Peter’s Bones tells the story of the search for the tomb and the remains of St. Peter. In 1940, excavations were begun in the grottoes below the basilica. Work was slow and painstaking, since the grottoes are the location of numerous graves, both Christian and pagan, going back more than 2,000 years. As with many archaeological sites in Rome, evaluation required delving through layer after layer of history, identifying medieval coins and deciphering pagan graffiti, while workers tried to make sense of it all.
Over the course of decades, the exploration of the tomb proceeded with contributions from archaeologists, anatomists, historians, theologians, and an expert in ancient inscriptions, working together (and sometimes against each other) to determine which remains, if any, belonged to the saint. Thomas Craughwell weaves together the story of the historical Peter with the modern-day search for his tomb in an intriguing mystery. The truth will likely never be known with certainty, but contemplating the puzzle makes for an absorbing story.
If this guy knows, he isn’t telling (mosaic in the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica).
"To the glory of St. Peter, Pope Sixtus V in the year 1590, the fifth of his pontificate" (inscription in the dome of the basilica, directly over the baldacchino, altar, and tomb).
A copy of this book for review was provided by NetGalley/Crown Publishing.
This work by Sarah, including images, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Peter was executed in Nero’s arena. The Egyptian obelisk that stands in St. Peter’s Square was the turning point on the arena’s chariot track.The Roman Catholic church considers Peter to have been the first Pope and a saint. After Peter died, early Christians buried his body near the site of the execution, in a cemetery on the Vatican hill outside the walls of Rome. Because it was the location of St. Peter’s grave, the site was considered holy. It was the site of a shrine created to honor him, and eventually the Emperor Constantine built a basilica over it. Much later, in a construction project that took over a hundred years, the basilica was built that stands there today. The altar of St. Peter’s Basilica is said to be directly over the tomb of St. Peter.
Bernini’s bronze baldacchino (canopy), something of a Baroque monstrosity, marks the high altar of the basilica and St. Peter’s tomb below.
St. Peter’s Bones tells the story of the search for the tomb and the remains of St. Peter. In 1940, excavations were begun in the grottoes below the basilica. Work was slow and painstaking, since the grottoes are the location of numerous graves, both Christian and pagan, going back more than 2,000 years. As with many archaeological sites in Rome, evaluation required delving through layer after layer of history, identifying medieval coins and deciphering pagan graffiti, while workers tried to make sense of it all.
Over the course of decades, the exploration of the tomb proceeded with contributions from archaeologists, anatomists, historians, theologians, and an expert in ancient inscriptions, working together (and sometimes against each other) to determine which remains, if any, belonged to the saint. Thomas Craughwell weaves together the story of the historical Peter with the modern-day search for his tomb in an intriguing mystery. The truth will likely never be known with certainty, but contemplating the puzzle makes for an absorbing story.
If this guy knows, he isn’t telling (mosaic in the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica).
"To the glory of St. Peter, Pope Sixtus V in the year 1590, the fifth of his pontificate" (inscription in the dome of the basilica, directly over the baldacchino, altar, and tomb).A copy of this book for review was provided by NetGalley/Crown Publishing.
This work by Sarah, including images, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
October 19, 2013
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced reading copy.
St. Peter, the first among the apostles of Christ, is universally acknowledged as the first Pope of the Catholic Church. According to tradition, he was crucified upside down in Rome and his bones eventually came to rest under the main altar of the Basilica of St. Peter's Church in Vatican City. This is the story of how bones were first discovered under the altar in the early days of World War II and how various clues have emerged to shed more light concerning the bones themselves...are they really the bones of St. Peter?
Mr. Craughwell has produced a rather short but tightly structured story concerning the early 1940's excavation under the Basilica and later academic study concerning the other evidence found, such as "graffiti" found upon the tomb walls. While it can never be conclusively proven that the bones found were those of St. Peter, it is also true that there is no conclusive evidence to stay they are not.
I found the sections describing the study of the first century tomb graffiti to be quite interesting, as well as the "misplacement" of the actual bones for over a decade. The story documented the study of the tomb and its contents as well as historical background data, provided to help understand the early beginnings of the Catholic Church. Overall, a quick but very interesting read and would recommend to anyone with interest in the history of the early Christian church.
