Last changes: October 13, 2018
It is generally accepted that the catacombs of Rome are a network of underground corridors and tunnels formed as a result of the work of old quarries or abandoned bomb shelters. However, this is not quite true. In fact, the concept of a catacomb appeared hundreds of years ago: in ancient times, underground galleries were called that, which were used to bury the dead, there were also small chapels where religious rites were performed.
The first Roman catacombs were discovered in the 16th century. To date, there are at least sixty of them, with a total length of more than one and a half hundred kilometers, where there are about 750,000 ancient burials.
The catacombs of Rome are a network of underground corridors made in tuff, at a depth of several tens of meters from the surface of the earth, sometimes located at several levels. On both sides of the main passages are the so-called cubes, small rooms containing several graves at once. Most often, such crypts were family crypts and, basically, only wealthy citizens could afford them. Ordinary townspeople and slaves were buried directly in the aisles, in narrow rectangular niches located on the sides in several rows.
The emergence of the Roman catacombs
Underground burials in ancient Rome arose during paganism. The first burial galleries appeared on the territories of private land holdings as early as the 1st century BC. Wealthy families could afford to build a separate tomb intended for the burial of not only family members, but also their servants. Naturally, the crypts of the latter were located in a separate chamber, but they were still connected to the main narrow passage.
One of the largest such cubes has more than seventy graves arranged in several rows.
With the advent of Christianity, the custom of burying the dead in the catacombs did not lose its significance, but vice versa. It was the underground galleries that became practically the only burial place for the first great martyrs and victims of persecution under pagan emperors in the 2nd-4th centuries AD.
Under Constantine the Great, when persecution for religious reasons was stopped and the first Christian temples, in the catacombs, the tradition of performing the rite of the liturgy and worshiping the relics of saints spread.
In addition to cubicles, the so-called hypogeums, the purpose of which is still unknown, as well as small rooms for funeral meals and wide halls for holding all kinds of meetings, were found in the Roman catacombs.
Decline and desolation of the catacombs
Starting from the 5th century, almost all the catacombs of Rome were closed for burials. Underground galleries became a place of mass pilgrimage, there were apostolic tombs, graves of great martyrs and preachers. Many pilgrims left notes and drawings on the walls of the catacombs. Some of these inscriptions tell about the impressions of visiting the catacombs and, thus, are the most valuable source of information for historians and archaeologists.
In the middle of the VI century, the first opening of the tombs was carried out in the Roman catacombs. The relics of the saints, seized from the tombs, were transferred to city churches and basilicas.
In the 9th century, by order of Pope Paschal I, the relics of two thousand three hundred saints, martyrs, bishops and thirteen popes of Rome were removed from the catacombs and transferred to the Basilica of Santa Prassede. This is evidenced by a memorial marble plaque, installed at the same time in the crypt of the basilica.
In connection with such reburials, pilgrims soon lost interest in the Roman catacombs. Over the next six centuries, the ancient Christian necropolis was forgotten, many underground galleries were devastated, and some were destroyed over time.
Research and excavations in the catacombs
Interest in the catacombs arose at the beginning of the 16th century. Then the librarian of the Roman Church, who had the opportunity to examine the early Christian manuscripts, began to study the ancient burials.
In 1578, as a result construction works on Via Salaria, marble slabs with ancient inscriptions and images from the caemeterium Jordanorum ad S. Alexandrorum were found, although it was originally assumed that these were the catacombs of St. Priscilla. Subsequent excavations led to the collapse of the premises of the necropolis and the work was decided to be suspended.
Later, Antonio Bosio took up the study of ancient burials, who opened more than thirty underground burial galleries and wrote a three-volume work on the results of his work. It was he who first descended into the catacombs of Saint Priscilla.
Large-scale work on the study and excavation of Roman necropolises has been carried out since the beginning of the 19th century. Then interest was riveted not only to the history of the formation of the catacombs and burials, but also to the discovered frescoes.
Roman catacombs today
To date, in Rome, or rather in its bowels, there are more than sixty catacombs, but only a few of them are open to the public, while the rest are closed for further research and reconstruction work.
One of the largest early Christian burials, forming a network of galleries located on four levels. There are more than 170,000 burials of the II-IV centuries. Of particular interest are the well-preserved frescoes, the papal cubicle, the crypt of St. Cecilia, and the cave of the Holy Mysteries.
