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 has been 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 are today one of 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.
The catacombs of Rome are a whole network of ancient dungeons, which at the time of their construction were used for burial, although later they became a haven for the first Christians, as a result of which they became famous. In the Roman environs there are about 60 catacombs with more than 700 thousand burials.
The history of the catacombs
The most ancient catacombs arose before our era, at first these catacombs were built to combat the lack of land for burial, because over the centuries of Rome's existence, the surrounding area was almost completely filled with ancient remains.
The famous Christian catacombs of Rome appeared in 107, during the decline of the Roman Empire. By this time, the persecution of early Christians began: they were killed, tortured and thrown unarmed into the arena of the Colosseum.
To get away from persecution, the idea came to perform rituals underground - the Roman soldiers simply could not find them. The Roman catacombs evolved from a mere burial place to the first Christian temples(although the original appointment was not lost).
But after Emperor Constantine recognized Christianity and the persecution ceased, the Roman catacombs were soon forgotten for centuries and discovered in 1578.
Catacombs of Priscilla
The first discovered Christian dungeons were just these catacombs. We stumbled upon them by chance in 1578 during the construction of the Salaria road.
A little about the name of the catacombs: Priscilla was a Roman aristocrat, the owner of vast lands, during her lifetime she converted to Christianity and when she was building her burial crypt, she was allowed to bury her fellow believers on this land. Thus was the beginning of the catacombs of Priscilla.
When a detailed study of the dungeon was made, the scientists were surprised how well these catacombs were preserved. Untouched graves of people canonized as saints, frescoes and religious attributes for ceremonies were discovered.
Fresco in the catacomb
In general, the catacombs of Priscilla near Rome are a three-level dungeon from the 2nd-5th centuries. Frescoes and inscriptions praising God were found in the halls of the catacombs. The inscriptions were made by the first Christians.
Catacombs of Saint Callistus
These catacombs are the largest and most famous among all Roman dungeons, unlike Priscilla's dungeons, these catacombs have 4 levels. The catacombs of St. Callistus successfully functioned from the 2nd to the 4th centuries. Total amount There are 500,000 graves in these dungeons.
Kallistos was a deacon who was assigned to look after these catacombs, his main task was the timely burial of the dead Christians. For conscientious work, the catacombs were named after him.
Masses of frescoes, wall paintings and inscriptions have also been found in these underground caves.
Last modified: 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 spaces 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 originated in 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 churches began to be built, the tradition of celebrating the liturgy and worshiping the relics of saints became widespread in the catacombs.
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 depths, 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.
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Under the ancient streets of Rome, another city is hidden with its buildings and labyrinths of streets. ancient catacombs with a total length of more than one and a half hundred kilometers were previously used as burial places.
The emergence of burials
Along the famous Appian Way in Rome, under the surface of the earth, there is an extensive system of dungeons. These catacombs are long labyrinths of tuff, in the walls of which there are rectangular niches for burials. To date, almost all niches are open and empty, but closed ones have also been preserved (for example, in the Panfila catacombs).
In total, there are more than 60 different catacombs in Rome with a total length of 150-170 km, which is about 750,000 (!) Burials. By the way, the very name "catacombs" (lat. catacomba) was not known to the Romans, they used the word "cemeterium" (lat. coemeterium) - "chambers". Only one of the coemeteria, Saint Sebastian, was called ad catacumbas (from the Greek katakymbos, deepening).
appian way
The first catacombs at the gates of Rome arose in the pre-Christian era. Roman law forbade burials within the city, so the Romans used the major roads leading from Rome for burials. Most of the monuments on the Appian Way were erected in the 2nd century, after wealthy citizens began to bury the bodies in the ground instead of the Roman tradition of burning the bodies of the dead.
The price of plots of land at the beginning of public roads connecting the most big cities, was high, therefore, the closer the burial was to the city gates, the more respected was the owner of the site.