St. Peter, the first among the apostles of Christ, is universally acknowledged as the first Pope of the Catholic Church. According to tradition, he was crucified upside down in Rome and his bones eventually came to rest under the main altar of the Basilica of St. Peter's Church in Vatican City. This is the story of how bones were first discovered under the altar in the early days of World War II and how various clues have emerged to shed more light concerning the bones themselves...are they really the bones of St. Peter?
Mr. Craughwell has produced a rather short but tightly structured story concerning the early 1940's excavation under the Basilica and later academic study concerning the other evidence found, such as "graffiti" found upon the tomb walls. While it can never be conclusively proven that the bones found were those of St. Peter, it is also true that there is no conclusive evidence to stay they are not.
I found the sections describing the study of the first century tomb graffiti to be quite interesting, as well as the "misplacement" of the actual bones for over a decade. The story documented the study of the tomb and its contents as well as historical background data, provided to help understand the early beginnings of the Catholic Church. Overall, a quick but very interesting read and would recommend to anyone with interest in the history of the early Christian church.
June 30, 2017
This story takes me back to my couple of visits St Peter's, but without the opportunity of visiting the grottoes. Walking through the immense space, admiring the incredible artworks, watching tourists with their cellphones and cameras mingle with the devout -- you look up into Michaelangelo's dome from the floor of the basilica and you see "Tu es Petrus" prominently displayed. At that point you realize the reason for this incredible palace built on an ancient cemetery. Before hearing an interview with the author, I really did not know this controversy even existed. After this interview, I really needed to read this book.
In writing about the 1940's excavations under the basilica, Craughwell manages not only to write an account of this archaeological project, but also gives a succinct history of the basilica as well as the place of relics in Catholic observances. He also raises the esoteric issue of the role of faith tradition in an increasingly secular world; he also shows a more personal level that no one is immune from human foibles.
"...George Weigel, the distinguished Catholic author ... said, 'Archaeology isn't algebra; it yields probabilities rather than certainties.' ... Weigel's statement ... gets to the heart of this question. In a society that (by and large) places trust in science, people have become accustomed to certainty. But in the case of St Peter's bones, certainty is impossible to establish."
This fascinating story is definitely stranger than fiction -- great story, great read! It's the Vatican version of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
In writing about the 1940's excavations under the basilica, Craughwell manages not only to write an account of this archaeological project, but also gives a succinct history of the basilica as well as the place of relics in Catholic observances. He also raises the esoteric issue of the role of faith tradition in an increasingly secular world; he also shows a more personal level that no one is immune from human foibles.
"...George Weigel, the distinguished Catholic author ... said, 'Archaeology isn't algebra; it yields probabilities rather than certainties.' ... Weigel's statement ... gets to the heart of this question. In a society that (by and large) places trust in science, people have become accustomed to certainty. But in the case of St Peter's bones, certainty is impossible to establish."
This fascinating story is definitely stranger than fiction -- great story, great read! It's the Vatican version of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
May 23, 2021
Quick, enjoyable read! A wonderful story.
February 7, 2023
Really solid little book. It gave me some great insight into the historical/archeological/anthropological findings relating to Peter and the early Church as a whole.
January 14, 2014
In 1940, as part of a construction project at the Vatican, Pope Pius XII authorized a team of excavators to work under the Basilica of St. Peter. As the work progressed remains of an ancient Roman necropolis was discovered. As the excavators dug down layer after layer, they found many tombs from the first centuries of the Roman Empire. Among these tombs and mausoleums they found evidence of early Christian burials. Tradition holds that the Basilica of St. Peter is built over the site of the Apostle’s tomb. The excavators finally reached the location and what they found there is the subject of this short book.
St. Peter’s Bones tells the story of this excavation and also covers stories from the early church period. The book is not so much a work of history as a devout believer’s look at an important moment in the Church. The author’s own faith is very apparent in the first few pages. He does a very good job of explaining what relics are and why they are important. There is a nice summary of the ancient tradition of preserving the relics of martyrs.I won't give away too much since the author tries to lay the book out as a discovery. You will have to read it for yourself to find out what happens.