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Catacombs of Priscilla
The most ancient catacombs of Rome, located at a depth of 35 meters and forming three levels of burials, of which there are about 40,000. In addition to Christian ones, there are also pagan burials, as well as a whole crypt, decorated with inscriptions in Greek.
Catacombs of Domitilla
The catacombs are formed from several pagan family crypts, presumably belonging to the imperial Flavian dynasty. By the end of the 4th century, underground burials were already the largest necropolis, consisting of four levels, each of which had a height of 5 meters. To date, the Catacombs of Domitilla are the largest underground cemetery in Rome.
The territory on which the catacombs are located belonged to a certain Flavia Domitilla in ancient times, as evidenced by the discovered epigraphs and ancient documents. There were two women with that name in the 1st century: the first was the wife of the Roman consul of 95, Titus Flavius Clement (great-nephew of Emperor Vespasian), the second was the sister of the emperors Titus and Domitian.
Since ancient times, the catacombs of Domitilla in Rome have been known among pilgrims as a place of worship for saints Achilles and Nereus. Here, according to ancient documentary sources, the remains of St. Petronilla, the daughter (most likely spiritual) of the Apostle Peter, are buried.
Catacombs of Saints Marcellino and Pietro
The Roman catacombs, dedicated to the martyrs Marcellino and Pietro, for a long time kept the tombs of Christian saints, whose names they bear. The saints were beheaded by order of the emperor Diocletian in 304 and buried in the pits that Marcellino and Pietro dug with their own hands before the execution.
The catacombs of Marcellino and Pietro, together with the basilica of the same name, the mausoleum of Helena and the remains of the cemetery of the imperial equestrian bodyguards Equites singulares, form a single complex, known since ancient times under the name "Ad duas lauros". Burials in these catacombs have been made since the 2nd century. Today, the underground cemetery covers an area of about 18,000 sq.m. and contains huge number graves, the exact number of which is difficult to establish. Scientists suggest that at least 15 thousand people were buried in this cemetery in the 3rd century alone.
Catacombs of Saint Sebastian
There are both pagan and early Christian burials here. Well-preserved frescoes and inscriptions reveal the period of religious conversion. It is assumed that it was here that the apostles Peter and Paul were buried.
Catacombs of Saint Pancras
The catacombs of St. Pancras, also known as the “Catacombs of Ottavila”, are located in the square of the same name in Rome, in the Gianicolense quarter and are dedicated to the Christian saint who suffered for his religious beliefs in 304 AD. According to legend, Pancratius, who arrived in Rome from the Greek city of Phrygia, refusing to bow pagan gods, was beheaded. His body was discovered in the area of Aurelia Street by a Roman matron named Ottavilla, who buried the martyr in a small cemetery located nearby.
In addition to St. Pantkratius, in the catacombs bearing his name, Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia, revered in christian church in the form of martyrs.
catacombs of ponziano
Another Roman catacomb worthy of interest is located along Portuenze Street, in the dungeons of the Monteverde hill. They are named after the person who was the owner of this territory in ancient times. According to researchers, Ponziano, during the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus (222-235), provided asylum to Pope Calixtus I.
The catacombs, which consisted of several levels of underground galleries, also had a ground-based necropolis. To date, most of the catacombs of Poniziano in Rome have not been studied, and only one of their levels, dated from the end of the 3rd to the beginning of the 4th century, is accessible and does not pose a danger.
One of the most interesting premises of the Ponziano catacombs is the so-called "underground baptistery", which is a unique element of the hypogeal (i.e. underground) Roman cemetery.
Catacombs of Commodilla
In the Ostiense quarter, along Sette Chiese (via delle Sette Chiese), there are Commodilla catacombs, discovered in 1595 by archaeologist Antonio Bosio. The Roman underground cemetery, which has three levels of burials, was used for its intended purpose in the 6th century AD. The most interesting from an archaeological point of view is the central level, which is an ancient pozzolana mine, converted for funeral needs. There is also a small underground basilica dedicated to the martyrs Felix and Adavktus, who suffered under Diocletian. The frescoes of Cubicula Leone (Italian cubicolo di Leone) are of high artistic interest. The burial chamber of an influential Roman commander of the second half of the 4th century is decorated with paintings with biblical scenes.
