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Tomb of St. John Paul II (St. Peter's Basilica)

Saints & Tombs Not Applicable
Vatican City, Vatican City 2011 Feast day: October 22

The tomb of Pope St. John Paul II within St. Peter's Basilica.

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The Story

In the Chapel of St. Sebastian in St. Peter's Basilica, beneath a simple marble slab inscribed 'Sanctus Ioannes Paulus PP. II,' rests one of the most beloved popes of modern times — Karol Wojtyla of Poland, whose twenty-six-year pontificate reshaped the Church and the world of the twentieth century. Born in Wadowice in 1920, Wojtyla lost his family early, labored in a quarry and a chemical plant under Nazi occupation, and studied for the priesthood in a clandestine seminary. As archbishop of Krakow he contended with the communist regime; in 1978 he was elected pope, the first non-Italian in 455 years. His 104 apostolic journeys carried the Gospel to every continent, his witness helped inspire the peaceful collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, and his teaching — from the Theology of the Body to fourteen encyclicals — continues to shape Catholic life. He established World Youth Day, canonized more saints than any predecessor, and instituted Divine Mercy Sunday. He survived an assassination attempt on May 13, 1981 — the feast of Our Lady of Fatima — and attributed his survival to her intercession, later placing the bullet in the crown of her statue at Fatima. His long public suffering from Parkinson's disease became a final catechesis on the dignity of human life. He died on April 2, 2005, on the vigil of the Divine Mercy Sunday he had instituted, as crowds in St. Peter's Square chanted 'Santo subito' — 'a saint at once.' First buried in the Vatican grottoes, his remains were moved to the Chapel of St. Sebastian in the basilica's nave at his beatification on May 1, 2011. Pope Francis canonized him, together with St. John XXIII, on April 27, 2014, after the Church's recognition of two healings attributed to his intercession. His tomb is now among the most visited places in St. Peter's, where a continuous stream of pilgrims — many of them the young people he so loved — pause to pray with the pope who never tired of repeating Christ's words: 'Be not afraid.'

Church Recognition

St. John Paul II was beatified by Benedict XVI on May 1, 2011, and canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014, following the Church's formal recognition of two healings attributed to his intercession; his feast is kept on October 22, the anniversary of his papal inauguration.

Catholic Teaching

His tomb draws the faithful into the communion of saints (CCC 946-962), by which those in glory intercede for the pilgrim Church, and recalls his own great themes: the mercy of God, the dignity of every human person (CCC 1700-1706), and the universal call to holiness.

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Additional Information

His tomb is in the Chapel of St. Sebastian in St. Peter's, a focus for pilgrims.

Go Deeper

Visit the basilica's official website at https://www.basilicasanpietro.va, read his encyclicals Redemptor Hominis and Ecclesia de Eucharistia, and see George Weigel's biography Witness to Hope for the fullest account of his life.

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Location

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In the Area

Other sacred sites within 40 miles.