Ancient catacombs under Rome. Catacombs of Rome: history, overview

There is no definite point of view regarding the origin of the catacombs. There is a hypothesis that they are the remains of ancient quarries or more ancient underground communication routes. There is also the opinion of Giovanni Battista de Rossi and his followers that the catacombs are an exclusively Christian structure, since their narrow passages are unsuitable for extracting stone from them, and the rock of the catacombs itself is unsuitable for use as a building material.

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. This is evidenced by numerous inscriptions preserved in the catacombs: [Family] tomb of Valerius Mercury, Julitt Julian 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 underground passages corresponded to the boundaries of the estates and were connected to each other by numerous galleries, thus forming a kind of lattice (the catacombs of St. Callistus). Some catacombs were branches from the main passage, sometimes also several stories high.

The catacombs also included hypogeums- from Latin (lat. hypogeum) - premises for religious purposes, but with an unspecified function, as well as often a small dining room, a meeting room and several shafts for lighting (lat. luminare). The “Apostolic Ordinances” (c. 5th century) contain a direct reference to the meetings of early Christians in the catacombs: “ ... without supervision, gather in the tombs, making a reading sacred books and sing psalms for the reposed martyrs and all the saints from the beginning, and for my brothers who reposed in the Lord. And instead of the pleasant Eucharist of the royal body of Christ, bring it to your churches and tombs...". One of the inscriptions found in the 16th century by Caesar Baronius in the catacombs of St. Callistus testifies to the stable tradition of worshiping in the catacombs: “ What bitter times, we cannot perform the sacraments in safety and even pray in our caves!».

Historical evidence

The description of Jerome complements 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 lightless shelter. Daylight enters the crypt through the entrance, and in its winding galleries it turns black already a few steps from the entrance. dark night. 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 indicated openings, 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..

"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 Melchiad. 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 tombs 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 studying the catacombs.

The decline in interest in the catacombs was caused by the gradual extraction of the relics of saints from them. In 537, during the siege of the city by Vitiges, the tombs of the saints were opened in them, 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:

Discovery and study of the catacombs

Again, the Roman catacombs became known after May 31, 1578, workers engaged in earthworks on the Salar road, stumbled upon stone slabs covered with ancient inscriptions and images. At that time, it was considered that these were the catacombs of Priscilla (in fact coemeterium Iordanorum ad S. Alexandrum). Soon after the discovery they were buried under rubble and only re-excavated in 1921.

Later, the catacombs were explored by Antonio Bosio (c. -), who in 1593 first descended into the catacombs of Domitilla. In total, he discovered about 30 cementeria (Bosio did not excavate), he described the results of his work in a three-volume essay “ Underground Rome "(lat. Roma soterranea), published after his death. Bosio hired two draughtsmen who made copies of images from the catacombs. Their works were often inaccurate or erroneous: the Good Shepherd was mistaken for a peasant woman, Noah in the ark - for a praying martyr, and the youths in a fiery furnace - for the scene of the Annunciation.

Full-scale research work in the catacombs began only in the 19th century, when works devoted to their history and painting were published. Such works include the works of Giuseppe Marchi, Giovanni Batista de Rossi (discovered the catacombs of St. Callistus), the monumental work of A. Fricken " Roman catacombs and monuments of early Christian art"(1872-85). At the end of the 19th century, the Russian watercolorist F. P. Reiman (1842-1920) created over 100 sheets of copies of the best-preserved catacomb frescoes in 12 years of work.

In 1903, the book of the researcher Joseph Vilpert (1857-1944) “Painting of the Catacombs of Rome” (German) was published. Die Malerei der Katakomben Roms ), in which he presented the first photographs of frescoes from the catacombs (black-and-white photographs Vilpert personally painted in the colors of the original images).

Funeral rites

In the period of the II-IV centuries, the catacombs 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 with cement mortar, into which coins, small figurines, rings, pearl necklaces were also thrown. Oil lamps or small jars of incense were often left nearby. 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, early Christian epitaphs (" Rest in peace», « Rest in God”) in the catacombs, the Jewish funerary formulas are repeated: bi-shalom, bi-adonai.

Fossors (lat. Fossorius, Fossorii). Also, their duties included preparing places for burials and mediation between sellers and buyers of graves: “ The land was purchased for the construction of a bisom for Artemisius. Value, 1500 folios, paid to Fossor Hilar, under the testimony of the Fossors of Severus and Laurentia". Their images are also often found in catacomb painting: they are depicted at work or standing with tools of 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.

Forms of burials

Name	Image	Description
niches (lat. Loculi, loculi)		Locules (literally "towns") are the most common form of burial in the catacombs. Designed for the burial of both one person and several (lat. loculi bisomi, trisomi…). They were made in the form of rectangular oblong recesses in the walls of the corridors of the catacombs or in cubes.
Arcosolia(lat. Arcosolium)		Arkosoliy - a low deaf arch in the wall, under it the remains of the deceased were placed in the tomb. Thus, the opening of the tomb was located not on the side, but on top. This more expensive type of burial has been known since antiquity. They most often buried martyrs and used the tombstone as an altar during the celebration of the liturgy. More common in cubicles than in catacomb corridors.
Sarcophagi(lat. Solium)		Refers to the Roman tradition of burial, later borrowed by Christians. Not typical for Jewish burials. Burials in sarcophagi in the catacombs are rare. Sarcophagi could also be placed in arcosolia.
Cubicles(lat. cubeculum) and crypts		Cubicles were small chambers located on the sides of the main passages. Verbatim cubiculum means " peace", rest for the sleep of the dead. The cubicles contained the burials of several people, most often they were family crypts. Cubicles were found, in which there are up to 70 or more loculi of different sizes, arranged in 10 or more rows.
Burials in the floor (lat. Form- "channel, pipe")		They are found in the floors of crypts, cubes, rarely in the main passages of the catacombs. Such burials are often found near the burial places of martyrs.