Catacombs of Saint Agnes
Another important Roman catacomb is located in the complex of Sant'Agnese Fuori le Mura, in the modern quarter of Trieste. The catacombs are dedicated to Saint Agnes, the only Christian martyr buried here, of whom documentary evidence has been preserved. Most of the burials date back to the 3rd-4th century.
Already in the 1st century catacombs appear in Rome - underground cemeteries of Christians.
The word "catacombs" comes from the Greek words "kata kyumben" (near a deepening) and came into use in the 3rd-4th centuries; Emperor Maxentius at the beginning of the 4th century. built a circus near the lowering of the area near the Appian Way, on the third mile from Rome, not far from the round mausoleum of Caecilia Metella. "The underground cemetery of Christians arose here in the 3rd century, and the name of the area passed to it (later the name "catacombs" spread to all underground Christian cemeteries).
The most ancient are the catacombs of Priscilla on the Salarian road and Domitilla on the Ardeatian road. They bear the names of noble Roman Christian women of the 1st century BC. According to Christian tradition, Priscilla, the mother of Senator Pudent, received the Apostle Peter, the first head of the Roman Christian community, who was executed in 64 or 67, in her house on the Viminal.
Domitilla is a woman from the imperial family of Flavians (two Flavius Domitillas are known who were involved in Christianity: the wife of Titus Flavius Clement, consul in 95, and the daughter of the sister of this consul, expelled from Rome for adherence to the new faith; the consul himself was killed at the behest of Domitian, probably for the same reason).
For the construction of underground cemeteries, the Christians used old quarries in tuff rock, located at a distance of one to three miles south of Rome; tuff is an extremely convenient stone, since the corridors dug in it do not crumble and do not require special props. Roman catacombs, however, as a rule, are not former quarries, but specially created underground cemeteries in layers of granular tuff: first they cut down stairs, and then - corridors with niches in the walls and small rooms.
Catacombs arose on land owned by wealthy Romans who became adherents of Christianity. Over time, the length of underground corridors increased so much that it reached the borders land plot, and then I had to go deep into the ground and start digging the second tier; in some catacombs there are five tiers, with the upper one being the most ancient, and the lower ones being more recent. The upper tier is usually located at a depth of three to eight meters. One of the deepest places in the Roman catacombs is the lower tier of the Callist catacombs near the Appian Way; It is located at a depth of 25 m.
There are three main types of burial rooms in the catacombs: locules, arcosols and cubicles. Loculi are horizontal niches in the walls where corpses were immured; arcosolia - small vaults in the walls, under which the dead were buried in stone boxes; cubiculi - small rooms with sarcophagi. The poor were buried in locules, richer people - in arcosolia, and the most significant - in stone sarcophagi in cubicles. The catacombs are made very economically: the stairs are narrow with high steps, the corridors are so cramped that in some places two people can hardly disperse, and twenty people can barely fit in standing cubicles. The catacombs were intended only for burial and did not serve as either a meeting place or a refuge from persecution. In total, there are more than seventy catacombs in Rome.
For the period from 150 to 400 years, from 500 to 700 thousand people were buried in them. The total length of the studied underground corridors is about 900 km; part of the catacombs has not been explored.
From the 3rd century paintings appear in the catacombs; in artistic terms, they do not differ in any significant way from contemporary pagan art; they are still clean decorative elements. The Christian worldview is manifested mainly in biblical subjects, and not in painting techniques.
Christianity preached the equality of people, not real, but only spiritual, that is, equality before God alone. Evidence of this understanding of equality is preserved in the catacombs. For example, in the catacombs of Domitilla there is an inscription:
“... Flavia Speranda, the most holy wife, the incomparable mother of all, who lived with me for 28 years and 8 months without any annoyance. Onesiphorus, the husband of the most illustrious matron, worthy of deserving, made (a tombstone).
Judging by the name, Onesiphorus is a slave; he married a woman of the senatorial class, as indicated by her title "most luminous." According to the imperial decrees of the II century. a woman lost this title if she did not marry a senator; if she married a freedman or a slave, then such a marriage was not recognized as valid at all. However, the Roman Bishop Kallistos I (217-222) declared such marriages legal for Christians. This inscription testifies that such marriages really existed. Judging by the language of the original (it contains many deviations from the norms of literary Latin), Onesiphorus was a man of little culture, but, apparently, this did not prevent him from a successful marriage with a Roman woman of the highest class.
