What was the Vatican before it was a church?

The ancient Etruscan culture had a strong influence in early Roman religious traditions and the area that would become the Vatican, on the western bank of the Tiber River seems to have had some early links to them.

It was located outside the early walls of ancient Rome and may have derived its name from the Latin word vaticinia, meaning "prophecies," though some scholars propose an Etruscan origin linked to the word "Vatica" or the deity Vagitanus. 

While direct archaeological evidence of Etruscan activity on the Vatican Hill remains limited, the broader region shows their cultural presence.

On the flat lands near the river, farmers cultivated cereals, fruits, and vegetables to supply the surrounding settlements. 

In the surrounding hills, Etruscan families carved tombs into the rock and created cemeteries that followed their ritual customs.

Although major temples have not been discovered near the Vatican Hill, some historians believe that smaller sacred sites or ritual spaces may have existed.

Among Etruscan religious practices, the reading of omens and open-air sacrifices featured heavily, especially in places that held special importance due to their elevation or closeness to flowing water. 

Roman authorities absorbed the region west of the Tiber in the 6th century BC and left it outside the pomerium, the sacred legal boundary of the city.

Under Roman law, areas beyond the pomerium could host activities forbidden within the city, including cremation, foreign cults, and large-scale butchering.

As a result, the Vatican area became a site of burial and recreation instead of civic or religious ceremony. 

Along the Via Cornelia and Via Triumphalis, Roman families erected tombs ranging from simple stone markers to detailed mausoleums.

During the early imperial period, the district gained popularity among the wealthy, who constructed suburban villas and gardens for retreat from urban life.

On one such estate, Agrippina the Elder established a residence that her son, Caligula, and later expanded it with a circus that was designed for private chariot racing and other entertainments.

Nero subsequently completed or significantly modified the structure, which later became known as the Circus of Nero.

At the centre of this circus stood a granite obelisk imported from Egypt, which Pope Sixtus V relocated to its current position in St. Peter’s Square in 1586. 

In addition, archaeological excavations have revealed various funerary inscriptions, mosaic floors, and decorative sculptures beneath modern Vatican structures.

These finds confirm that the region had become an important burial area and leisure area by the first century AD. 

Nero’s rule added a more violent link to the Vatican Hill. In AD 64, a fire swept through Rome and left much of the city in ruins.

To shift public anger, Nero accused the Christian community and staged mass executions on his family’s property.

Inside the Circus of Nero, which had been constructed adjacent to the imperial gardens, many Christians died in horrible displays that entertained Roman audiences and intimidated other members of the church. 

According to early Christian accounts, Peter suffered martyrdom during this persecution when Roman authorities sentenced him to crucifixion before allowing his followers to bury him in the nearby cemetery.

While Roman sources from that time do not confirm the event, Christian tradition maintained that Peter died under Nero’s rule.

On a slope behind the circus, his grave received quiet attention from members of the early Christian movement.

In time, word of its location spread among believers, who began to treat the site as one of deep respect. 

For this reason, the memory of Peter’s death was attached to the Vatican Hill long after the executions ended.

During the early fourth century, Constantine embraced Christianity and gave it official recognition by the emperor.

After issuing the Edict of Milan in February AD 313, he started building projects to support the growing Church.

Among the locations chosen for major building projects, the Vatican Hill grew in importance due to its association with Peter’s tomb. 

On the slopes above the burial ground, workers flattened the earth and filled parts of the cemetery to create a platform for the original St. Peter’s Basilica in AD 313, with work continuing into the mid-320s.

The church featured a nave, side aisles, and an apse that stood directly above the apostle’s grave.

Unfortunately, construction required the removal and burial of several Roman tombs, some of which remained sealed beneath the new church for centuries.

For many early Christians, the structure gave public honour to a martyr whose death had once passed without notice from the Roman elite. 

Meanwhile, as more pilgrims came and church power increased, popes began to invest more in developing the site.

Defensive walls, chapels, treasuries, and the pope’s homes changed the area into a key centre of church power.

However, the Lateran Palace remained the official papal residence until the 14th century.

It was only after the papacy returned from Avignon in 1377 that it gradually established itself permanently at the Vatican. 

Then, during the Renaissance, architects replaced Constantine’s basilica with a larger church, and the modern Vatican began to take shape.

Major figures such as Bramante, Michelangelo, and Bernini contributed to the design of the new St. Peter’s Basilica and its square. 

Nevertheless, the memory of Peter’s simple grave remained central to the Vatican’s religious identity.

In the twentieth century, excavations beneath the basilica uncovered the ancient necropolis and what many believe to be the tomb of St. Peter, which the faithful believed proved the deep historical roots of Christian respect for the site.