Where and when did Saint Peter die?

Answer 1

According to tradition, Saint Peter, the apostle of Jesus Christ, was crucified during the Nero persecutions of Christians between AD 64 and AD 68. As most Neronian persecutions took place in the the gardens of Nero, located near what is today, the Vatican, it is highly probable that he died there.
Peter is said to have been crucified upside down in Rome about the year 64-65 AD.

Answer 2

Catholics believe Peter died sometime during the reign of Roman Emperor , between 64 and 67 AD.

Peter is considered the first pope even though the term 'pope' did not come into common usage until much later. Whether Peter was in Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome or elsewhere, he is still considered the first pope. Later, as the Church grew and a hierarchy developed. the Church established its headquarters in Rome as Rome was considered the center of the world at the time. It had good roads reaching out to the vast empire as well as ships that plied the Mediterranean. Missionaries could reach anywhere in the known world from Rome. As the pope was the highest ranking Church authority in Rome, he was automatically consider the Bishop of Rome. From 1309 until 1377 popes reigned from Avignon in France. No matter, the pope was still the pope. Once the situation was resolved, the papacy returned to Rome and the pope again resumed his position as the Bishop of Rome along with his title of Pope. Even today, should Pope Francis make the unlikely decision to move the Church headquarters to, say, Buenos Aires, Argentina, he would still be Pope and the assigned Bishop of Rome would simply be the Bishop of Rome. The Pope would be the Bishop of Buenos Aires as well as pope of the Universal Church.

Today most theologians are reasonably certain that the Acts of the Apostles was written before the mid 60s of the first century as there is no mention of the deaths of Peter or Paul or, most importantly, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

There are no surviving documents from the reign of Pope Anicetus. All that is known is that he and Saint Polycarp had a disagreement over the date on which Easter should be observed. There was no mention about Peter or his martyrdom.

The Church has ample evidence that Peter did rule from Rome at some time. But even if he had never stepped foot in the city, he was still the Pope. Being Bishop of Rome is not a prerequisite for the papacy. By default, if the pope is headquartered in Rome, he is also the bishop of Rome.


Christian legends aside, we know nothing about how, where or when Peter died. Acts of the Apostlesmentions the imprisonment and miraculous release of Peter, but does not say anything about his subsequent death, even though the book was written around the end of the century, long after Peter would have died.

The mid-second century pope Anicetus (156-166) was locked in a conflict with Polycarp of Smyrna on a matter of theology. Polycarp had tried to win the argument by insisting that he spoke with the authority of the apostle John. In response, Anicetus said that Peter was beheaded by Nero in Rome and said that he spoke with the authority of Peter. Thus Anicetus was placing the date of Peter's death between 54 and 68 CE, the reign of Nero. However, there is no reason to believe that Peter ever visited Rome.

Today, most scholars are reasonably certain Acts of the Apostles was written around the end of the first century, yet it makes no mention of the death of Peter, suggesting that the anonymous author of Acts simply did not know how or when he died. The author of the epistle known as First Clement, undoubtedly a senior clergyman in Rome, mentions the life and trials of Peter but also appears to have been unaware that he visited Rome, or when he died.

Answer 3

Peter originally lived in Bethsaida in Galilee and then in Jesusalem. He then went to Rome where he lived the rest of his life except for a few years when all Jews were expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius. During this period Peter ruled from Antioch. When Nero lifted the anti-Jew law, Peter returned to Rome.

For more information on this topis, please read Taylor Marshall's book:

The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholic Christianity

Answer 4

Christian legends aside, we know nothing about how, where or when Peter died. Acts of the Apostlesmentions the imprisonment and miraculous release of Peter, but does not say anything about his subsequent death, even though the book was written around the end of the century, long after Peter would have died.

The mid-second century pope Anicetus (156-166) was locked in a conflict with Polycarp of Smyrna on a matter of theology. Polycarp had tried to win the argument by insisting that he spoke with the authority of the apostle John. In response, Anicetus said that Peter was beheaded by Nero in Rome and said that he spoke with the authority of Peter. Thus Anicetus was placing the date of Peter's death between 54 and 68 CE, the reign of Nero. However, there is no reason to believe that Peter ever visited Rome.

Today, most scholars are reasonably certain Acts of the Apostles was written around the end of the first century, yet it makes no mention of the death of Peter, suggesting that the anonymous author of Acts simply did not know how or when he died. The author of the epistle known as First Clement, undoubtedly a senior clergyman in Rome, mentions the life and trials of Peter but also appears to have been unaware that he visited Rome, or when he died.

Answer 5

Jesus' prophecy regarding Peter indeed indicated that the apostle would die a martyr's death; but the manner and year of his death is not quoted. (John 21:18, 19)

Answer 6

2000 years of Catholic tradition say that Peter died about the year 64-67 AD by being crucified upside down in what is known today as Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican.

Answer 7

Peter lived from about 1 AD until about 65 AD.

Answer 8

Born about the year 1 A.D. Died about the year 64 A.D.

Answer 9

th first pope, Peter died in circa 64 AD.

Answer 10

Peter died sometime between 64 and 67 AD.