Why pilgrims come
A sacred place worth the journey.
The fortress where St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were imprisoned before their 1535 executions on Tower Hill; both saints’ bodies were buried in the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula.
The pilgrim’s guide
What makes this visit meaningful
Read the Tower as a Catholic martyrdom landscape rather than only a royal fortress. Recall More’s long imprisonment, Fisher’s final witness, the scaffold site on Tower Hill outside the walls, and the quiet burial of both saints in St. Peter ad Vincula. Pair the historic visit with prayer or Mass at the nearby Roman Catholic Church of the English Martyrs.
Tower Hill scaffold site
Pray at the place outside the fortress where St. John Fisher was beheaded on June 22 and St. Thomas More on July 6, 1535.
The Bell Tower and imprisonment
Remember More’s roughly fifteen months of confinement and the costly fidelity shared by More and Fisher.
Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula
The chapel is the documented burial place of both saints, although the exact positions of their remains are uncertain.
Traces of Catholic England
The chapel’s piscina and hagioscope preserve physical traces of its pre-Reformation Catholic worship.
Feasts & celebrations
Continue nearby