Thought this was interesting to see this morning – the remains of St. Paul may have been found underneath the Vatican. In Rome they had a tendency of building churches upon churches (San Clemente is a good example) and this is the case with St. Peter's Basilica:
Two ancient churches that once stood at the site of the current basilica were successively built over the spot where tradition said the saint had been buried. The second church, built by the Roman emperor Theodosius in the fourth century, left the tomb visible, first above ground and later in a crypt.
They didn't mention why they thought it was the Apostle Paul's remains. I was curious as to there evidence. I am sceptical though as they did this with James A while back and it was proven to be false.
The way I understand it there may be traditions as to locations of tombs. These traditions are probably based on knowledge held at one point which was passed on in some inefficient manner (e.g. oral tradition). After so long the stories remain but the basis for them remains unverified. Verification can come when modern-day archaeologists excavate where tradition suggests something may be.
yes, they did it with St. Peter not too long ago… can anyone recommend sources about the original St. Peters Basilica, from prior to Julius II's destruction?