Types of catacombs

The most famous Roman catacombs are the following:

Christian catacombs

Catacombs of Saint Sebastian

Catacombs of Saint Agnes(Italian Catacombe di Sant "Agnese) - got their name from the name of the early Christian martyr Agnes of Rome and date back to the 3rd-4th centuries. There are no wall paintings in these catacombs, but many inscriptions can be found in two well-preserved galleries.

Above the catacombs is the Basilica of Sant'Agnese Fuori le Mura, built in 342 by the daughter of Emperor Constantine the Great, Constance. The relics of Saint Agnes, transferred from the catacombs, are currently kept in this basilica.

Catacombs of St. Callistus with open niches

According to their architectural plan, the Jewish catacombs practically do not differ from the Christian ones. The main difference is as follows: at first, not corridors arose, but separate crypts, which were later connected by passages. The passages are generally wider than in the Christian catacombs. Their walls are also decorated with frescoes depicting symbols and figures, for example, menorahs, flowers, animals (ducks, fish, peacocks), but among the drawings there are no images of scenes from the Old Testament.

Syncretic catacombs

Catacombs on Via Latina

Symbols and decor

general characteristics

The walls of about 40 catacombs (especially the walls of the crypts) are decorated with frescoes (rarely mosaics) depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments, pagan myths, as well as various Christian allegorical symbols (ichthys, "Good Shepherd"). The oldest images include the scenes of the "Adoration of the Magi" (about 12 frescoes with this plot have been preserved), which date back to the 2nd century. The appearance in the catacombs of images of the acronym ΙΧΘΥΣ or the fish symbolizing it also dates back to the 2nd century. In the Jewish catacombs on the Appian Way there are images of the menorah. The presence of images of both biblical history and saints in the burial places and gatherings of the first Christians testifies to an 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 in the sea, hope is the support of the soul in Christianity);
• phoenix - a symbol of resurrection;
• the eagle is a symbol of youth your youth will be renewed like an eagle"(Ps. 102:5));
• peacock - a symbol of immortality (according to the ancients, his body did not decompose);
• a rooster is a symbol of resurrection (the crow of a rooster awakens from sleep, and awakening, according to Christians, should remind believers of the Last Judgment and the general resurrection of the dead);
• 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 at the Annunciation);
• 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.

Most of the images in the Roman catacombs are made in the Hellenistic style that dominated Italy in the II-III centuries, only the symbol ichthys is of oriental origin. According to Iosif Vilpert, when dating images, the manner and style of their execution is important.

Good style is expressed here especially in the light, delicate application of colors and in the correctness of the drawing; the figures are of excellent proportions, and the movements correspond to the action. Deficiencies appear and accumulate especially since the second half of the third century, in the form of gross errors in the drawing, green highlights in the incarnate, in rough contours, uncovered by painting, and wide borders framing the scenes. Further, clothes and their decorations are a reliable criterion: a sleeveless tunic indicates frescoes earlier than the 3rd century; the dalmatics of an early form belongs to the 3rd century; dalmatic with fashionable, incredibly wide sleeves, points to frescoes of the 4th century. Round purple stripes appear from the second half of the 3rd and especially in the 4th century; in ancient era decorations are limited to a narrow "clave".

Eucharistic bread and fish (catacombs of St. Callistus)

For early period(I-II centuries) are characterized by delicate, thin borders around the fields of frescoes, the use of light colors and the general pale pale background of the crypts, on which some frescoes seem to be monochrome. Gradually, the Hellenistic artistic style is replaced by icon-painting skill: the bodies begin to be depicted in a more material way, which is especially noticeable due to the ocher in the carnation, which makes the figures heavy. Art critic Max Dvorak believes that catacomb painting reflects the formation of a new artistic style: three-dimensional space is replaced by an abstract plane, the real connection between bodies and objects is replaced by their symbolic relationships, everything material is suppressed in order to achieve maximum spirituality.

Images of scenes from myths in catacomb painting are much less common (Demeter and Persephone, Cupid and Psyche). Often, the ancient tradition of depicting certain characters (including decorative motifs: jellyfish, tritons, eros) was adopted by Christians.

Pictures of Jesus Christ

In 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. Among the frescoes of the late III - early IV centuries, there are often scenes depicting Christ performing miracles: the multiplication of loaves, the resurrection of Lazarus (there are more than 50 images). Jesus is holding a kind of "magic wand" in his hands, which is an ancient tradition of depicting miracles, also adopted by Christians.

