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In the first century Rome's Christians did not have their own cemeteries.If they owned land, they buried their relatives there, otherwise they resorted to common cemeteries, where pagans too were buried. That is how Saint Peter came to be buried in the great public "necropolis" ("city of the dead") on Vatican Hill, available to everybody. Likewise Saint Paul was buried in a necropolis along the Via Ostiense.
In the first half of the second century, as a result of various grants and donations, the Christians started burying their dead underground. That is how the catacombs were founded. Many of them began and developed around family tombs, whose owners, newly converted Christians, did not reserve them to the members of the family, but opened them to their brethren in the faith.
With the passage of time, these burial areas grew larger by gifts or by the purchase of new properties, sometimes on the initiative of the Church itself. Typical is the case of Saint Callixtus: the Church took up directly the organization and administration of the cemetery, assuming a community character.
With the edict of Milan, promulgated by the emperors Constantine and Licinius in February 313, the Christians were no longer persecuted. They were free to profess their faith, to have places of worship and to build churches both inside and outside the city, and to buy plots of land, without fear of confiscation. Nevertheless, the catacombs continued to function as regular cemeteries until the beginning of the fifth century, when the Church retumed to bury exclusively above ground or in the basilicas dedicated to important martyrs.
When the barbarians (Goths and Longobards) invaded Italy and came down to Rome,they systematically destroyed a lot of monuments and sacked many places, including the catacombs. Powerless in the face of such repeated pillages, towards the end of the eighth century and the beginning of the ninth, the Popes ordered to remove the relics of the martyrs and of the saints to the city churches, for security reasons.
When the transfer of the relics was completed, the catacombs were no longer visited; on the contrary, they were totally abandoned, with the exception of Saint Sebastian, Saint Lawrence and of Saint Pancratius. In the course of time, landslides and vegetation obstructed and hid the entrances to the other catacombs, so that the very traces of their existence were lost. During the late Middle Ages they didn't even know where they were.
The exploration and scientific study of the catacombs started, centuries later, with Antonio Bosio (1575 - 1629), nicknamed the "Columbus of subterranean Rome". In the last century the systematic exploration of the catacombs, and in particular of those of Saint Callixtus, was carried out by Giovanni Battista de Rossi (1822 - 1894), who is considered the father and founder of Christian Archaeology.
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THE UNDERGROUND CEMETERY
THE UNDERGROUND CEMETERY
In describing this jewel-casket of ancient evidences, which are the catacombs, we shall confine ourselves to showing, following at first the pilgrims' route, the most significant places and things, without however repeating what we have said already about the catacombs in general, in the first part of this Internet site.
The entrance staircase
We descend immediately to the second floor of the catacombs by means of a modern staircase, reconstructed to a great extent on the remains of an older one, very probably from the 4th century. It was opened at the time of pope Damasus to allow the Christians an easier access to the martyrs' tombs. Attached along the walls of the first stretch of the stairway are many fragments of the sealing stones of loculi.
The statue of the Good Shepherd
On the landing, where the stairway turns to the right, there is a statue of the Good Shepherd, a replica of the famous 4th century one now in the Vatican Museum. The Good Shepherd with a lamb around his shoulders represents Christ carrying the soul which He has saved. It is the most frequent symbol of Christ and the best loved by the early Christians. It had for them the same importance which the Crucifix has for us now.
Agrippina's epigraph
Along the wall of the stairway are attached some funeral epigrams. One of them reveals the true meaning of death for a Christian: the day of death is called "the day in which she entered into light" "Cuius dies inluxit":
The Graffiti
At the foot of the stairs, on the wall now protected by glass, begins a series of graffiti scratched with an iron point on the plaster of the wall. They are names, words or even short phrases of invocation to the martyrs, written by pilgrims during their visit to the catacombs.
The graffiti are particularly frequent near the tombs of the martyrs. On the left wall of Gallery L, we read: "Felicio PBR (presbyter) peccator= Felicio, priest, a sinner" " O St. Sixtus, remember in your prayers Aurelius Repentinus..." " O holy Souls, remember Marcianus, Successus, Severus and all our brethren...". We also read the admiring expression by which an unknown Christian compared the Crypt of the Popes to heavenly Jerusalem: "O Jerusalem, city and ornament of God's martyrs ...".
On the left there is the opening which introduces us into the Crypt of the Popes.
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THE CRYPT OF THE POPES
THE CRYPT OF THE POPES
It is the most sacred and important place in these catacombs, discovered by the great archaeologist de Rossi in 1854, and labelled by him as " the little Vatican, the central monument of all Christian cemeteries". It originated towards the 2nd C. as a private crypt. When the "First Area" came under the direct dipendence of the Church of Rome, it was thought suitable to transform that burial chamber into the cemetery of the Popes.
