The Best Vatican Relics to Visit

The Vatican is home to some of the greatest artistic treasures and relics on the planet

The Vatican houses some of the most important relics and artifacts in Christian history, each offering a fascinating glimpse into centuries of religious and cultural heritage. These are the relics and attractions you can visit, either with a group tour or a private tour.

Many treasures in the Vatican archives aren’t open to the public, including Henry VIII’s love letters to Anne Boleyn. The Vatican has two millennia worth of history in its archive, so there’s a lot to explore.

As you walk through the Vatican Museums, you’ll encounter masterpieces by Michelangelo, Raphael, and Caravaggio, culminating in the Sistine Chapel, where the ceiling’s intricate frescoes will leave you gagged.

St. Peter’s Basilica – The Tomb of St. Peter

The Vatican’s crowning jewel, St. Peter’s Basilica, is built over the tomb of St. Peter, one of Christ’s apostles and the first pope. Beneath the basilica, the Scavi Tour takes you to the necropolis where St. Peter’s tomb lies, a deeply spiritual and historic experience.

The Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta)

According to Christian tradition, the Scala Sancta comprises the steps Jesus climbed before appearing before Pontius Pilate, later brought from Jerusalem to Rome by St. Helena. Pilgrims ascend the stairs on their knees in reverence. Located beside St. John Lateran, outside Vatican City, they make a compelling addition to a journey through Rome’s sacred sites.

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The Spear of Longinus

The spear said to have pierced Christ’s side during the crucifixion is housed in St. Peter’s Basilica. Known as the Holy Lance, it is displayed as part of the basilica’s treasured relics, though its authenticity remains a matter of debate.

The Vatican Necropolis

This underground network beneath St. Peter’s Basilica contains ancient tombs and relics, including mosaics and artifacts dating back to early Christianity. Accessible only through special tours, the necropolis offers a rare and intimate look into the origins of the Vatican.

The Sistine Chapel – Michelangelo’s Frescoes

While technically not a relic, the Sistine Chapel holds some of the Vatican’s most brilliant religious art, including Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment and The Creation of Adam. VIP tours can provide private access to the chapel, allowing you to take in its beauty without the crowds. If you’d like a private tour we can arrange one for you.

Relics in the Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums house countless relics, including:

• The True Cross: Fragments believed to be from the cross on which Christ was crucified. Relics of the True Cross spread so widely in the Medieval era, there’s no way they could have been authentic: there were just too many of them. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to see something that purports to be a Relic of the True Cross.
• The Papal Tiara: Elaborate crowns worn by past popes, symbolizing their authority.
• The Apostolic Library Treasures: Manuscripts and texts with connections to early Christianity.

The Chair of St. Peter (Cathedra Petri)

Housed in St. Peter’s Basilica, this ancient wooden chair is believed to have been used by St. Peter himself. It is encased in Bernini’s golden sculpture in the basilica’s apse and represents the papal authority handed down through generations.

The Vatican Gardens

Although not a traditional relic, the Vatican Gardens are filled with chapels, fountains, and sculptures that reflect centuries of religious devotion. We can arrange a private tour so you can explore some of the most beautiful gardens in Italy without the crowds.

The Apostles’ Relics in the Basilica of St. John Lateran

St. John Lateran is Rome’s cathedral and the seat of the pope as Bishop of Rome. Above the papal altar, ornate reliquaries hold remains traditionally venerated as those of the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul. Located across the city from the Vatican, the basilica is one of Rome’s most important pilgrimage sites.

LGBTQ+ History and the Sistine Chapel

For LGBTQ+ travelers, Michelangelo’s life adds another dimension to the experience. His passionate attachment to the Roman nobleman Tommaso de’ Cavalieri survives in poetry, correspondence and drawings created for him.

They met in 1532, twenty years after Michelangelo finished the Sistine ceiling. Cavalieri therefore belongs to the story of the artist’s later life, rather than the ceiling’s original inspiration. Their relationship nevertheless provides substantial evidence of Michelangelo’s love for a man.

Standing beneath the frescoes, you can appreciate their religious subjects while also noticing the extraordinary attention given to male beauty. The twisting bodies, muscular limbs and carefully observed gestures reward a closer look.

How Michelangelo’s desires shaped particular figures remains a matter of interpretation. His letters and poems offer firmer biographical ground, and a compelling reason to see the artist as a person as well as a Renaissance genius.

VIP Access to Hidden Relics

For a truly exclusive experience, VIP tours provide access to hidden Vatican rooms, private Sistine Chapel viewings, and areas like the Niccoline Chapel and Borgia Apartments, which are typically off-limits to the public. Along with our partners in Rome, we can arrange tours of the Vatican, including the places most tourists don’t see.