Necropolis (Scavi) Tomb
Tomb of the Marci
 

Welcome
Floorplan
Square & Area
Documents
Images

Tourist Info

Grottoes
Vatican City

Colonnade Saints
Floorplan #2
Altars
Monuments

Scavi - Main
Scavi Map

Books on the Scavi
Tips and FAQ's

Related Items
Tomb of St Peter by M. Guarducci

The Bones of St Peter by John E Walsh

Related Links
Scavi Office



Fragment of a wall mosaic


West Wall

Tomb of the Marci

The title of the tomb denotes the name of the owners of the one large sarcophagus found there; according to the inscription, it was placed in the Vatican Necropolis by the owners while they were still alive: "Q. Marcius Hermes Sibi et Marciae Thrasonidi dignissimae coniugi vivis posuit" (Marcius Hermes himself and Marcia Thrasonidi, his most devoted wife, still living, put this here") is engraved on the front of the cover, where a bas-relief depicts two dead persons surrounded by funerary genii.

From: 'Guide to the Vatican Necropolis' by Michele Basso, Fabbrica di S. Pietro

The sarcophagus, sculptured with excellent grace, is one of the best discovered in the Vatican necropolis. It depicts in full relief from left to right: a maenad, Dionysius with a young satyr and a faun at his feet; a satyr with the god Bacchus as a child.

On the walls there are several subjects from Greek mythology; on the west wall, to the left of the entrance, a painting of a peacock is still visible. On the south wall are two niches for cineraria. On the outside wall, to the left of the entrance, are the remains of a small Roman mosaic.


Sources
Michele Basso. Guide to the Vatican Necropolis, Fabbrica di S. Pietro in Vaticano, 1986

Margherita Guarducci, The Tomb of St Peter, Hawthorn Books, 1960
John Evangelist Walsh, The Bones of St Peter, New York, 1982
Toynbee and Perkins. The Shrine of St Peter and the Vatican Excavations, London 1956
P. Zander. The Vatican Necropolis, in "Roma Sacra", 25, Roma 2003

 

 

The contents of this site are for personal-educational use only. Neither text nor images may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the respective copyright holders.
This independent website is not endorsed by or associated with the Vatican, the Fabbrica of St. Peter's, or any business organization

Contact: stpetersbasilica@gmail.com