Image	Name	Description
	Orpheus	These are Christianized images of a pagan character, Orpheus. In his hand he holds a kithara, sometimes surrounded by animals in a Phrygian hat and oriental attire. The meanings of other pagan characters (Helios, Hercules) were also rethought.
	good shepherd	Most of the images of the Good Shepherd in the catacombs date back to the 3rd-4th centuries. The emergence and spread of this symbolic image of Jesus refers to the period of persecution of the first Christians and arose on the basis of the plot of the gospel parable of the lost sheep. The Good Shepherd is depicted as a young man without a beard, mostly with short hair dressed in a tunic. Sometimes he stands leaning on a staff, and also surrounded by sheep and palms.
	Baptism	A common image in catacomb painting. 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.
	Teacher	When depicting Christ the Teacher, he was given the image of an ancient philosopher dressed in a toga. The students around him are depicted as young men, like students of ancient schools.
	Christ	Such images differ from the ancient tradition: the face of Jesus takes on a more strict and expressive character. The hair is depicted as long, often with a parting in the middle of the head, a beard is added, sometimes divided into two parts. An image of a halo appears.

Images of Oranta

Image	Name	Description
	Adam and Eve	The image of the biblical progenitors of mankind is found in various versions: in the scene of the fall, along with their children. The appearance of this image in early Christian painting is due to the emergence in Christian doctrine of the perception of Jesus Christ as the new Adam, who atoned for Original sin by his death.
	Jonah is thrown into the sea	Images of Jonah can often be found in the catacombs. The authors of the paintings 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), and 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 associated with the prophecy of Christ about his three-day stay in the tomb, in which he compared himself with Jonah (Matthew 12:38-40).
		The appearance of such images dates back to the 4th century, which was associated with the emergence of the veneration of the three Babylonian youths as confessors who remained faithful to their faith among the Gentiles (which was symbolic for the first Christians).

Agapes

The fresco of the 2nd century with the image of agapa, discovered in 1893, is most interesting for the study of early Christian ritualism.

The number of loaves and fish depicted is reminiscent of the gospel miracle of the multiplication of loaves. From the analysis of images of agape, the researchers came to the conclusion that in the early Christian communities, believers received bread from the hands of the primate directly into their own hands, and then took turns drinking wine from the cup.

Inscriptions in the catacombs

Examples of catacomb inscriptions

A collection of inscriptions from the Roman catacombs, comprising this moment 10 volumes, started in 1861 by de Rossi, continued from 1922 by Angelo Silvagni, then by Antonio Ferrois. Giovanni Battista de Rossi discovered the catacombs of Saint Callistus thanks to a fragment of a marble tablet with an inscription NELIUS MARTYR. The scientist suggested that we are talking about the martyr Cornelia ( CORNELIUS), which, according to de Rossi's sources, was supposed to be buried in the catacombs. Later, in the crypt, papa de Rossi discovered the second part of the tablet with the inscription EP (Episcopus).

Many inscriptions are found on loculae in Latin and Greek (Gr. ZOE- "life") languages. Sometimes Latin words are written in Greek, or there are letters from these languages ​​in one word. In the catacomb inscriptions there are names of types of burials: arcosolium (arcisolium, arcusolium), cubiculum (cubuculum), form, names of fossors, description of their activities.

Visiting the catacombs

Of all the catacombs of Rome, only 6 are open to visitors as part of an excursion, with a mandatory guide (the above Christian catacombs, as well as the catacombs of St. Pancras). The rest of the catacombs do not have electric lighting and can be visited with permission from the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology. The most interesting are the catacombs of Saints Peter and Marcellinus (III-IV centuries) on Via Casilina.

In culture

painting: literature:

Procession in the Catacombs of Saint Callistus

• Some episodes of the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas the Father (Monte Cristo and Franz d'Epinay save Albert de Morser captured by robbers, Danglars is forced to give the money he stole to the robbers) take place in the catacombs of St. Sebastian.
• Henryk Sienkiewicz. The novel "Kamo come" (a meeting of Christians of the 1st century in the Roman catacombs is described, but such meetings did not begin until the second half of the 2nd century).
• R. Monaldi, F. Sorti."Imprimatur: To Print". Historical detective. M: AST, . ISBN 5-17-0333234-3
• Charles Dickens in "Pictures of Italy" Pictures from Italy) described his impressions of visiting the catacombs of St. Sebastian (the only ones known in the 1840s):

An emaciated Franciscan monk with a wild burning gaze was our only guide in these deep and terrible dungeons. Narrow passages and openings in the walls, going in one direction or another, combined with stale, heavy air, soon forced out any memory of the path we walked ... We passed between the graves of martyrs for the faith: we walked along long vaulted underground roads, diverging in all directions and blocked in some places by stone blockages ... Graves, graves, graves! The graves of men, women and their children who ran out to meet their pursuers, shouting: We are Christians! We are Christians!” to be killed, killed along with their parents; graves with a palm tree of martyrdom roughly carved on stone faces; small niches carved into the rock to store a vessel with the blood of a holy martyr; the graves of some of them who lived here for many years, leading the rest and preaching truth, hope and comfort at rough altars so strong that they stand there now; large and even more terrible graves, where hundreds of people, taken by surprise by their pursuers, were surrounded and tightly walled up, buried alive and slowly died of starvation. The triumph of faith is not there, on earth, not in our luxurious churches said the Franciscan, looking over at us as we paused to rest in one of the low passages where bones and dust surrounded us on all sides, her triumph is here, among the martyrs for the faith!

museums:

• The Pio Cristiano Museum in the Vatican is dedicated to the collection of early Christian works of art found in the Roman catacombs: marble pagan and Christian sarcophagi, statues, tablets with inscriptions in Latin and Greek.
• The Museum of Sacred Art in the Vatican Library (Italian Museo Sacro) contains artifacts from the Roman catacombs and churches: lamps with Jewish and Christian symbols, glassware, medallions.
• The Chiaramonti Museum in the Vatican presents many sarcophagi from the 1st-4th centuries.
• Part of the collection ancient period The National Roman Museum consists of Jewish sarcophagi, tablets with inscriptions, a large number of artifacts from pagan tombs.