Most of the images of the Good Shepherd in the catacombs date back to the 3rd-4th centuries.
Catacomb of Domitilla. 4th century
Catacomba di Commodilla. Roma
Catacombs of Saints Peter and Marcellinus.
Catacombs of Saints Peter and Marcellinus
on the left - Adam and Eve, on the right - Oranta
Apostle Paul (fourth century fresco)
The Baptism of the Lord (fresco from the beginning of the 3rd century)
Eucharistic bread and fish (catacombs of St. Callistus)
It exists in two versions: the gospel story of the Baptism of the Lord from John the Baptist and simply the image of the sacrament of baptism. The main difference between the plots is the symbolic image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove on the frescoes of the Epiphany.
Ancient icon of Christ
Adam and Eve
Jonah is thrown into the sea
Images of Jonah can often be found in the catacombs. The authors of the murals presented not only the basis of the biblical story about Jonah, but also the details: a ship, a huge fish (sometimes in the form of a sea dragon), an arbor. Jonah is depicted resting or sleeping, personifying the “sleepers” in the cubicles and sarcophagi of the catacombs.
The appearance of images of Jonah is connected with the prophecy of Christ about his three-day stay in the tomb, in which he compared himself with Jonah (Matt. 12:38-40).
Images of the four apostles - Peter, Paul, Andrew and John in Rome in the catacombs of the tomb of Santa Tecla. IV century.
Adam and Eve with their sons. Catacombs on Via Latina
Address: Catacombs of St. Callixtus, Via Appia Antica, 110/126, 00179 Roma, Italy.
Opening hours: daily from 09:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00.
Day off - Wednesday.
Entrance fee: 8 EUR.
You can talk endlessly about Rome who survived many bright events in his lifetime, beautiful and tragic, but every time, like a Phoenix bird that managed to be reborn from the ashes, remain just as proud and indestructible. There is another Rome, invisible and unknown to many, lying right under your feet, where an entire era is reflected in each layer. To touch it centuries of history, hidden under thousands of acres of land, one should make a way to the underworld ...
What the dungeons "told" about
Roman catacombs- the most amazing monument that conveys the history of Christians of three centuries from the birth of Christ. For long centuries they were forgotten. And only in the middle of the XIX century. they were accidentally discovered by an Italian archaeologist Giovanni Battista de Rossi.
Trying to find objects of ancient Christians, he came across a piece of marble slab with the inscription "Cornelius the Martyr". The find was carefully examined. It turned out to be part of a tombstone from the grave of the pontiff Cornelius, who lived in the III century. after the birth of Christ. Tortured to death in 253, he was buried in a countryside cave. This was the beginning of the search for ancient burials.
Now it was possible to open about 60 such burials. The origin of the word "catacombs" is attributed to the name of the area where the cemetery was located. There is no confirmation of this, but all the tombs received this name. Ancient city literally surrounded by them. If stretched out in a single row, their length would exceed 500 km. The first appeared in the pre-Christian period.
The Romans more often burned the dead outside the city limits. Christians, adopting the Jewish custom, betrayed them to the ground. This is how Lazarus, resurrected by the Lord, was buried; after Golgotha, they laid Christ wrapped in a shroud in the cave. The dead were laid in a niche, a slab was laid on top. Some graves were distinguished by the installed stone sarcophagi. The catacombs were given the names of the great martyrs.
Time passed, the grottoes occupied a large territory, becoming intricate deep labyrinths, interconnected by narrow passages. During the period of persecution of Christians, the abodes of the dead became a safe shelter for the living. In the deep bowels of the earth, the first temples were formed, where the ancient believers ate spiritual food. The Resurrection of the Lord gave confidence in the absence of death and great hope for eternal cloudless life. The burial places of people who have taken a step into eternity have become for the living the door to the kingdom of heaven.
Meaningful wall paintings
Walls in the dungeons were painted with various frescoes. They were the first masterpieces of ancient Christian art. Despite the persecution, the images do not have scenes of martyrdom, and the epitaphs are devoid of traces of resentment, although most died at the hands of the persecutors. There are only words that call to the Almighty.
