Where is St. Monica's tomb in Rome?

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

St. Monica's tomb is in the Basilica of Sant'Agostino in central Rome, a short walk from Piazza Navona. She died in 387 at Ostia, the port of ancient Rome, while waiting with her son Augustine for a ship home to Africa, and her relics were brought from Ostia to this Augustinian church in the fifteenth century. Mothers come here to pray for children who have left the faith, as Monica prayed for Augustine for years before his conversion. Her feast is August 27, the day before his.

Benedict XVI said that Monica is considered the model and patroness of Christian mothers and recalled the bishop's words to her: the son of so many tears could not perish. She asked Augustine not to trouble about where she was buried, only to remember her at the altar of the Lord, which is a good guide to how to pray here.

The same basilica holds the statue known as the Madonna del Parto, Our Lady of Childbirth, where expectant mothers pray. Sant'Agostino is a working church; check its opening hours locally before you go. Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where St. Catherine of Siena is buried, is also in the historic centre, so the two visits can be made on the same day.

Where is St. Monica's tomb in Rome?

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