San Pellegrino in Vaticano, Romanesque church in Vatican City.

San Pellegrino in Vaticano is a small church on Via dei Pellegrini whose oldest parts date from the 15th century. Its neoclassical facade, commissioned by the Pontifical Swiss Guard in 1671, has paired Doric columns, a triangular pediment and a round niche with a figure of Saint Peregrine above the entrance. Inside are the tombs of past captains of the Swiss Guard.

Pope Leo III established this church around 800, initially naming it after a nearby artificial water feature. The structure was maintained through the centuries and underwent various uses until reaching its present role.

The name refers to Saint Peregrine of Auxerre, a Roman priest martyred in Gaul under Sixtus II; a tradition holds that Charlemagne gave the church his relics at his coronation in 800. Another explanation links it to the Latin peregrini, pilgrims, since a hospital for French pilgrims and a cemetery stood beside it. The Swiss Guards' commanders are buried here, among them Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen, who obtained the church for the corps in 1653.

The oratory stands on Via dei Pellegrini inside Vatican City, in an area under Vatican control rather than on the open tourist route. Since 1977 it has been the chapel of the Gendarmerie and the Vatican fire brigade, so access follows the corps' arrangements. Ask the chaplaincy of the corps in advance before planning a visit.

In 1653 Johann Rudolf Pfyffer von Altishofen, commander of the Swiss Guard, obtained from Pope Innocent X the right to use the church and its adjoining cemetery, and he is buried inside. Members of the guard were buried in the crypt for centuries, and the Swiss cemetery lies behind the church.