Intertwined plots Old Testament with numerous gospel images convey to posterity the concept of good and evil, show the difference between truth and lies, life and death. Depicted Adam and Eve, who committed original sin, are located next to a white lily flower - a symbol of purity. The soul that truly cognized God was symbolically depicted as a bird. With a look full of love, Christ looks from the walls in the guise of a shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders, symbolizing the lost human soul. The Son of God was painted with a vine, where the branches are those who believed in him. His words: "I am the true vine, and my father is a vinedresser," they call to follow him. Symbolic images are firmly entrenched in the art of all subsequent centuries.
Emperor Constantine the Great by his decree of 313 on recognition Christian religion freed believers from oppression. The prayerful chanting of the Lord was transferred from the dungeon to the spacious vaults of ground-based bright temples.
The largest burials
The largest underground tombs of the capital are rightfully recognized as the catacombs of St. Callistus, located on the Appian Way, along which the Roman legionnaires once went for another victory, where the Apostle Peter met Christ. Here is the stone tomb of Romulus - the Roman Cain, who killed his twin brother. With a length of 20 km, they contain 170 thousand burials. Visited today are four of them.
When the persecution became a thing of the past, there was no need to sneak to the dead. Pontifex Damasius built a staircase to access the tombs. In the lower part of the hallways, the Good Shepherd meets, reminding of the freedom of choice given to everyone living on earth. He is ready to lend a helping hand to a lost person.
Crypt pap
It is considered the center, which was surrounded, growing, by others. In the III century. turned into a tomb for bishops. The room is rectangular in shape, quite spacious, supported by columns with beautiful carved capitals holding the vault. Nine metropolitan pontiffs and eight nonresident pontiffs found peace here. Six names remained: Pontian, who graduated life path in the mines, Anter - his successor, who died in the walls of the dungeon, Fabian, beheaded during the reign of Decius, Lucius and Eutychius. All of them were great martyrs. Their relics were transferred to different metropolitan churches, where they are preserved to this day.
Burial place of the martyr Cecilia
This is a fairly spacious room, having a niche on the left side, where her sarcophagus was installed. Paschal I decided to redirect her relics to the capital, but could not find her. Exhausted, in a dream he turned to her for help, the woman indicated the exact location. Only one wall separated him from the tomb. After that, the remains were safely transferred to the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, dedicated to Cecilia. Being engaged in the reconstruction of the church, the sarcophagus was opened. The eyes did not believe the miracle they saw: the body was preserved incorrupt. After looking at the body, the amazed sculptor Stefano Maderno made a statue depicting Caecilia in the position in which she lay in the sarcophagus. The crypt contains a copy.
Why is she tortured to death? A native of a noble family young years believed in the teachings of Christ. She converted her husband to faith and brought to God many who believed in him, for which they decided to execute the woman. Having placed her in a hot bath, the tormentors wanted to kill her in such a terrible way, but three days later they found her alive. Then they decided to cut off the head. The executioner struck several blows, but could not immediately cut off. Being mortally wounded, half-dead, she continued to preach the faith of Christ, trying to convert those present to her. She succeeded.
A cross rises above her grave, around it two angels and three martyrs froze in sorrow: Polikam, Sebastian and Quirinus. There are also images of Christ and Pope Martyr Urban I.
Mystery Cubicles
Designed for one family, consisting of five compartments. There are well-preserved frescoes telling about the sacrament of baptism. The same rite performed by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan is displayed, striking the imagination with the power of faith. "Watching" the visitors Jonah, rescued from the belly of a huge fish. A staircase was installed here, along which the murdered bishops were secretly brought to rest.
Section of Blessed Miltiades
It adjoins the cubes of the Sacraments. Formed in the 2nd century, it became a connecting bridge leading to the crypt of Lucina - the resting place of the soul of Pope Martyr Cornelius. He is rarely mentioned in historical sources. He was too pontiff short term a little over two years. On the icons he is depicted with a cow horn, he is the patron saint of animals, he healed the unfortunate from many diseases. Here you can see the radiance of the phoenix, meaning the death of the flesh and eternal life in Christ, doves, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, a fish, a bird drinking from a cup, which personifies the soul that has found comfort in God.
People perceive these sacred places differently. For a cold person who has visited dark, damp vaults, they will remain so. A person who thinks and understands will produce completely different impressions. Numerous corridors will tell about a handful of people who passionately loved life, but died for their faith, blessing the Lord, praying for their enemies. Fate destined this handful to carry out the greatest revolution in the world - to destroy paganism. Their victory is in fiery love and fortitude. And with faith in the heart and great love everything is available to man.