Notes

1. Fink, Joseph Die romischen Katakomben. - Mainz: Philipp von Zabern, 1997. - ISBN 3-8053-1565-1
2. Interactive map of Rome showing catacombs and hypogees. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
3. Golubtsov A.P. From readings on church archeology and liturgy. St. Petersburg, 1917. S. 73
4. Golubtsov A.P. Decree. op. S. 332
5. Golubtsov A.P. Decree. op. S. 333
6. Places of prayer meetings of Christians of the 1st-3rd centuries // Golubtsov A.P. From readings on Church Archeology and Liturgy
7. lat. Monumentum Valerii Mercurii et Iulittes Iuliani et Quintilies verecundes libertis libertabusque posterisque eoiiim at religionem pertinentes (pertinentibus) meam
8. lat. Marcus Antonius Restutus fecit ypogeum sibi et suis fidentibus in Domino
9. Popov I.V. On the veneration of holy relics // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. No. 1. 1997.
10. In original εν κοιμητηρίοις .
11. Apostolic Ordinances. VI:30
12. Barony. Church Annals
13. Zaraisky V. Two landmark discoveries
14. John Meyendorff The unity of the empire and the division of Christians. Chapter II. Church structure
15. Antonio Bosio
16. Fink, Joseph. - Mainz: vom Zabern, 1997.-p. 77 ISBN 3-8053-1565-1
17. Pokrovsky N. V. Painting of the catacombs (According to the ed.: Essays on the monuments of Christian art. St. Petersburg, Liga-plus, 2000)

The capital of Italy is full of mysteries. One of these are the catacombs of Rome, which are underground labyrinths. Since the 1st century, the deceased saints have been buried in them. Underground passages attract tourists with mystery, decoration and the opportunity to touch the history of the popular city.

Story

The first Christians were buried in tuff catacombs, as they considered this burial option the most worthy. So almost 750,000 people were buried in Rome. But in the 5th century, burials lost their significance and were discontinued. Pope Melchiad was the last to have his remains buried in underground labyrinths.

For some time, these places attracted pilgrims who wanted to pray at the graves of the martyrs, but due to the fact that the relics of the saints were gradually removed, the interest faded more and more. In the 16th century, professor-theologist Onufriy Panvinio was the first to study the tombs, his research was continued by Antonio Bosio.

Full-scale research work in the underground began in the 19th century. They are managed by a specially created Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology.

The catacombs of Rome are divided into:

• Christian;
• syncretic;
• Jewish

In total, there are more than 60 known tombs, with a total length of about 160 km. A significant part of them passes under the Appian Way.

Christian catacombs

The Roman catacombs, created for the first Christians, are considered the oldest. There are a lot of them, but only 5 are open for tourists, which are mentioned below. The visit is conducted with a guide as part of a full-fledged excursion tour. The rest of the labyrinths are not equipped with electric lighting and are dangerous, so entry into them is possible only with the permission of the Pontifical Commission.

The burial places are named after the martyr who lived in the early Christian years. It is noteworthy that initially these were pagan tombs, which eventually became Christian. The transition of religion is visible in the images, where pagan and Christian subjects are intertwined.

It is believed that in the 3rd century, the apostles Paul and Peter rested in the catacombs of Rome. Of the memos about this, only the inscription has survived: "Saints Peter and Paul rested here." In the 4th century, the eponymous temple of San Sebastiano Fuori le Mura was built over the graves, where the relics of Sebastian were transferred.

Address: via Appia Antica 136.

Working hours: daily, from 10:00 to 16:30 , except Sunday.

Price: 5 euros for children and beneficiaries, 8 euros for adults.

Official site

These burials are the oldest. Previously, this territory was owned by Aquilius Glabrius, to whose family Priscilla belonged. It is believed that she was executed for her loyalty to Christianity. In the catacombs of Priscilla, a chapel was erected with Greek inscriptions and drawings depicting the heroes of the Bible. The most significant drawing is the Virgin Mary with a child.

Address: via Salaria, 430.

Working hours: every day, from 09.00 to 17.00, except Monday.

Price: 8 euros for a full ticket and 5 euros for a reduced one.

Official site

The dungeon is named after the granddaughter of the Roman emperor Vespasian - Domitilla, who was martyred for her faith in Christ. So many people were buried here that the niches for the bodies are arranged in four floors, each of which is at least 5 meters high.

The tomb is interesting in design. On its walls there are paintings with a unique image of Jesus Christ, as well as early Christian symbols with certain meanings. This dungeon is a real art that opens the door to the ancient world.

Address: Via delle Sette Chiese, 282.

Schedule: daily, from 9.00 to 17.00, except Tuesday.

Price: adult ticket - 8 euros, reduced ticket - 5 euros.

Official site

Agnes of Rome, after whom the tomb is named, was canonized for her unwavering faith. There are no traditional Christian drawings on the walls, but there are epitaphs in several galleries.

Above the labyrinth, in 342, the Basilica of Sant'Agnese Fuori le Mura was erected, where the relics of St. Agnes have since rested. Constance insisted on this - the daughter of Emperor Constantine the Great.

Address: via Nomentana 349.

Working hours: 9.00-15.30.

