I can’t think of a single monastery where that happened. As for the Vatican, I’ve not heard of any such archaeological finds. It was built on a pagan burial ground, might that be what you are thinking of?
I’ve had the distinct pleasure to know monks and nuns. They are by and large great people and very devoted to the Lord. Not saying stuff like that never ever happened—the devil works on people in monasteries just like he works on all of us. But “dang near any” monastery no way.
Actually, underneath the Vatican there was discovered in the 1960s a veritable necropolis (city of the dead), but its meaning is almost the opposite of Bulwyf’s insinuation.
See, contrary to the deceitful testimony of Martin Luther, the Vatican City isn’t in what was traditionally Rome Proper. (When Rome was expanded into Greater Rome, it finally engulfed the Vatican City.) The Vatican was built in exile, on the far side of the Tiber from Babylon (which makes the notion of crossing the Tiber very funny). Catholic legend had always said that when Peter was crucified, as a sign of disrespect, his bones were dumped outside the city limits. From that day on, the Bishops of Rome have lived in exile from Rome, and their home was built on the very boneyard of St. Peter. And then another was built on top of that. And then another was built on top of that, until the boneyard of St. Peter faded into mere legend.
But in the 1960s, while digging beneath St. Peter’s, archaeologists went through an opening they had discovered, and found the boneyard: an elaborate maze created to separate the various bodies. Directly under St. Peter’s, they found a tomb labelled, “Here lies Peter.”
I know lots of good nuns and priests too, I was referring to history when there was a great deal of effort to keep the appearances up. It was pretty widespread. My Norwegian grandmother spoke of it, and other people that would never consider spreading false testimony. It was known in the early 1930s. My wife’s dad, he’s anti christian because he knows of this stuff, and assumes we’re all the same.
I just assumed everyone knew of this. I’ll have to find some links or something for folks then.