This book has many good qualities, but alas it also contains some flaws. I will look at the flaws first because the book is good and I want to leave you with the good points. First of all this is not a work by a historian or a even a popular historian. The narrative is a little disjointed. The style works, but it made this reader wish that the author would stop bouncing around and stay on topic. More than anything else the style resembles the writing on a television show like NOVA or National Geographic. This is not a bad thing, but the style certainly works better on television than in print. As stated earlier this is not designed to be a straight forward work of history, much less a scholarly text, but it would have been nice if the author had included at least one source for his statements. He often makes assertions and moves on. There was not a single footnote or endnote to cite the source. There were some other quibbling points, I would love to see any source that states the primary language of Rome in the first century was Greek, and that they only reverted to back to Latin later.
On the positive side this book gives a nice introductory look at the subject. The author makes it very easy for someone with no knowledge at all of the period to at least get their toes wet. I had not read anything on this particular subject, so it was interesting to read about the excavations and the findings. I did enjoy the book and I hope that more will be written on this fascinating topic. This book is worth the money and the short amount of time it will take to read it. I hope that the author is able to find someone in television, like PBS or the History Channel, to make a show out of this. I believe that this book will appeal primarily to lay Catholics, though anyone approaching this subject for the first time will find a lot to learn here as well. The book is short, 144 pages, and the author does a good job of making the subject accessible.
St. Peter’s Bones tells the story of this excavation and also covers stories from the early church period. The book is not so much a work of history as a devout believer’s look at an important moment in the Church. The author’s own faith is very apparent in the first few pages. He does a very good job of explaining what relics are and why they are important. There is a nice summary of the ancient tradition of preserving the relics of martyrs.I won't give away too much since the author tries to lay the book out as a discovery. You will have to read it for yourself to find out what happens.
This book has many good qualities, but alas it also contains some flaws. I will look at the flaws first because the book is good and I want to leave you with the good points. First of all this is not a work by a historian or a even a popular historian. The narrative is a little disjointed. The style works, but it made this reader wish that the author would stop bouncing around and stay on topic. More than anything else the style resembles the writing on a television show like NOVA or National Geographic. This is not a bad thing, but the style certainly works better on television than in print. As stated earlier this is not designed to be a straight forward work of history, much less a scholarly text, but it would have been nice if the author had included at least one source for his statements. He often makes assertions and moves on. There was not a single footnote or endnote to cite the source. There were some other quibbling points, I would love to see any source that states the primary language of Rome in the first century was Greek, and that they only reverted to back to Latin later.
On the positive side this book gives a nice introductory look at the subject. The author makes it very easy for someone with no knowledge at all of the period to at least get their toes wet. I had not read anything on this particular subject, so it was interesting to read about the excavations and the findings. I did enjoy the book and I hope that more will be written on this fascinating topic. This book is worth the money and the short amount of time it will take to read it. I hope that the author is able to find someone in television, like PBS or the History Channel, to make a show out of this. I believe that this book will appeal primarily to lay Catholics, though anyone approaching this subject for the first time will find a lot to learn here as well. The book is short, 144 pages, and the author does a good job of making the subject accessible.
January 15, 2014
For me, with a passion for history, faith, and mystery, St. Peter’s Bones was almost bound to be a hit. It was especially meaningful since I’ve been to Rome a couple times, and wandered through much of that city’s history, the layers of which are so marvelously visible.
Author Craughwell uses the bizarre story of the search for St. Peter’s bones to give a brief history of St. Peter and his basilica.
If you go to Rome, be sure to take the daily tour beneath the church, where more than 90 popes are buried, including Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. That level, beneath the floor of the present-day basilica, is called the Vatican Grottoes. Before reading St. Peter’s Bones by Thomas Craughwell, I didn’t understand that there is another level below the grottoes, called the necropolis (city of the dead). It’s there where the bones of St. Peter, along with a scrap of purple cloth woven with gold thread, may have been found.
He leads readers through Catholic history, from the Acts of the Apostles through the twentieth century, by luring us on with the gripping story of the excavation. He covers who St. Peter was, why it’s thought Peter came to Rome, Rome’s deadly fire in AD 64, how St. Peter died at the hands of Nero a few steps from the basilica, the Emperor Constantine’s conversion and the construction of the first basilica over St. Peter’s grave, and then the construction of the second basilica during the Renaissance.
It’s a fantastic story. While World War II raged all around, Pope Pius XII decided to reconstruct the Vatican Grottoes beneath the immense church, lowering the grotto floor by two-and-a-half feet and creating what would become a tourist-friendly series of crypt chapels instead of what had been a claustrophobic burial chamber. That’s where all the pope’s are buried, a place of lemony light against whitewashed arches, filled with the murmur of tourists and prayer.