Price: 8 euros - full ticket, 5 euros - for beneficiaries and children.

Official site

This underground complex is the largest in Rome. Its length is more than 20 km, and in the galleries there are 170,000 graves on four floors. The burial places are named after the Roman clergyman Callistus, who during his lifetime organized the funeral of Christians.

The labyrinths have not yet been fully explored, so tourists can visit only part of them. Among the galleries, there are three main crypts where the skeletons rest:

1. Cave of the Popes, named after the 6 popes whose relics are kept within its walls. Many saints are buried here.
2. The crypt of the holy sacraments, where there is enough space for the burial of the whole family. The room is decorated with frescoes depicting the sacrament of baptism, the rite of the future resurrection and communion.
3. Crypt of St. Cecilia, which is the burial place of Cecilia of Rome - a martyr who canonized saints. She led almost 400 Romans to God and was faithful to her faith until her last breath.

Each gallery is amazing in its own way and decorated in a unique style. According to drawings and inscriptions, historians and scientists study real events, legends, and the culture of Christianity.

Address: via Appia Antica 110/126.

Schedule: 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., every day except Wednesday.

Price: adult ticket - 8 euros, preferential - 5 euros, children under 6 years old admission is free.

Official site

Jewish catacombs

Archaeologists know the Jewish catacombs under Villa Torlonia and Vigna Randanini. They were discovered in 1859, but the entrance was walled up until the end of the 20th century. Only then they were restored and allowed to visit. Scientists have determined the age of the burials - approximately 50 BC.

The architecture of the Jewish and Christian catacombs is almost the same. The only difference is that the Jewish tombs were first created in the form of separate crypts, and only later connected by special passages.

The design is striking in its beauty and majesty, the drawings depict various animals, birds, symbols and figures. Only images of episodes from the Old Testament are missing, which is also distinctive feature dungeon data.

Syncretic catacombs

The mystery of the Roman catacombs lies in the questions of who and when exactly created them. For example, syncretic burials were made under temples, but their design combines the motifs of Christianity, as well as Greek and Roman philosophy. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately determine the year of their formation.

The most famous syncretic catacombs is the underground church discovered near Termini Station in 1917. Its depth is 12 meters, and stucco molding with images of mythological characters flaunts on the walls.

How to get there?

The main question that worries tourists is: "How to get to the Roman tombs?". Underground labyrinths are located in different parts of the city, so there is no definite answer to it. To build a route, you need to choose a specific excursion. Most of the catacombs have official websites where you can see the directions.

For example, the most visited catacombs of Priscilla are located near the Villa Ada park. Buses No. 92 and 86 run in this direction, the desired stop is called Piazza Crati.

The first Roman catacombs catacombs were formed from single burials in family cemeteries and in the crypts of wealthy Romans, from where the early Christians began to make mines, cut through corridors and equip burial niches.

THE LAST SHELTER OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS

For three centuries, with incredible patience, the early Christians of pagan Rome carved hundreds of thousands of niches into the stone foundations of the capital of the empire for the burial of their dead.

Roman catacombs - burial places, mainly during the period of early Christianity - are located along Roman roads, in places traditionally reserved for necropolises: the fact is that the law forbade burial inside the city walls, so Roman roads for hundreds of years took on the character of cemeteries - at first pagan with mausoleums and columbariums, and in the first centuries of our era - Christian, in the form of catacombs. The largest collection of these underground cemeteries lies in a lowland along the Appian Way between the Church of St. Sebastian (often referred to as the “Temple of Sebastian-on-the-Catacombs”) and the circus of Maxentius. Starting from the IV century. the Christian cemetery near this place was called the "Cemetery in the Catacombs" (Coemeterium ad Catacumbas).

The first Roman catacombs are known from pre-Christian times, such as the Jewish catacombs on the Appian Way. There is controversy regarding the origin of the catacombs. Some argue that these are the remains of ancient quarries, where potzzolan clay was mined. Others insist that the Roman catacombs were originally created as a Christian necropolis. The width of the corridors is given as proof: they are so narrow that they are unsuitable for mining anything.

The earliest tombs appeared in the catacombs of Domitilla and Priscilla.

The catacombs of Domitilla are the largest in Rome. The first - still pagan - burials belong to the 1st century, in the 2nd century. the territory of these catacombs expanded and became an exclusively Christian burial place. In the III-IV centuries. the catacombs of Domitilla grew up to 4 floors, 5 m high each.

Three-level burials in the catacombs of Priscilla date back to the 2nd-5th centuries. These catacombs became famous for the fact that seven popes were buried here, among them Saint Sylvester I, to whom, according to legend, Emperor Constantine transferred power over the western half of the Roman Empire.

Domitilla and Priscilla are martyrs of the early Christian era. After these names of the catacombs were established among the people, a tradition developed, and other catacombs began to be called the names of the holy martyrs.

The popular belief that the Roman catacombs were a hiding place for early Christians persecuted by pagans has long been refuted. This would have been impossible: all the entrances and exits from the catacombs, as well as their internal structure, were well known to the Roman authorities. Moreover, even today it is clear that the entrances to the catacombs lead to wide stairs, and from there - straight into the labyrinth.

4th century became the century of the maximum expansion of the catacombs and ... their decline.

After Emperor Constantine the Great (272-337) proclaimed Christianity the dominant religion of Rome, the persecution of Christians also ceased. The catacombs lost their significance, and ordinary cemeteries began to be used for burial. But, having lost their original purpose, the catacombs turned into a place of pilgrimage: after all, the ashes of many martyrs rested here. Pilgrims left behind a lot of images and inscriptions, which currently have great cultural and historical value.

