St. Peter’s Bones

Thomas Craughwell’s new book is a fascinating look at St. Peter’s relics . . .

St. Peter’s Bones
Thomas J. Craughwell
Image Books, 2014
144 pages, $13.99 paperback

In 1448, a team of architects and engineers determined that the 1,100-year-old Basilica of St. Peter was beyond repair. The only solution was to pull down one of the most venerable churches in Christendom. Incredibly, one of the tombs the builders paved over was St. Peter’s.

Then in 1939, while working below the Basilica, a workman’s shovel struck not dirt or rock but open air. Pius XII authorized a full-scale excavation. Subtitled How the Relics of the First Pope Were Lost and Found … and Then Lost and Found Again, Craughwell’s book reveals the fascinating history of the first pope’s resting place.

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