The catacombs are rightfully one of the most interesting places burials in Italy. Of course, the catacombs of Rome are considered the best of them. It was here that for many centuries labyrinths of underground tunnels were used to bury thousands of bodies. by the most famous place These underground burials are considered to be the Old Appian Way. It was this area, located outside the city of Rome, that was used as a place for the burial of pagans and the first Christians.
History of occurrence
On the Appian Way are the catacombs of St. Callistus, which were built in the middle of the 2nd century and today are among the largest and most important in Rome. They are named after the deacon Callisto, who in 199 was appointed caretaker and keeper of the first official cemetery of the Church of Rome. During the twenty years that Callisto was in charge of the cemetery, he significantly expanded and improved the main directions of the dungeon.
In the third century, Callisto was chosen as the new pope. After his death, the cemetery was named in his honor, and Callisto himself was elevated to the rank of saints. It is noteworthy that he himself is not among the popes buried here.
Architecture
From the 2nd to the 4th centuries, when Christianity was not accepted as a religion and there were terrible persecutions against the main adherents, the catacombs were used only for burials, and it is this period that is characterized by simple, uncomplicated tablets and inscriptions. And most of the burials of that period are rather simple tombs, decorated with simple carvings. Starting from the 4th century in the following years, Pope Damasius was able to get recognition of Christianity as the state religion from Emperor Theodosius, and decided to restore these catacombs. When the persecution ended, the inscriptions became much more common, many frescoes and mosaics appeared. Now, not only the name of the person was written on the tomb, but also a picture was drawn depicting his profession. So in the catacombs of St. Callistus you can see images of bakers, carpenters, tailors, teachers, lawyers, doctors, civil servants, military and other drawings that clearly display a particular profession. Long time the catacombs were not only a place of burial, but also a place of pilgrimage. The crypt was abandoned only after the relics and relics of the saints contained in it were transferred to various churches in Rome. The final wave of translations from the crypt took place during the reign of Pope Sergius II in the 9th century.
Interest in the catacombs revived only in the 15th century. Or only in the 19th century they were again evaluated as holy places and considered the main treasury of Christianity. Thanks to the founder of modern Christian archeology, Giovanni Battista de Rossi, in 1854 the catacombs of St. Callistus were discovered and carefully examined.
Today, there are about half a million different burials in the catacombs. In general, the area of the catacombs is about 15 hectares of land, 20 km long. The maximum depth of the catacombs reaches 20 meters.
At the entrance to the catacombs, you can see the crypt, which is called the "Little Vatican", it is here that 9 popes and 8 church dignitaries are buried.
Next comes the crypt of St. Cecilia, who is considered the patroness of sacred music. The remains of this saint were transferred to the church as early as 821. But today you can see a beautiful sculpture here, the work of Stefano Moderno, who thus decided to immortalize the incorruptible body of a dead girl.
Note to the tourist
The catacombs are closed on Wednesdays and in February. On other days they are open from 9:00 to 12:00; from 14:00 to 17:00.
Everyone who has been to Rome and walked around the ancient quarters " eternal city”, they know that underground, under the Appian Way, there is a plexus of underground passages and labyrinths, 150-170 km long. These are the world-famous "Roman catacombs" - burial places that arose in the pre-Christian period.
Contrary to popular belief, the catacombs were not used as shelters for persecuted Christians. The rite of burial of the dead, especially martyrs for the faith, in underground galleries was borrowed in the 2nd century AD by Christians from earlier pagan cults of the time of the Roman emperors. The Romans themselves did not know the word "catacombs", they called these underground intricacies - "cemeterium" (translated from Latin "chambers"). Of all the underground corridors, only one of St. Sebastian's caemeteria was called ad catacumbas (from the Greek katakymbos - deepening). In the Middle Ages, it was these catacombs that were known and accessible to the population, so since then all underground burials have been called "catacombs".
It is generally accepted that the first Christians were buried in the catacombs, but this is not entirely true. It is authentically known that Jewish graves were located along the Appian Way in the pre-Christian period. There is also a version in favor of the fact that even more early times there were quarries or ancient underground communication routes. However, there is no consensus on this issue.