Craughwell never addresses what would possess the pope to begin such a project at such a time.
He does, however, offer up the story of the bones in just the right order, and presents the implausible story in such a way that this reader could just barely believe that someone would lose archeological evidence and sacred relics in the way that the allegedly responsible party did. (No spoilers here!) The book’s power is in the way it links the present with the past. I’m sure I’d understood that the obelisk out in St. Peter’s Square was associated with Nero’s Circus—where St. Peter was crucified—but it never hit me until reading here that the obelisk is a direct link to the martyrdom of the first pope.
I’d recommend this book to those who are interested in early Christianity and in archeology. It simplifies the past, for instance not mentioning that the obelisk was moved a few yards during the construction of the present-day basilica. That might be a benefit, since those details can sometimes veil the crucial point. The book also lacks illustrations or diagrams. Is that a serious issue with internet resources at our fingertips? Probably not.
Author Craughwell uses the bizarre story of the search for St. Peter’s bones to give a brief history of St. Peter and his basilica.
If you go to Rome, be sure to take the daily tour beneath the church, where more than 90 popes are buried, including Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. That level, beneath the floor of the present-day basilica, is called the Vatican Grottoes. Before reading St. Peter’s Bones by Thomas Craughwell, I didn’t understand that there is another level below the grottoes, called the necropolis (city of the dead). It’s there where the bones of St. Peter, along with a scrap of purple cloth woven with gold thread, may have been found.
He leads readers through Catholic history, from the Acts of the Apostles through the twentieth century, by luring us on with the gripping story of the excavation. He covers who St. Peter was, why it’s thought Peter came to Rome, Rome’s deadly fire in AD 64, how St. Peter died at the hands of Nero a few steps from the basilica, the Emperor Constantine’s conversion and the construction of the first basilica over St. Peter’s grave, and then the construction of the second basilica during the Renaissance.
It’s a fantastic story. While World War II raged all around, Pope Pius XII decided to reconstruct the Vatican Grottoes beneath the immense church, lowering the grotto floor by two-and-a-half feet and creating what would become a tourist-friendly series of crypt chapels instead of what had been a claustrophobic burial chamber. That’s where all the pope’s are buried, a place of lemony light against whitewashed arches, filled with the murmur of tourists and prayer.
Craughwell never addresses what would possess the pope to begin such a project at such a time.
He does, however, offer up the story of the bones in just the right order, and presents the implausible story in such a way that this reader could just barely believe that someone would lose archeological evidence and sacred relics in the way that the allegedly responsible party did. (No spoilers here!) The book’s power is in the way it links the present with the past. I’m sure I’d understood that the obelisk out in St. Peter’s Square was associated with Nero’s Circus—where St. Peter was crucified—but it never hit me until reading here that the obelisk is a direct link to the martyrdom of the first pope.
I’d recommend this book to those who are interested in early Christianity and in archeology. It simplifies the past, for instance not mentioning that the obelisk was moved a few yards during the construction of the present-day basilica. That might be a benefit, since those details can sometimes veil the crucial point. The book also lacks illustrations or diagrams. Is that a serious issue with internet resources at our fingertips? Probably not.
January 13, 2014
St. Peter's Bones is a brief book in which Thomas J. Craughwell leads the reader on a journey to find the bones of St. Peter. The book begins with Pope Pius XII's authorization of a thorough excavation of the area under St. Peter's Basilica know as the Vatican Grottoes. From there, the book rushes the reader off on a whirlwind adventure which details Biblical descriptions of Peter the man, historical accounts of St. Peter's bones being lost due to invasion, the dig that occurred in the Grottoes, and the analysis of the results.