When Rome was attacked by the Goths of Alaric in 410 and then by the Vandals in 455, they also plundered the catacombs. After the Goths, ordinary townspeople also took up the plundering of the catacombs. To stop the looting, in the VIII-IX centuries. most of the remains of martyrs and saints were transferred from the catacombs to the churches within the city.

In the future, only single researchers showed interest in the catacombs. Only in the 19th century a systematic study of the catacombs began, which was facilitated by the establishment in 1925 by Pope Pius XI of the Institute of Christian Archeology under the pontiff. Since 1929, the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology has been studying the catacombs.

FROM LOCULUS TO ARKOSOL IUM

These Latin words refer to different types of burials in the catacombs, made depending on financial condition and social standing deceased while alive.

Today, about 50 catacombs have been discovered in the vicinity of Rome. Most often, the opening of the catacombs happened by accident, when people or grazing cattle fell into underground voids. Sometimes this discovery was the result of targeted research based on the study of "itinerarii" - descriptions of the travels of the first pilgrims who visited the burial places of martyrs in the period from the 4th to the 13th century, when this genre of Latin Christian literature fell out of favor.

All the catacombs are carved into porous volcanic tuff, which is typical for the environs of Rome.

There are small catacombs, such as those found in 1956 on Via Latina, one of the oldest Roman roads. The largest are the catacombs of Domitilla and St. Callistus - an intricate labyrinth of corridors about 20 km long on four levels, where up to 170 thousand burials are concentrated.

We can only speak about the total length of the Roman catacombs: more or less explored and covered up to 150 km, presumably the length of the galleries is about a thousand kilometers.

Corridors and galleries are sometimes so narrow that you can hardly get through them. The ceiling of the corridors is always flat, sometimes with a slight vault.

Historians believe that there are several million burials in the Roman catacombs, while up to 800 thousand have been found in separate burial chambers.

In early antiquity, burial structures were in the form of a primitive loculus - a rectangular niche in length human body, made perpendicular to the wall of the corridor or crypt and laid with a clay or marble slab, on which the name of the deceased and a pious epitaph were carved or painted: "Rest in peace", "May the Lord be with you." Sometimes the niche was sealed with a coin imprint on fresh mortar. Niches, located in 3-7 tiers, formed an extensive system of galleries. An even simpler way of burial is forma - a recess in the floor of the corridor.

Wealthy people were buried in the sepulcrum a mensa, or “dining tomb,” a rectangular niche carved into the wall with a recess in the floor, as well as in the arcosolium, a tomb with an arched entrance. If the family of the deceased could afford it, the deceased was buried in an expensive marble solium (sarcophagus) and a separate crypt-crypt.

When the Christian community grew, numerous believers began to gather at such burials, some crypts had to be expanded, the vault was raised and several were combined into one, forming chapels for worship.

All these galleries and corridors are located on several levels (floors) connected by stone steps.

Burials in the catacombs are not only Christian, but also Jewish and syncretic, which are difficult to attribute to a particular religion. This reflects the difficult process of forming a monotheistic worldview.

The usual plots of the frescoes of the catacomb prayer rooms are plots of stories from the Old and New Testaments: Daniel in the den with lions, the Virgin Mary on the throne, the Magi, Christ and the apostles. And everywhere - early Christian symbols: fish, lamb, anchor and dove. There are also secular themes that are unthinkable in later "above-ground" temples: for example, scenes in the market.

All drawings are monuments of late antique and partly early medieval art.

ATTRACTION

Catacombs (most famous):

■ Jewish (under Villa Torlonia and Vigna Randanini, 50 BC),

■ Syncretic (I century BC).

■ Christian (St. Sebastian, Domitilla, Priscilla, St. Agnes, St. Callistus, on Via Latina, I-IV centuries).

Historical:

■ Suburbs at the Aurelian Wall.

■ Appian Way (312 BC).

■ Via Latina (V-IV centuries BC).

■ Circus Maxentius (309).

Iconic:

■ Church of San Sebastian Fuori le Mura (St. Sebastian, 340),

■ Basilica of Santi Nereo e Achilleo (IV century).

■ Basilica of San Agnese Fuori le Mura (342).