Roman owners arranged a single grave on their plot, or a whole family crypt, where only their loved ones were allowed. In the future, their descendants, who converted to Christianity, allowed only co-religionists to be buried on their plots. This is evidenced by numerous inscriptions preserved in the catacombs: “The [family] tomb of Valery Mercury. Julitta Juliana and Quintilius, for his venerable freedmen and descendants of the same religion as myself”, “Mark Anthony Restut built a crypt for himself and his loved ones who believe in God.”
The earliest (4th century) historical sources about the Roman catacombs are the writings of Blessed Jerome and Prudentius. Jerome, who was brought up in Rome, left notes about his visits to the catacombs:
“Together with my fellow peers, I used to visit the tombs of the apostles and martyrs on Sundays, often descend into caves dug in the depths of the earth, in the walls of which the bodies of the dead lie on both sides, and in which there is such darkness that it almost comes true here. prophetic saying: “let them go into hell live” (Ps. 54:16).
The description of Jerome supplements the work of Prudentius, written around the same period, “The Sufferings of the Most Blessed Martyr Hippolytus”:
“Not far from the place where the city rampart ends, in the cultivated area adjacent to it, a deep crypt opens its dark passages. The sloping path winds its way to this shelter, devoid of light. Daylight penetrates into the crypt through the entrance, and in its winding galleries, already a few steps from the entrance, dark night turns black. However, clear rays are thrown into these galleries from above the holes cut in the vault of the crypt; and although dark places are found here and there in the crypt, nevertheless, through the openings indicated, a significant light illuminates the interior of the carved space. Thus, under the earth, it is possible to see the light of the absent sun and enjoy its radiance. In such a hiding place the body of Hippolytus is hidden, near which an altar is erected for divine sacred rites.
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.
Funeral rites
Catacombs in the period of the II-IV centuries were used by Christians for religious rites and burials, since the community considered it their duty to bury fellow believers only among their own. The funeral of the first Christians was simple: a 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. The epitaphs were very laconic: "Peace be with you", "Sleep in the peace of the Lord", etc. Part of the slab was covered cement mortar, which also threw coins, small figurines, rings, pearl necklaces. Often left nearby oil lamps or small pots of incense. The number of such items was quite high: despite the looting of a number of burials in the catacombs of St. Agnes alone, about 780 items were found, placed together with the deceased in the tomb.
Christian burials in the catacombs almost exactly reproduced Jewish burials and did not differ in the eyes of contemporaries from Jewish cemeteries in the vicinity of Rome. According to researchers, the early Christian epitaphs (“Rest in the world”, “Rest in God”) in the catacombs repeat the Jewish funerary formulas: bi-shalom, bi-adonai.
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. Images of fossors are often found in catacomb painting: they are depicted at work or standing from their labor, among which stand out an ax, pick, crowbar and a clay lamp to illuminate dark corridors. Modern fossors participate in further excavations of the catacombs, keep order and guide scientists and those interested along unlit corridors.
Niches (locules, literally "towns") are the most common form of burial in the catacombs. They were made in the form of rectangular oblong recesses in the walls of the corridors.
Arcosolium - a low deaf arch in the wall, under it the remains of the dead were placed in the tomb. The tombstone was used as an altar for the celebration of the liturgy.
"Decay" of the catacombs
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 Melchiades. His successor Sylvester was already buried in the Basilica of San Silvestro in Capite. In the 5th century, burials in the catacombs completely ceased, but since that period, the catacombs have become popular with pilgrims who wanted to pray at the graves of the apostles, martyrs and confessors.
They visited the catacombs, leaving various images and inscriptions on their walls (especially near the tomb with the relics of saints). Some of them described their impressions of visiting the catacombs in travel notes, which are one of the sources of data for the study of the catacombs.
The decline in interest in the catacombs was caused by the gradual extraction of the relics of saints from them. For example, in 537, during the siege of the city by Vitiges, the tombs of the saints were opened, and their relics were transferred to the city churches.
This was the first extraction of relics from the catacombs, subsequent records of chroniclers report larger-scale actions. For example, Pope Boniface IV took thirty-two wagons with relics out of the catacombs, and under Pope Paschalia I, according to an inscription in the Basilica of Santa Prassede, two thousand three hundred relics were removed from the catacombs.
