Rome of the Apostles: the Tombs and Relics of Christ’s First Disciples
At the Tombs and Relics of Christ’s First Disciples
Rome possesses thousands of years of Christian history, but at the foundation of everything stand two men:
Peter and Paul.
Peter, the fisherman from Galilee whom Christ called the Rock, and Paul, the former persecutor transformed into the great Apostle to the Gentiles, reached Rome by very different paths. Here, according to ancient Christian tradition, both completed their earthly mission through martyrdom.
Their blood became inseparable from the story of the Church in Rome.
St. Peter was crucified near the Vatican Hill and buried close to the place of his martyrdom. St. Paul, a Roman citizen, was traditionally believed to have been beheaded outside the city and buried along the Via Ostiense.
From the earliest generations, Christians preserved their memory and traveled to their tombs. Eventually, two of Christianity’s greatest churches rose above those burial places:
St. Peter’s Basilica
and
St. Paul Outside the Walls.
This pilgrimage has been designed to go deeper than a conventional “Catholic Rome” itinerary.
We will follow the Rome of the Apostles themselves: the places connected with their arrival, preaching, imprisonment and martyrdom; the ancient roads traveled by the first Christians; the catacombs where the Church buried its dead; and above all, the tombs of Peter and Paul.
The pilgrimage also introduces us to the beautiful early Christian tradition of depicting Peter and Paul embracing one another. Two profoundly different personalities—one a Galilean fisherman, the other an educated Pharisee and Roman citizen—became the great complementary pillars of the Roman Church.
And their story is not alone.
At the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, pilgrims can venerate relics traditionally attributed to St. Philip the Apostle and St. James the Less, allowing us to encounter within one city the memory of four members of the apostolic generation.
This is Rome approached not primarily through Renaissance palaces and Baroque fountains, but from its foundations
Pilgrimage Highlights
- Tomb of St. Peter the Apostle
- St. Peter’s Basilica
- Optional Vatican Scavi / Necropolis visit, subject to availability
- Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
- Mamertine Prison, traditionally associated with Peter and Paul
- Ancient Roman Forum and Colosseum
- Via Appia Antica
- Church of Domine Quo Vadis
- Ancient Christian catacombs
- St. Sebastian Outside the Walls and the ancient memory of Peter and Paul
- Tre Fontane, traditional site of St. Paul’s martyrdom
- Tomb of St. Paul
- Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
- Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles
- Relics traditionally venerated as those of St. Philip and St. James the Less
- St. John Lateran, Cathedral of Rome
- Scala Santa and Sancta Sanctorum
- St. Mary Major
- Papal Audience or Angelus when the Holy Father’s schedule permits
- Opportunity for daily Holy Mass
- Optional Assisi extension
Important Information and Terms and Conditions
The published program is a general description and may be adjusted due to availability, operational requirements, local conditions, or the group’s needs.
By registering, each traveler confirms that they have reviewed and accepted our Terms and Conditions.
Confirmed trip details, payment information, official meetings and presentations, updates, and final travel documentation will be provided through the official WeTravel page, the final itinerary, and other communications from Pilgrim Groups Travel. Travelers are responsible for reviewing all documents, insurance provisions, entry requirements, and travel instructions provided.
Suggested Itinerary
DAY 1 — Departure • Arrival in Rome
Departure from the airport of origin on our flight to Rome, the Eternal City.
Upon arrival, welcome by our local team and transfer into the city.
Depending on flight schedules, we will enjoy an introductory panoramic tour, beginning to discover the city that was once the capital of the Roman Empire and that, through the witness of the Apostles and the first generations of Christians, would become the heart of the Catholic Church.
Our pilgrimage begins with an introduction to the extraordinary story of Peter and Paul in Rome and the first Christian community that received their witness.
Transfer to our hotel.
Dinner and overnight in Rome.
DAY 2 — Peter & the Vatican | Upon This Rock
The fisherman from Galilee who left his nets to follow Christ ultimately arrived in Rome, capital of the empire, where ancient Christian tradition places his final ministry and martyrdom during the persecution of Nero.
We enter Vatican City and visit the Vatican Museums, home to one of the world’s greatest collections of sacred art, culminating in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
We then enter St. Peter’s Basilica, constructed over the place where Christians have venerated the tomb of the Apostle since antiquity.
Beneath the great dome and Bernini’s monumental baldachin lies the Confessio of St. Peter, marking the location of the Apostle’s tomb.
Here we pause for one of the most important moments of the pilgrimage: prayer at the burial place traditionally associated with the Apostle to whom Christ said:
“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.”
When availability and group size permit, an optional visit to the Vatican Necropolis — the Scavi — can provide an extraordinary opportunity to descend beneath the basilica and explore the ancient cemetery surrounding the traditional tomb of St. Peter.