■ The word "catacombs" in translation from Latin literally means "underground room", and they are not a creation of nature, but the work of man. Only with time did they begin to call any labyrinths, both of natural origin, and cut by man in an underground stone massif, including for mining. The original meaning of this word is a dungeon appointed for the burial of the dead, assemblies of early Christians for the secret performance of worship and salvation from persecution by the pagan authorities of Rome.
■ In addition to Rome, large catacombs - Christian necropolises - were built in the Italian cities of Naples and Syracuse, as well as in Alexandria (), Pech (), on the island and in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv,).
■ In terms of construction, the catacombs were created in the same way as mines, with the calculated height of the drifts, the arrangement of vertical supports, and even the ventilation system and light shafts-luminariums. The catacombs were cut through by fossors (diggers), united in the likeness of the current trade union. The work of the Fossors was very hard, while they occupied the lowest rung in the hierarchical structure of the early Christian community. On some frescoes in the catacombs, images of fossors in construction clothes and with a working tool in their hands have been preserved.
■ Paris catacombs, although they are called as such, they are actually old quarries. They were not built specifically for funerary purposes, and the millions of bones collected in them were from the abolished city cemeteries and the graves that surrounded the destroyed ones. different time churches.
■ Initially, the underground burials of Christians in Rome were named in the Roman manner - cemeteria, hypogea or area. The name "catacombs" appeared for the first time in the 4th century. in relation to the caemeteria of St. Sebastian, and was assigned to them only in the 9th century.
■ Catacomb burials of Christians resembled Jewish burials in almost every detail, and contemporaries did not see any difference between them.
■ Separate scenes from the novel by Alexandre Dumas père "The Count of Monte Cristo" take place in the catacombs of St. Sebastian, where Monte Cristo and Franz d'Epinay rescue Albert de Morser, captured by robbers. The writer was not far from the truth: in the XIX century. Anyone could walk around the Roman catacombs.
■ In accordance with a paragraph of the Lateran Agreements (treaties on relations between Italy and the Vatican of 1929), the catacombs under the Vatican became part of the territory of the Papal States.
■ Of the 47 Roman catacombs, only five are open to the public. Thus, the country's authorities are trying to protect the fragile historical heritage and show respect for the deceased.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Location: Rome, .
First burials: 1st c.
Language: Italian.
Ethnic composition: Italians.
Religion: Catholicism.
Monetary unit: euro.

NUMBERS

Number of catacombs: 47.
The length of the galleries: 100-150 km (probably over 1000 km).
Burials: 600-800 thousand

CLIMATE

Subtropical Mediterranean.
Average January temperature: +8°С.
Average July temperature: +24°С.
Average annual rainfall: 660 mm.

There are more than 40 catacobmas, the length of underground corridors of which is about 500 km! The exact number of burials is not known, but it is believed that about a million people were buried! The deepest tunnel is in the catacombs of St. Callists - 25 meters! The catacombs of St. Sebastian, St. Callists and Catacombs of Domitilla. All catacombs are under the care of monks of various orders.

In ancient Rome, it was impossible to bury people within the city - inside the walls of the city. In addition, the Romans cremated their dead by building huge funeral pyres for their great men, like Gaius Julius Caesar. The early Christians, on the contrary, did not recognize the custom of cremation. They understood the resurrection from the dead literally and therefore buried their dead in niches, which were closed either with cypress or marble boards. Now all these niches are open and there are no human remains. You can see small recesses above the niches in which the lamps burned.

Near the Appian Way (via Appia Antica) there are three complexes of catacombs: St. Callistus, St. Sebastian and the catacombs of Domitilla. The very word "catacomb" originally referred only to the catacombs of St. Sebastian, a kind of network of wells, underground galleries of which were used for the first burials of Christians. With the spread of a new religion, in which the burial ritual involved wrapping the body in cloth and burying it in the earth, it became necessary to expand the network of underground corridors for tens of kilometers. Sometimes they served people as a shelter from dangers. Roman pagans never descended into them, considering the catacombs to be the sanctuary of Christians.

The Romans did not know the word "catacombs"; they called them "cemeterium" - "chambers". Only one of the cemeteries, Saint Sebastian, was called "katacumbas" (from the Greek "deepening"). In the Middle Ages, only she was known, so since then all underground burials have been called catacombs.

Catacombs of St. Callista - the official cemetery of the Roman bishops, named after Pope Callista, who expanded and put them in order. Ardeatian graves, where 335 Italians are buried, shot by the Germans during the Second World War.

On the street of the Seven Churches are the Catacombs of Domitilla, bearing the name of the wife of Flavius ​​Clementius buried there. Let's go back to the Appian Way to see the catacombs and the church of St. Sebastian. In the three-tier catacombs there is a bust of the saint by the sculptor Bernini. Inside the church is the Albani chapel, the chapel of St. Sebastian and the chapel with holy relics. Further on are the Jewish Catacombs and the Pretextatus Catacombs, where pagan and Christian tombs are located.

On the Appian Way, the catacombs of St. Callistus are the first to be located - the most ancient place Christian burials in Rome. They are especially revered, as here are the graves of almost all the popes of the III century. This is a grandiose complex, located on four levels. Here it is necessary to pay special attention to the papal crypt and the crypt of St. Cecilia, in which the body of a young girl miraculously survived intact.

The nearby catacombs of St. Sebastian are the only ones open to pilgrims at all times. The entrance to them begins in the Basilica of St. Sebastian, built in the 4th century, but which has come down to us in a converted form (architects Flaminio Ponzio and Giovanni Vasanzio). The catacombs are located in several tiers. Noteworthy is Geon's cubiculum with frescoes from the end of the 4th century. Let us also mention the so-called Roman villa with architectural naturalistic decorations.

Our gaze is suddenly struck by a piazzola that appears at the intersection of narrow corridors. Facades of three mausoleums overlook it, which were used at first by pagans as urns for ashes, and then by Christians as graves for burials. Numerous wall inscriptions of believers are interesting.

They say that if you stretch all the Roman catacombs in one line, then it will be longer than the entire coast of Italy.

The entrance to the catacombs of Domitilla opens through the Basilica of Saints Hiereus and Achilles, completely destroyed in 1874 and then restored. A wonderful garden adjoins the basilica. In these catacombs, the cubiculum of Veneranda deserves attention first of all. The frescoes decorating the walls are distinguished by their extraordinary intensity and luminosity, and can be distinguished even by candlelight.