Rediscovered
Since the end of the 9th century, visits to the Roman catacombs, which have lost the relics that attracted pilgrims, have practically ceased; in the 11th-12th centuries, only isolated cases of such visits are described. For almost 600 years, the famous necropolis in the Christian world has been forgotten.
In the 16th century, Onufry Panvinio, a theologian professor and librarian of the papal library, began to study the catacombs. He studied early Christian and medieval written sources and compiled a list of 43 Roman burials, however, the entrance was found only in the catacombs of Saints Sebastian, Lawrence and Valentine.
Again, the Roman catacombs became known after May 31, 1578, workers employed in earthworks on the Salyar road, stumbled upon stone slabs covered with ancient inscriptions and images. At that time, it was considered that these were the catacombs of Priscilla. Soon after the discovery, they were buried under rubble and only re-excavated in 1921.
Later, the catacombs were explored by Antonio Bosio (c. 1576-1629), who in 1593 first descended into the catacombs of Domitilla. Full scale research work began only in the 19th century, when works devoted to their history and painting were published.
Since 1929, the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology has managed the catacombs and the research conducted there. The Institute of Christian Archeology under the commission is engaged in the protection and preservation of open catacombs, as well as the study of painting and further excavations.
Types of catacombs
Christian catacombs
The Christian burial system is the most extensive of all. The oldest of them are the catacombs of Priscilla. They were the private property of the family of Aquilia Glabrius, the Roman consul. The rooms in them are decorated with early Christian frescoes, of which the scene of a feast (an allegory of the Eucharist) in the Greek chapel and the most ancient image of the Virgin with a baby and a prophet, dating from the 2nd century, stand out.
Of particular interest are the catacombs of St. Sebastian, in which there are pagan burials decorated with frescoes.
Symbols and decor
The walls of about 40 catacombs are decorated with frescoes (rarely mosaics) depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments, pagan myths, as well as various Christian allegorical symbols. The most ancient images include the scenes of the "Adoration of the Magi", which date back to the 2nd century. The appearance in the catacombs of images of an acronym or a fish symbolizing it also dates back to the 2nd century.
The presence of images of both biblical history and saints in the places of burials and meetings of the first Christians testifies to the early tradition of veneration of sacred images.
Other common symbolic images, partly borrowed from ancient tradition, in the catacombs include:
Anchor - an image of hope (the anchor is the support of the ship at sea);
The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit;
Phoenix is a symbol of resurrection;
The eagle is a symbol of youth (“your youth will be renewed like an eagle” (Ps. 103:5));
The peacock is a symbol of immortality (according to the ancients, his body did not decompose);
Rooster - a symbol of resurrection (the crow of a rooster awakens from sleep);
The lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ;
The lion is a symbol of strength and power;
The olive branch is a symbol of eternal peace;
Lily - a symbol of purity (common due to the influence of apocryphal stories about the presentation of a lily flower by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary);
The vine and the basket of bread are symbols of the Eucharist.
Researchers note that Christian fresco painting in the catacombs represents (with the exception of New Testament scenes) the same symbols and events of biblical history that are present in Jewish burials and synagogues of that period.
It is interesting that in the catacomb painting there are no images on the theme of the Passion of Christ (there is not a single image of the crucifixion) and the Resurrection of Jesus. But often there are scenes depicting Christ performing miracles: the multiplication of loaves, the resurrection of Lazarus ... Sometimes Jesus holds in his hands a kind of " magic wand”, which is an ancient tradition of depicting miracles, also adopted by Christians.
Another frequently seen image in the catacombs is Oranta. Initially as a personification of prayer, and then as an image of the Mother of God, representing her with her arms raised and spread out to the sides, palms open, outward, that is, in the traditional gesture of intercessory prayer.
Long dark corridors with the atmosphere of death hovering in them inexorably attract both pilgrims and ordinary tourists to the Roman catacombs. Some yearn for goodness from the burial place of their saints, others for thrills and photographs for memory. Special visitors are scientists. The history immured in the walls still keeps its secrets and is ready to reveal them only to the elite.