The remainder of the day can include further exploration of the Vatican and historic center of Rome.
Full board. Overnight in Rome.
DAY 3 — Peter & Paul in the Rome of the Martyrs
Today we leave monumental Christian Rome behind and enter the world of the first Christians.
We begin in Ancient Rome, exploring the Roman Forum and Colosseum and discovering the political, religious and social environment in which Christianity first took root in the imperial capital.
Nearby we visit the Mamertine Prison, traditionally associated with the imprisonment of St. Peter and St. Paul before their martyrdom.
The pilgrimage then follows the ancient roads leading beyond the monumental center.
We travel along the Via Appia, one of the great roads of the Roman world, and visit the small Church of Domine Quo Vadis.
According to one of Rome’s most beloved early Christian traditions, Peter was fleeing persecution when he encountered Christ here and asked:
Domine, quo vadis? — Lord, where are you going?
Christ’s response led Peter to turn back toward Rome and ultimately accept martyrdom.
We continue into the world of the first Roman Christians with a visit to one of the ancient Catacombs, discovering the burial practices, symbols, prayer and faith of the persecuted Christian community.
Particular attention may be given to the complex of St. Sebastian Outside the Walls, whose history preserves an important ancient association with the veneration of both Peter and Paul.
This day allows us to encounter not simply two individual Apostles, but the Church of Rome that formed around their witness.
Full board. Overnight in Rome.
DAY 4 — St. Paul | Apostle to the Gentiles
Paul reached Rome as a prisoner after years of missionary journeys across the Mediterranean. Acts of the Apostles concludes with Paul living in Rome and proclaiming the Gospel while awaiting judgment.
Ancient Christian tradition tells us that during the persecution of Nero he was condemned to death.
Because Paul was a Roman citizen, tradition holds that he was executed by beheading rather than crucifixion.
We visit the Abbey of Tre Fontane, traditionally identified with the place of Paul’s martyrdom. According to tradition, three springs appeared where the Apostle’s head struck the ground.
From the place of his martyrdom we continue toward his burial place along the Via Ostiense.
Here stands the magnificent Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of Rome’s four Major Papal Basilicas.
Beneath the papal altar pilgrims encounter the ancient sarcophagus traditionally identified as the Tomb of St. Paul.
We will have time for prayer before the Apostle who proclaimed:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
The basilica, its magnificent mosaics and its long series of papal portraits also provide an opportunity to reflect upon the continuity of the Church that grew from the witness of the Apostles.
Full board. Overnight in Rome.
DAY 5 — The Apostles & the Church of Rome
When the papal schedule permits, we begin by participating in the General Audience with the Holy Father, experiencing the living continuity between Apostolic Rome and the Catholic Church today.
We then visit the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles — Santi XII Apostoli.
The basilica has a special place within our pilgrimage because its crypt preserves relics traditionally venerated as those of St. Philip the Apostle and St. James the Less.
Here four Apostles come together within the geography of Rome:
Peter • Paul • Philip • James
We continue to St. John Lateran, Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome and the oldest and highest-ranking of Rome’s four Major Basilicas.
Our visit can include the Baptistery, together with the nearby Scala Santa and Sancta Sanctorum, connecting our apostolic pilgrimage with the development of Christian Rome after the age of persecution.
Finally, we visit the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the great Marian shrines of Christianity and a reminder that the story of the Apostles is inseparable from Mary and the earliest Church gathered around Christ.
Our final evening can conclude in Trastevere, one of Rome’s most atmospheric historic districts, for a farewell dinner.
Full board. Overnight in Rome.
DAY 6 — Rome • Return Home
Breakfast at the hotel.
Depending on departure time, opportunity for some final personal time in Rome.
At the appointed hour, transfer to Rome Airport for our return flight.
We leave the Eternal City having encountered Rome not simply as the center of Catholicism, but as the city sanctified by the witness of Peter and Paul — the two great pillars of the Roman Church — and by the generations of Christians who preserved their memory and carried forward their proclamation of Christ.
End of our services.
Optional: Excursion / Extension — Assisi (St. Francis & St. Clare)
Full-day excursion from Rome to Assisi, visiting St. Mary of the Angels and the Porziuncola, the Basilica and Tomb of St. Francis, the historic center, Cathedral of San Rufino, and Basilica of St. Clare.
Return to Rome in the evening.
Alternatively, for groups wishing for a more contemplative experience, the pilgrimage may be extended with one night in Assisi, allowing additional time for prayer and the possibility of visiting sites such as the Hermitage of the Carceri or San Damiano.
Related products
The Apostles
Sacred Relics
Central & East Europe
Sacred Relics