Charles Dickens, in Pictures from Italy, described his impressions of visiting the catacombs of St. Sebastian (the only ones known in the 1840s): An emaciated Franciscan monk with a wild burning gaze was our only guide in these deep and creepy dungeons. Narrow passages and openings in the walls, going in one direction or another, combined with stale, heavy air, soon forced out any memory of the path we walked ... We passed between the graves of martyrs for the faith: we walked along long vaulted underground roads, diverging in all directions and blocked in some places by stone blockages ... Graves, graves, graves!

The graves of men, women and their children who ran out to meet the persecutors, shouting: “We are Christians! We are Christians!” to be killed along with their parents; graves with a palm tree of martyrdom roughly carved on stone faces; small niches carved into the rock to store a vessel with the blood of a holy martyr; the graves of some of them who lived here for many years, leading the rest and preaching truth, hope and comfort at rough altars so strong that they stand there now; large and even more terrible graves, where hundreds of people, taken by surprise by their pursuers, were surrounded and tightly walled up, buried alive and slowly died of starvation.

The triumph of faith is not there, on earth, not in our magnificent churches, - said the Franciscan, looking around at us when we stopped to rest in one of the low aisles, where bones and dust surrounded us from all sides, - her triumph is here, in the midst of the martyrs for faith!

famous Roman catacombs- these are ancient underground cemeteries, an echo of the Jewish and Christian heritage. Most of them are carved into the tufa and are located outside the perimeter of the ancient walls of Rome (the walls of Aurelian), since it was forbidden to bury the dead in the city center.

A unique historical journey along ancient routes

A visit to the catacombs of Rome is an exciting historical journey: tunnels and secret passages will tell all about the customs and ritual traditions of the ancient Romans. There are more than 60 catacombs and thousands of graves in Rome and its environs, mostly located along ancient routes, for example, on, Ostian and on via Nomentana roads. But only five Roman catacombs are open to tourists.

So, here is a short guide to discover these places with their mystical atmosphere:

1. Catacombs of St. Callistus.

Located on the right side appian way next to a small church. They are one of the largest and most important in Rome. Created in the 2nd century A.D. uh, Catacombs of Saint Callistus are part of a burial complex with an area of ​​15 hectares, with labyrinths of long tunnels 20 km long. They reach a depth of 20 meters.

At the beginning of the 3rd century A.D. e. these catacombs began to be considered the official cemetery of the Roman Church and became the burial place for dozens of martyrs, 16 popes and hundreds of Christians. The catacombs consist of many sections, one of which contains Crypt Pap, also called "little Vatican" because nine popes are buried here. Another section is Crypt of Saint Cecilia who was martyred in the 3rd century AD. e. Above her burial there is a terrible sculpture depicting the headless body of the holy martyr after being tortured. A walking tour of the catacombs will give you an unforgettable experience of exploring the tombs, galleries and mysterious niches.

2. Catacombs of St. Sebastian.

The catacombs are located in the southern part of Rome on the Appian Way. In the 2nd century A.D. e. they were used for pagan burials and were later adapted into a Christian cemetery. The catacombs were named after Holy Martyr Sebastian, who was buried here after his death (298 AD). This saint survived torture and was beaten to death, but did not renounce the Christian faith. The body was transported and buried in the catacombs.

A tour of the catacombs of St. Sebastian consists of visiting four levels of burials. Frescoes of the 4th century depicting biblical episodes have been preserved at the deepest underground level. Three mausoleums, located on a small nine-meter square, are also rich in wall paintings dating back to the 2nd century AD. e. There are many graves in the narrow galleries of the catacombs. Each tomb is equipped with its own Chapel of Relics, which contains all sorts of small things (busts of the Savior, lamps, coins, goblets, necklaces, toys, etc.).

3. Catacombs of St. Domitilla.

These catacombs are one of the largest in Rome. The complex consists of 17 km. tunnels and corridors structured on four different levels(each up to 5 m in height). There are a total of 150,000 burials arranged in niches, some of which are decorated with frescoes and bas-reliefs. The catacombs of St. Domitilla are a network of corridor labyrinths carved into the tuff. They are 400 meters from the catacombs of St. Callisto towards the Appian Way. (#1 on our list). One of the best preserved, they clearly demonstrate the history of the burials of the ancient Romans. Dating back to the 3rd century, the catacombs were named after Saint Flavia Domitilla, the wife of a Roman consul who donated her land to the Christian community. Over time, this cemetery became the largest in Rome.

Tours of the catacombs of Saint Domitilla are conducted with a professional guide and in small groups for security reasons. If you are in Rome, be sure to explore its underground world!

4. Catacombs of Priscilla.

This is one of the oldest underground cemeteries in Rome, whose first burials date back to the 2nd century AD. Located opposite the Villa Ada (one of the largest parks in Rome with an area of ​​​​182 hectares), the catacombs are the tomb for seven popes (died during the persecution of Christians), hundreds of Christian martyrs and Pope Sylvester I, in whose honor a basilica was built over the catacombs. The original center of the cemetery complex is the so-called "crypt-porch" and extensive 13-kilometer corridors. A steep staircase leads you into a labyrinth of tunnels with arched ceilings and tree roots protruding from above. In the Greek chapel, the oldest image (approximately the 2nd century AD) of the Virgin Mary with a baby in her arms has been preserved. At the bottom of the catacombs are images of the most important moments in the life of an unknown woman, whose identity has not yet been established. The catacombs of Priscilla keep many more unsolved mysteries that you can plunge into with a guided tour.