Tuesday, November 27th we had a tour of the excavation under St. Peter's Basilica and a student led tour of the basilica itself. The scavi tour under St. Peters is fascinating. Pope Pious the 12th (?) I think, ordered the excavation under the church to attempt to find the tomb of St. Peter during the 1940's. According to the historical documents, St. Peter was martyred on the area now known as the Vatican Hill. And all the previous churches were supposedly built with the alter directly above his tomb. However, until the 1940's we lacked the expertise to excavate under St. Peters. Only 10 people at a time are allowed into the excavation and the tour lasts an hour. So only 100 people a day are able to arrange this experience.

The waiting list is long. For Danilo Mori to arrange for 16 students plus myself to do this tour is simply amazing. Not sure exactly how he works his magic. I just really appreciate that he does.

The tour takes us directly under the alter of St. Peter's Basilica where the excavations revealed a sealed wall said to contain the remains of a large man dating to the 1st century. The tour guide mentioned that no bones of the feet were found which matches the legend that St. Peter was crucified upside down and his body removed from the cross by chopping off his feet.

While thousands of pilgrims visit the basilica everyday, only a few have this opportunity. Both the students and I appreciate being part of the select few.

After the scavi tour, we had a student led tour of the basilica itself. The students gave us a great tour with very detailed information of what we were seeing. I really liked it. Shout out to Katie Moore and Brandon Shannon.