Even though we ultimately know that St. Peter's bones were discovered since Pope Francis recently had them on display, parts of the book still had you on the edge of your seat. The passages that most captured my attention dealt with the excavations. As a kid, I grew up wanting to be Indiana Jones and discover Biblical artifacts. Reading this book and the descriptions of the tombs they uncovered was fascinating. For example, one of the tombs had an inscription that read, "Peter, pray to Christ Jesus for the holy Christian men buried near your body." I can't imagine the feeling of exhilaration from discovering this inscription, or the heartbreak when it faded away due to damp atmospheric conditions.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. The content was top notch, but the style of writing was a little scattered to me. Mr. Craughwell's storyline jumps back and forth between the Bible to ancient history to the explorations and excavations that occurred in the 1940s, all seemingly within the same breath. I would have preferred a more orderly approach. For me, the book would have been easier to read had Craughwell talked about Scriptural Peter first and covered that topic thoroughly before moving on to Constantine building St. Peter's Basilica, other historically relevant events, etc. That personal preference aside, this book is still a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in St. Peter, archaeology, or relics.
Even though we ultimately know that St. Peter's bones were discovered since Pope Francis recently had them on display, parts of the book still had you on the edge of your seat. The passages that most captured my attention dealt with the excavations. As a kid, I grew up wanting to be Indiana Jones and discover Biblical artifacts. Reading this book and the descriptions of the tombs they uncovered was fascinating. For example, one of the tombs had an inscription that read, "Peter, pray to Christ Jesus for the holy Christian men buried near your body." I can't imagine the feeling of exhilaration from discovering this inscription, or the heartbreak when it faded away due to damp atmospheric conditions.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. The content was top notch, but the style of writing was a little scattered to me. Mr. Craughwell's storyline jumps back and forth between the Bible to ancient history to the explorations and excavations that occurred in the 1940s, all seemingly within the same breath. I would have preferred a more orderly approach. For me, the book would have been easier to read had Craughwell talked about Scriptural Peter first and covered that topic thoroughly before moving on to Constantine building St. Peter's Basilica, other historically relevant events, etc. That personal preference aside, this book is still a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in St. Peter, archaeology, or relics.
April 21, 2014
This was a charming and informative little read. A must for fans of biblical history and/or archaeology. Thomas J. Craughwell explores the fascinating history of St. Peter's remains and gives a brief introduction to biblical archaeology in the process. This intriguing story of the discovery, then loss, then rediscovery of St. Peter's resting place is likely to be a big hint with any history fans, not just Catholics. Craughwell references, top scholars, scientists, ancient texts, and folklore to piece together the mystery and fascination surrounding the first Pope's bones.
In the telling of this story, the author references many other holy spots containing saints remains, pilgrimage spots, and primitive archaeology. "St. Peter's Bones" doesn't read like a dry non-fiction tome, it's exciting and made me want to learn more about my Catholic heritage and archaeology in general!
For fans of Biblical history, saints lives, and archaeology.
I received this book for free from Waterbrook Press in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.
In the telling of this story, the author references many other holy spots containing saints remains, pilgrimage spots, and primitive archaeology. "St. Peter's Bones" doesn't read like a dry non-fiction tome, it's exciting and made me want to learn more about my Catholic heritage and archaeology in general!
For fans of Biblical history, saints lives, and archaeology.
I received this book for free from Waterbrook Press in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.
June 21, 2018
I have been thinning down my to-read list and found this title. The premise of a search for the Apostle Peter's grave and bones is interesting. However, this book about the archeological work done during the 1940's is thin on evidence. I found the tale disorganized, padded with extraneous information that add little to the storyline. Did they find a grave where tradition states Apostle Peter's grave would be? The answer appears to be yes. The issue is regarding bones. And there you need to take a leap of faith. That the bones eventually found, lost and found in a storage room were those of Peter who the Catholic Church claims as the first pope. This would have made a nice article in Archeology Today rather than a stand-alone book.
September 27, 2013
Short retelling of the events leading up to and after the discovery of the "bones" of St Peter, and the controversy surrounding this saga.
March 11, 2019
I have read a number of these St. Peter books in the last year or so, and this one impressed me more than most, because rather than being all about the archaeological dig concerning the search for his bones, the author also gave a lot of history on the first Pope himself and made me feel ass a reader, that I could gain a sense of who he was, beyond the basic things we all learn from the Bible.
The writing was clear and coherent and there was no sense that the author was trying to pad the book with useless information. I enjoyed the entire ting, including his recounting of the events that likely led to the discovery of St. Peter's actual bones, although, as he pointed out, we can never be entirely sure.
This is a great book to begin with for anyone who wants more info on St. Peter and the search for his relics. Highly recommended.
The writing was clear and coherent and there was no sense that the author was trying to pad the book with useless information. I enjoyed the entire ting, including his recounting of the events that likely led to the discovery of St. Peter's actual bones, although, as he pointed out, we can never be entirely sure.