In its lower part the crypt had four niches containing sarcophagi, and twelve tombs, six on each side: 16 sepulchres in all. In front of the end-wall, a table-tomb ("a mensa") was built The sepulchres, now empty, once contained the remains of 9 Popes and of 8 Bishops of the 3rd century.
You can still see the original inscriptions on the wall, though broken and incomplete, regarding five of the Popes. Their names are written in Greek, following the official usage of the Church in that time.
On four tombstones, next to the name of the Pontiff, there is the title of epģ(scopos), which means "bishop", because he was the head of the Church of Rome. The title papa (pope - father), became exclusive to the bishop of Rome during the 4th century. On two slabs some years later was added the abbreviation MRT ("martyr", which means "witness").This title was given to the Christians who had witnessed their faith in Christ, by shedding their blood.
The names of the Popes, written on the tombstones, are:
St. Pontianus (230-235), died a martyr in Sardinia, where he had been exiled and condemned to hard labour in the mines, ad metalla. Shortly after his arrival there, he abdicated in order to avoid making difficulties for the Church during his absence.
The unhealthy climate, the racking work in the mines and the bad treatment probably hastened his end. When he died, the Church considered him a true martyr. A few years later. pope Fabian had his body brought back from Sardinia and given honourable burial in the Crypt of the Popes in St. Callixtus.
St. Antherus (235-236), of Greek origin, had a very brief pontificate, only 43 days, all of them passed in prison.
St.Lucius I (253-254). His pontificate was short: eight months in all, part of which passed in exile at Civitavecchia.
St. Eutichian (275-283), from Luni, in Liguria (Italy), was the last of the nine Popes to be buried in this crypt.
St. Sixtus II (257-258), called by St. Ciprian "a good and peace-loving priest", is certainly one of the most illustrious martyrs of the early Church. He is considered the martyr par excellence of the Catacombs of
St. Callixtus. While he was conducting a religious service in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, Sixtus was arrested by the Emperor Valerian's soldiers. After a very hasty trial he was beheaded on the spot on that same day, the 6th of August 258, and with him four deacons.
Two poems by St. Damasus (366-384).
On the right-hand wall of the Crypt of the Popes there are two original fragments of a poem by Damasus, celebrating Sixtus II's martyrdom:
"At the time when the sword (persecution)
pierced the bowels of the Mother (Church),
I,(now) buried here, taught as pastor (pope)
the Word of God (the divine Scriptures).
When suddenly the soldiers rushed in,
dragged me from the (episcopal) chair.
The faithful offered their necks to the sword,
But as soon as the Pastor saw the ones
who wished to rob him of the palm (of martyrdom)
he was the first to offer himself
and his own head, not tolerating
that the (pagan) frenzy should harm the others.
Christ, who gives recompense,
made manifest the Pastor's merit,
preserving unharmed the flock".
Three more Popes buried in the crypt are: St. Stephen (254-257), St. Dionysius (259-268) and St.Felix(269-274); there is no trace of their epitaphs.
In the 4th century this burial place was transformed by pope Damasus into a small underground church; the walls were decorated with marbles; in the roof two skylights were opened; an altar was placed in front of the marble slab; two spiral columns rested on high basis which still remain in place. They supported an architrave which carried, according to the ancient usage, lamps, crosses and ornamental wreaths.
Before the tomb of Sixtus II, on the lower part of the wall, pope Damasus placed a poem in Latin hexameters, perhaps the most famous of all his compositions. He commemorates the martyrs and confessors buried in the crypt and in the entire catacomb:
"If you are looking for, know that here lies a host of the Blessed.
The venerable sepulchres enclose the bodies of the Saints,
but the royal palace of heaven carried off to itself their sublime souls.
Here lie the companions of Sixtus who bear the trophies won from the enemy.
Here the group of the elders who keep guard of the altars of Christ.
Here the bishop who lived through the long peace.
Here the holy Confessors sent to us from Greece.
Here the young men and children, the old men and their chaste nephews
who preferred to keep their virgineal purity.
Here too,I, Damasus, confess I would have liked to have been buried
were it not for fear of vexing the holy ashes of the Blessed".
"The companions of Sixtus" are the four deacons : Gennarius, Magnus, Vincent and Stephen, who were martyred with him. "The group of the elders, who keep guard of the altars of Christ" are clearly the popes buried in this catacomb. "The bishop who lived through the long peace" refers to a pope who lived before the great persecutions roused by Diocletian between the end of the 3rd and the first years of the 4th century: he is either Fabian or Dionysius or Eutichian.
