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Before beginning this itinerary through the largest catacombs of Rome we should slop for a moment in an attempt to clear up the origin of the name and the general elements that characterize these monuments, to frame them as phenomenon in its historical light and to understand the value of certain terms used in the descriptions.
The name «catacomb» was born in Rome very casually. Anyone going along the Via Appia, before arriving at the tomb of Caecilia Metella near the point of the Circus o) Maxentius, will note a dip. Originally, this point was called «catacumbas», a Creek expression which meant «near the hole», referring to the dip in the road which is still noticeable even though the road level has been raised by several meters. Right on this exact spot rose that which is called today the Cemetery of St. Sebastian and which, during the Middle Ages was the only known catacomb. But from this we move on to the others, so that the name «catacomb» was not tied only to this but to each successively rediscovered cemetery of its type. The name, which signifies underground cemetery» has remained almost exclusively in Rome even though underground cemeteries have been discovered in other locations ).
I should here make it clear that the catacombs are not the oldest cemeteries in Rome In fact during the 1st and for the better part of the 2nd centuries the faithful of the Christian community of Rome were buried in communal necropolis together with pagan dead. This is evident for example between the years 64 and 67 A.D. when the apostle Peter was buried on the slopes of the Vatican Hill and St. Paul at the side of Via Ostiense in a large cemetery near the left bank of the Tiber.
Why did the catacombs appear? Among ancient peoples there was always a strong desire to have tombs and to honour their dead. To be left unburied was the worst possible end.
Even the bodies of criminals who had suffered capital punishment were requested by family or friends so that they might be buried. Slaves too, who while they lived represented only a means of exploitation to their masters were accorded the right to be buried in the family tomb
A <omb, in substance, represented for the ancients a place where the memory of the name survived long after the deterioration of the body. For the Christian however, it represented a great deal more. Death for those who believed in Christ wasn't the end of life but the beginning of a waiting period that would end with the day of resurrection when the worthy would be united again with their bodies and would enjoy eternal beatitude. It was exactly this vision of an after-life that caused every Christian to consider the tomb a -domus or house where he profited from the prayers of his loved ones and the memory of the brothers of his community. A place to rat and await and not, as many continue to insist, a place where others lived or took refuge. Keeping this thought in mind, we can understand how with the growth of the community and with a more stable organization, the Christians wanted communal areas where, far from indiscreet and disrespectful glances they could unite to perform rites in honour of their dead, take care of the tombs of their loved ones, and express with inscriptions, sculptures and pictorial decorations the sentiments of their invocations, their wishes, their prayers and, above all, their faith in the mercy of our Lord and the enjoyment of a |
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beatified life m the heavenly kingdom.This is how during the course of time the first underground centers appeared, which in the 3rd century formed those areas which we call the catacombs. A strict Roman law forbade burial within the walls of the city so that areas were selected in small hills along the sides of the consular roads which had already been beautified by sumptuous monuments built by the most noble families.
In most cases the formation of the first catacombs came about in areas of private properly. Permission for the digging was given by the owner either because he was in fact a Christian or because he felt an obligation to one of his freedmen.
Two things were essential for an excavation in depth: the existence of a small hill or hump naturally formed and the presence of a material (e.g. sufficiently packed tufa) that provided the possibility of opening passageways. Sometimes quarries of pozzolana were used since most of the digging had already been done. Every tomb in this vast complex of walls and corridors with many rows (loculi) was identified with a particular marking. Often the only necessary thing u as an object or a simple fragment such as a lamp, a coin, the base of a goblet, a medallion, a child's toy or a common symbol such as the monogram of Christ. |
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