This is a great book to begin with for anyone who wants more info on St. Peter and the search for his relics. Highly recommended.
August 10, 2018
Very readable
Short, succinct description of the excavation in the World War II years under Saint Peter's Basilica and the discovery of Saint Peter's bones. Professor Marguerite Guarducci's investigation of where the bones were stored would make a wonderful movie if the movie respected the complete story of everything going on during World War II in the Vatican. Prof. Guarducci was a wonderful, talented and holy person whose sainthood cause should be investigated.
Short, succinct description of the excavation in the World War II years under Saint Peter's Basilica and the discovery of Saint Peter's bones. Professor Marguerite Guarducci's investigation of where the bones were stored would make a wonderful movie if the movie respected the complete story of everything going on during World War II in the Vatican. Prof. Guarducci was a wonderful, talented and holy person whose sainthood cause should be investigated.
September 29, 2018
Excellent book filled with history in terms that are easy to understand and simple to follow. I learned a lot from this that I hadn't known before, and was very pleased to see mention of the awesome St. Vibiana, who's personal history and story are so slim anyway. This was great, and put the timeline of the archaeology below St. Peter's Basilica, into fuller perspective. Recommended reading!
November 6, 2022
For what I was hoping to be a scholarly overview, albeit from a religious perspective, it was sadly disappointing. Inconsistencies in timeframes and errors in dates aside, it felt more polemic than overview, and that made me sad. Also, I absolutely could have done without the preachy rant against Vatican 2 at the end.
May 19, 2025
Well written. I disagreed with the final epilogue's conclusion not on the bodies but on the Second Vatican Council. It doesn't make sense.
Rest of the book was written in a dual timeline, including all the relevant facts, it was immensely engaging. Worth reading if you are interested in the answer to the question. What happened to the body of St. Peter?
Rest of the book was written in a dual timeline, including all the relevant facts, it was immensely engaging. Worth reading if you are interested in the answer to the question. What happened to the body of St. Peter?
September 30, 2022
A truly great read!
As a Catholic, I found this to be such a great book about St. Peter & his relics. I was so fascinated by the archeology, the timing the excavations were done in, as well as the incredulous response by non-believers. I only wish I had more like it to read.
As a Catholic, I found this to be such a great book about St. Peter & his relics. I was so fascinated by the archeology, the timing the excavations were done in, as well as the incredulous response by non-believers. I only wish I had more like it to read.
March 3, 2024
What an exciting read about a little known subject. This book is jam- packed with interesting details and facts about ancient Rome and the early Christian church. Any reader who is interested in Rome, church history and the early founders of the Catholic church will enjoy it.
August 18, 2017
An intriguing and engaging read on a fascinating subject
June 30, 2020
Good quick read...
March 30, 2021
Well-researched. Interesting.
August 3, 2021
Fascinating book about the unkonwn story of the finding the bones of St. Peter.
September 7, 2022
Great story of the search for the Saint and first Pope of the Catholic Church. If you are an Archaeology fan this is a great read for you. Enjoy!
December 18, 2023
They did it gang they found the bones
October 14, 2024
Really good read
Really good read, really informative, interesting and well wrote. I've been to the Vatican so it was easy to visualise bits of the book
Really good read, really informative, interesting and well wrote. I've been to the Vatican so it was easy to visualise bits of the book
August 18, 2025
Interesting & educational
Very interesting. History is one of my favorite things, so this was right down my alley! I must say that I learned a lot from this book.
Very interesting. History is one of my favorite things, so this was right down my alley! I must say that I learned a lot from this book.
April 8, 2015
I am curious about religious relics since I have a protestant background and converted to Catholicism twenty plus years ago. What relics would be more prized than our first pope’s St. Peter? This is a mystery woven with history and integrated with archeology and technical advances. St. Peter’s Bones takes the reader on a journey to discover the relics of St. Peter and the difficulties that have arisen over the years in validation of these artifacts. Interwoven in these pages are stories of explorers and Popes as well as skeptics and believers.
