Rome · YOUR QUESTION, ANSWERED

Where is St. Jude buried, and can you visit his tomb?

By Andrew McGilly, Founder of Bold Pilgrim · Updated 2026-10-08

The relics venerated as those of the Apostle St. Jude Thaddeus rest in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, beneath the altar of St. Joseph in the left transept, in a tomb shared with St. Simon. You can visit: the basilica is free and open every day, though parts of it are sometimes reserved for services, so ask the staff on arrival. A relic of his arm is kept at the church of San Salvatore in Lauro, also in Rome. His feast, with St. Simon, is October 28.

Very little is recorded about St. Jude: Benedict XVI observed that the Gospels give him one question at the Last Supper, and the Letter of Jude bears his name. The Roman relics are venerated by ancient tradition; no modern scientific identification is claimed for them.

At St. Peter's the altar of St. Joseph stands in the left transept. The basilica says access can be limited during major celebrations, and which areas are open varies from day to day, so if praying there is the purpose of your visit, go early and ask the basilica staff when you arrive.

The arm reliquary from San Salvatore in Lauro left Italy for a tour of the United States from September 2023 to May 2024. The tour's organizers wrote that when the saints help us, "it is Christ who does so through their intercession." St. Jude is invoked in desperate cases by long custom, not by any decree of the Church.

This question may be part of your discernment

Saints of the Impossible PilgrimageA pilgrimage for the intention that looks hopeless: you carry it to the shrines of St. Rita of Cascia and St. Jude, ask them to pray with you, and place it in the hands of Christ, to whom all things are possible.

All pilgrimages by spiritual purpose

Sources & further readingSt. Peter's Basilica: visitor questions EWTN Vatican: Apostles for the Holy Year, St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Simon the Zealot (25 October 2024)Vatican News: Sts. Simon and Jude (Thaddeus), Apostles Treasures of the Church: relic tour of St. Jude the Apostle, frequently asked questions National Shrine of St. Jude (Claretian Missionaries): History of the Shrine Dominican University, Sacred Spaces: National Shrine of St. Jude at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Benedict XVI: General Audience on Simon the Cananaean and Jude Thaddaeus (11 October 2006)

Official sources cover institutional information. Suggested pacing and itinerary choices are planning guidance. Check current arrangements for your travel dates.

Where is St. Jude buried, and can you visit his tomb?

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This question may be part of your discernment