Burials in the catacombs were formed from private land holdings. Roman owners arranged a single grave on their plot, or a whole family crypt, where they allowed their heirs and relatives, indicating in detail the circle of these persons and their rights to the grave. In the future, their descendants, who converted to Christianity, allowed co-religionists to be buried on their plots.
Niches were carved out of tuff in long dark corridors for burials of one or more people. The fossors were in charge of managing and maintaining order in the catacombs. Also, their duties included preparing places for burials and mediation between sellers and buyers of graves.
The funeral of the first Christians was simple: the body, previously washed and smeared with various incense (ancient Christians did not allow embalming with cleansing of the insides), was wrapped in a shroud and placed in a niche. Then it was covered with a marble slab and in most cases walled up with bricks. The name of the deceased was written on the plate (sometimes only individual letters or numbers), as well as a Christian symbol or a wish for peace in heaven.
By the 5th century, the old catacombs were expanded and new ones were built. It is from the performance of divine services in the catacombs on the tombs of the martyrs that it originates Christian tradition celebration of the liturgy on the relics of saints. In the dungeons, the so-called "hypogeums" were arranged - premises for religious purposes, as well as small halls for meals, for meetings and several shafts for lighting.
Starting from the 4th century, the catacombs lose their significance and are no longer used for burial. The last Roman bishop who was buried in them is Pope Melchiad (Bishop of Rome from July 2, 311 to January 11, 314).
Roman catacombs are divided into several sections. Of the most famous catacombs of St. Sebastian, the catacombs of Domitilla, the catacombs of Priscilla, the catacombs of St. Agnes, the catacombs of St. Callistus.
The catacombs of St. Sebastian - got their name from the burial of the early Christian martyr St. Sebastian in them. Here you can see a combination of burials of the pagan period, decorated with frescoes, and Christian ones with inscriptions. Previously, in a deep crypt, the relics of St. Sebastian himself were kept here. But in the 4th century, the church of San Sebastiano Fuori le Mura was built over the catacombs, and the relics found a new home.
A similar fate at the catacombs of St. Agnes. They are named after the early Christian martyr Agnes of Rome and date back to the 3rd-4th centuries. Above the catacombs is the titular Basilica of Sant'Agnese Fuori le Mura, built in 342 by the daughter of Emperor Constantine the Great, Constance. This basilica currently holds the relics of St. Agnes, transferred from the catacombs.
The catacombs of Priscilla were the private property of the family of the Roman consul Aquilia Glabrius. These are the oldest catacombs in Rome.
The catacombs of Domitilla are located on the territory that belonged to the Flavian family. They served as a burial place for pagans and Christians.
The Catacombs of Saint Callistus are the most big place Christian burial ancient rome. Their length is about 20 km, they have 4 levels and form a labyrinth. There are about 170 thousand burials here. The catacombs got their name from the name of the Roman bishop Callistus, who participated in their arrangement. For access, the crypt of the popes is open here, in which 9 Roman bishops of the 3rd century were buried, as well as the crypt of St. Cecilia (Kikilia), where the relics of this saint were discovered in 820. You can also see the Cave of the Holy Mysteries, where frescoes depicting the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist have been preserved.
The Jewish catacombs in Rome are located under Villa Torlonia and Vigna Randanini (discovered by archaeologists in 1859). The entrance to the catacombs under Villa Torlonia was walled up at the beginning of the 20th century, and only at the end of the century it was decided to restore them and open them to visitors. According to researchers, these catacombs are the forerunners of the Christian catacombs: the discovered burials date back to 50 BC. e. Just like in the Christian catacombs, the walls here are decorated with frescoes and symbolic drawings (menorahs, flowers, peacocks), but no scenes from the Old Testament have been found.
There are also so-called syncretic catacombs in Rome. These include underground temples, where you can find a mixture of Christianity, Greek and Roman philosophy. Examples of such catacomb temples include an underground basilica discovered in 1917 in the area of Rome's Termini station. temple decorated with plaster bas-reliefs, was used in the 1st century BC. e. as a meeting place for neo-Pythagoreans.
A visit to the catacombs of Rome is possible only as part of an excursion group. For inspection, only 6 (the above Christian catacombs, as well as the catacombs of St. Pancras) branches are open. Entrance ticket - 8 euros.Publication date: 09/09/2014, updated 12/02/2014
Tags: Catacombs, Rome, Italy