Description

Essentials about the Catacombs of Rome in brief

Rome has plenty of sights to offer not only above ground. There are also interesting things to discover underground in the city, namely the catacombs – kilometer-long underground galleries that became the final resting place for thousands and thousands of Romans. However, of the more than 60 known catacombs, only five can be visited.

The history of the Catacombs of Rome

The oldest catacombs at the gates of Rome are of pre-Christian origin. The pagan Roman population and the members of the Jewish diaspora in Rome were already using underground burial chambers, and there was a simple reason for this: the scarcity and increasing cost of land with the ever-increasing need for space. So what could be more obvious than to move the burial places underground, on a relatively small area, but provided with three, four or even five galleries next to and above each other, in which the burial chambers were lined up close together? The early Christians adopted the custom of burying their dead in catacombs in the 2nd century and developed it into an independent burial culture.

By the 5th century, catacombs, new and existing, had been significantly expanded by Christians. Many martyrs were buried in them, and sites for the veneration of saints were created, where religious services and Christian festive gatherings were also held. Valuable early Christian symbols are preserved in the furnishings of the rooms, which were expanded to the extent of an underground basilica. Incidentally, as is often erroneously claimed, the catacombs were not used as a secret refuge for persecuted Christians, for they were in no way secret.

During the invasion of the Germanic tribes in the 5th century, many catacombs were destroyed. With the decline of Rome, they gradually fell into oblivion. This was also related to the fact that the monumental church building that flourished during this period brought about a change in burial culture. From the subterranean confinement, burial was moved to the inner-city cemeteries in the shadow of the churches. In the 8th and 9th centuries, the popes had the relics of the martyrs transferred from the catacombs to the churches of Rome. However, many of them also found their way to churches and monasteries in other European countries, because there was a good business to be made with them, and by no means all the bones sold were martyrs’ relics from the Roman catacombs.

The location of the Catacombs of Rome

If you look at the location of the catacombs on a map, you will notice that they are concentrated along the ancient arterial roads. Of course, this is no coincidence. In fact, an ancient Roman law, the Law of the Twelve Tablets, stipulates that a person’s body should not be burned or buried in the city. Arterial roads such as the Via Aurelia (to the west), the Via Tiburtina (to the east) or the Via Appia (to the south) lay outside the city area defined by sacral law, here there were still affordable plots of land and, above all, the soft volcanic tuff soil was excellently suited for the construction of underground passages, stairways and tombs.

The Catacombs of Calixtus and the Catacombs of Domitilla

The most famous of the five catacombs to visit are located on the Via Appia Antica, which leads south out of the city. In the Calixtus Catacombs, on an area of (above ground) 15 hectares, there are about 500,000 tombs on five levels. In addition, there are 63 family tombs and crypts. The corridors have a total length of about 20 kilometers. In a crypt nine popes of the 3rd century were buried. There is also a chamber where St. Cecilia lay. She was found there lying and beheaded. She also showed the profession of faith with three fingers. Not far from the Calixtus Catacombs are the Domitilla Catacombs. They are considered the largest and most impressive catacombs in Rome, because they have four floors containing the tombs, each of which is five meters high.

The Catacombs of Priscilla and Sebastian and the Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter

The Priscilla Catacombs are located on Via Salaria, in the immediate vicinity of the Villa Ada Park. In two levels, each laid out in a herringbone pattern, they contain about 40,000 tombs in corridors totaling 13 kilometers in length. The entrance to the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian is located in the aisle of the Basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le mura. Above these catacombs, the Basilica Apostolorum, dedicated to the Apostles Peter and Paul, was built in the 4th century. Last but not least, the catacombs of Saints Marcellinus and Peter can be visited at the Mausoleum of Helena on Via Casilina.

Website

Catacombs of Calixtus: turismoroma.it/catacombe-di-san-callisto

Catacombs of Domitilla: domitilla.info

Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter: santimarcellinoepietro.it

Catacombs of Priscilla: catacombepriscilla.com

Catacombs of Sebastian: turismoroma.it/catacombe-di-san-sebastiano

Opening hours

Catacombs of Calixtus:

Admission fees

Catacombs of Calixtus:

Adults: €8.00

Concessions: €5.00

Catacombs of Domitilla:

Adults: €8.00

Concessions: €5.00

Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter:

Adults: €8.00

Concessions: €5.00

Catacombs of Priscilla:

Adults: €8.00

Concessions: €5.00

Catacombs of Sebastian:

Adults: €8.00

Concessions: €5.00

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Catacombs of Calixtus:

By car:

Parking is limited at all catacombs.