once again my ignorance,
Is Saint Pete’s Cathederal built where the man died?
St. Peter’s Basilica
His tomb (confirmed by studies of the bodies found there) is directly beneath the high altar. Whether that was the original place of burial after his crucifixion or his remains were moved there before the first church was built (the current St. Peter’s Cathedral was built during the Renaissance over the site of a much smaller church), I’m not sure.
St. Peter’s is built over the place where his bones were found. This site was outside of the walls and was at the edge of a Roman necropolis. The site was venerated by Christians although it was kept hidden and was initially marked only by a rock (Peter, or rock).
A church was built there in the 3rd century after the persecutions ceased and the spot has been accepted ever since as the burial site of St Peter, and different tombs and churches have been built over it through the centuries. The bones themselves seem to have been lost and found several times, and a big project was carried out in the 1940s to find and identify them. It was very secretive partly out of fear that Hitler would try to get hold of the bones.
The current St Peter’s was built in the 1500 and 1600’s. The tomb that is under the main altar now houses the bones of St. Peter, as identified in the 1950’s.
It’s worth a trip. If you ever go there, make sure you visit the Scavi (excavations) of the Roman necropolis that is right next and under St. Peter’s.