"The holy confessors sent to us from Greece" are probably a group of martyrs : Martia, Neon, Hippolytus, Adria, Paulina, Martha, Valeria, Eusebius and Marcellus, who were buried in the "Callixtian Complex".
Passing through a narrow opening on the left of the end wall of the Crypt of the Popes, we reach the Crypt of St. Cecilia.
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THE CRYPT OF SAINT CECILIA
THE CRYPT OF SAINT CECILIA
Along the left wall is a great niche where was placed the sarcophagus containing the body of St. Cecilia. It remained there until the year 821, when pope Paschal I had her remains transferred to Trastevere, in the basilica dedicated to the Saint.
The statue is a copy of the famous work by Stefano Maderno (1566-1636), carried out in 1599, when there took place the recognition of her relics. The body was found in the position represented by the sculptor.
He brought out into relieft the cut of the sword on her neck and the position of her fingers: three fingers open on the right hand and one on the left. According to tradition, the saint wished to show her faith in the Trinity and in the Unity of God.
The crypt was covered with mosaics and frescoes, which eventually wore away. Of the last ones there remain some figures. On the left wall near the statue there are two pictures in Byzantine style, which date to the end of the 8th C. and the beginning of the 9th. In the small niche below there is the image of Christ "pantocrątor" (omnipotent) holding a Gospel. Above the niche there is the figure of St. Cecilia as an "Orante". Below, to the right, is the figure of St. Urban I, pope and martyr, united in the martyr's Passio. On the wall of the skykight we can see a cross between two lambs and the three martyrs Polycamus, Sebastian and Quirinus.
Some inscriptions are preserved in the crypt. The most important one refers to a certain Septimius Fronton of senatorial rank. It is written in Greek and dates back to the end of the 3rd century. It reads:
"I, Septimius Fronton, Pretextatus Licinianus
servant of God, repose here .
I shall have no regret for having lived an honest life.
I will serve you also in heaven ( o Lord)
and will praise your Name (for ever).
I gave back my soul to God at the age of
33 years and 6 months".
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THE CUBICLES OF SACRAMENTS
THE CUBICLES OF SACRAMENTS
In this Gallery A, on the left side, there are five small rooms, truly family tombs. Their importance is due to the frescoes which date back from the beginning of the 3rd century. They frequently depict symbolically the sacraments of Baptism and of the Eucharist.
With these drawings the Christians of the first centuries wished to recall their catechumenate (i.e. their preparation to Baptism) and leave a message to their contemporaries. They had become Christians through Baptism and had persevered in their Christian life by frequent communion. They also wanted to remind their dear ones, and whoever visited their tombs, that one day they would be united again only if they shared the same means of salvation.
The Baptism
As the Fathers of the Church taught in their writings, these means of salvation were prefigured in the Old Testament. This appears in the miracle of Moses striking the rock, enabling the Jewish people to quench their thirst in the desert (Ex17,1-71). The Baptism of Christ is also a prefiguration of Christian Baptism.
On the back wall in Cubicle A2 is found the oldest representation of a true Christian Baptism: a priest dressed in tunica and pallium places his right hand on the head of the person being baptized, and standing in a stream.
Other representations of Baptism are the fisherman, the Samaritan woman at the well of Sichem, the paralytic in the pool of Bethesda.
The Eucharist
As seen in these cubicles the preference of the Christians for the symbols of the Eucharist goes to the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Jo 6,1-15). Through this miracle, Jesus promised a very particular and different bread: his body ( Jo 6,22-59). The scene of the multiplication of the loaves is always repeated in the same way: seven person sit round a table. The number seven is symbolic and indicates that all are called by God to be saved. Two or three dishes with loaves are placed on the table, and at the sides of the table are baskets of bread which may contain seven to twelve loaves.
The Biblical Jonah
The prophet Jonah, a biblical figure very dear to the early Christians, appears in all these cubicles. Jonah had preached repentance and conversion to the inhabitants of Nineveh, that is to the pagans. Jonah symbolizes the call to salvation of all men, whether Jews or pagans. Indeed, since the faithful buried in this crypt were originally all pagans, the prophet came to be the image of God's universal mercy.
Jonah is also a symbol of resurrection. Jesus himself quotes Jonah as a figure of this reality: "As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, and then rise again (Mt 12,40).
The "Martyrs' Staircase"
At the end of the Cubicles of Sacraments there begins the "Martyrs' Staircase", excavated about the middle of the 2nd century, and which still preserves steps of that period. It was called the "Martyrs' Staircase" because the Popes buried in the nearby crypt passed that way. It is also thought that young Tarcisius used it when he came to pray at the tombs of the martyr popes, or to get the Eucharist and carry it to the Christians in prison or in their homes during a period of persecution.