The story begins with Pope Pius XII in the 1940’s and ends up in 2004 with statements by George Weigel. Within this time period is the announcement in 1968 by Pope Paul VI of the finding of St. Peter’s Bones. Our technology has advanced during this time period to include carbon dating, but this does not turn out to be the answer to the mystery anticipated. Many of the characters in the book are concerned about reverence for burial places and making available the human remains for testing. I have learned more about archeology than I ever thought I would. Craughwell adds very specific details of the archeological search which add to the mystery as the story unfolds. St. Peter’s Bones tells the life story of Peter in real time when he walked the earth in each chapter then the author integrates the modern day archeological search.
I would recommend this book to you, the reader. Craughwell expresses his love for his subject as he carries you through the journey and mystery of first century Christians and the importance of Christian relics as they help to form our faith. I have a new found appreciation for veneration of relics and why they are important to our faith history. The growth of Christianity throughout the world has been reliant on this practice and has enhanced the reality of Christian history.
The story begins with Pope Pius XII in the 1940’s and ends up in 2004 with statements by George Weigel. Within this time period is the announcement in 1968 by Pope Paul VI of the finding of St. Peter’s Bones. Our technology has advanced during this time period to include carbon dating, but this does not turn out to be the answer to the mystery anticipated. Many of the characters in the book are concerned about reverence for burial places and making available the human remains for testing. I have learned more about archeology than I ever thought I would. Craughwell adds very specific details of the archeological search which add to the mystery as the story unfolds. St. Peter’s Bones tells the life story of Peter in real time when he walked the earth in each chapter then the author integrates the modern day archeological search.
I would recommend this book to you, the reader. Craughwell expresses his love for his subject as he carries you through the journey and mystery of first century Christians and the importance of Christian relics as they help to form our faith. I have a new found appreciation for veneration of relics and why they are important to our faith history. The growth of Christianity throughout the world has been reliant on this practice and has enhanced the reality of Christian history.
March 20, 2014
This book was interesting and well written as one would expect from Thomas J. Craughwell. However, it had a major structural flaw. What I was interested in was the discovery of St. Peter's bones by the archaeologists excavating the catacombs. Every time the action reached a peak moment the next chapter would stop and drag us back into Christian history, completely stopping the momentum and eventually frustrating me to the point where I just would skip the history in order to get back to the main story.
It is a fine thing, one supposes, to educate as one goes, but in this case it not only messed with the book overall but felt as if one were being forced to have a history lesson.
You won't be wasting your time in reading this book but a far better telling can be found in The Bones of Saint Peter by John Evangelist Walsh. He just tells the exciting story with historical bits wound in only as necessary for understanding.
St. Peter's Bones has a small amount of updated developments since the 1982 publication of The Bones of Saint Peter so there is that going for it, although I didn't find that info particularly interesting.
NOTICE: This book was provided by the publisher for me to review. I think it's pretty obvious I didn't let that influence me.
It is a fine thing, one supposes, to educate as one goes, but in this case it not only messed with the book overall but felt as if one were being forced to have a history lesson.
You won't be wasting your time in reading this book but a far better telling can be found in The Bones of Saint Peter by John Evangelist Walsh. He just tells the exciting story with historical bits wound in only as necessary for understanding.
St. Peter's Bones has a small amount of updated developments since the 1982 publication of The Bones of Saint Peter so there is that going for it, although I didn't find that info particularly interesting.
NOTICE: This book was provided by the publisher for me to review. I think it's pretty obvious I didn't let that influence me.
May 18, 2014
This is a short book (only 102 pages) that contains a lot of information about the bones of St Peter- how they were lost and found and lost and found again. I really like how the story is written - it switches between the archeological digs to the history of St Peter's life and other more modern information. I think it if were organized differently - with all the information on the archeological dig, it might get a tad bit boring. But with it woven together the way it is, it really works.
I enjoyed the book and learned a lot along the way. I think it was the perfect length and contained the right amount of detail.
I enjoyed the book and learned a lot along the way. I think it was the perfect length and contained the right amount of detail.
January 24, 2014
The modern world meets the ancient as religious leaders, scholars, and archaeologists attempt to find the earthly remains (relics) of the apostle Peter, believed by Catholics to be the first pope. What they discover in the process, shed much light on the both early Christian world and the Medieval Catholic church. Some of the early Christians' burial traditions are joyous and touching. The author jumps back and forth between the ancient world and the modern, which can be a bit confusing. Otherwise, highly recommended for large public libraries. A highly readable archaeological thriller.
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