Rome, Italy, Feb 17, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Archeologists have announced that a sarcophagus possibly containing the remains of St. Paul was found directly behind a marble plaque with the inscription, “Apostle Paul, martyr,” below the main altar at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
Giorgio Filippi, an archeologist who works for the Vatican Museums and who led the excavation team, told the Italian daily “Avvenire,” “We have discovered a sarcophagus or container of relics. We know that in 390, that is, when the emperors Theodosius, Valentino II and Arcadius expanded the Basilica, the remains were known to be those of St. Paul.”
The sarcophagus has a small whole through which a camera could be inserted, but for the moment Filippi considers the discovery to be “sufficient.”
The discovery was made by a team of experts from the Vatican Museums in response to a request from the administrator of St. Paul's basilica, Archbishop Francesco Gioia.