Archaeologists Report Finding St. Philip's Tomb

St. Philip the Apostle by El Greco

ROME, JULY 29, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Archaeologists are asserting that they have uncovered the tomb of the Apostle Philip.

The
discovery took place in Pamukkale, former Hierapolis, in Western
Anatolia, Turkey, the city where Philip died, after having preached in
Greece and in Asia Minor.

The discovery was made by an Italian archaeological mission that
began in 1957, and today is made up of an international team, directed
since the year 2000 by Francesco D'Andria, professor of the University
of Salento.

In reporting the announcement, L'Osservatore Romano pointed out that
an important step in the search for St. Philip's tomb was achieved in
2008, when the team identified the processional street that pilgrims
followed to reach the apostle's sepulcher. 

"Next to the Martyrion (octagonal building of worship, built on the
spot where St. Philip was martyred), we have found a fifth-century
basilica with three naves," explained the mission's director. "This
church was built around a first-century Roman tomb, which evidently
enjoyed the highest consideration, if the decision was made later to
build a basilica around it."

Due to these and other elements, "we have come to the certainty of
having found the tomb of the Apostle Philip, which was the aim of the
pilgrimages to that place," said D'Andria.

In the fourth century, Eusebius of Caesarea wrote that two stars
shine in Asia: John, buried in Ephesus, and Philip, "who rests in
Hierapolis."

The question linked to the apostle's death has sparked controversy.
According to an ancient tradition, he was not martyred, but the
apocryphal gospels state that he suffered martyrdom under the Romans.