Because the Christians rejected cremation, (they preferred burial, just as Christ was buried) this position created a space problem. The Christians also faced the challenge of owning limited property. Thus the catacombs solved a few problems. It was far cheaper to dig underground than to buy more land! There is also the belief that the catacombs contributed to a sense of community – they wished to be together, even in the “sleep of death.” And lastly, since their religion in the 2nd century was “illegal” and they were often persecuted, these outlying areas provided refuge and privacy.

Once Christianity was legalized, the Christians were no longer persecuted. The catacombs were still the burial spot of choice until the fifth century when the Church returned to burying the dead above ground – or in basilicas. When the barbarians invaded Rome they destroyed many monuments and sites, and the catacombs were no exception. They were raided, pillaged, for centuries. Finally in the late 700′s and early 800′s the Popes moved the relics of the martyrs to the city churches for their security and protection. Thus, most of the catacombs were abandoned. Many were lost. In the 17th century, Antono Bosio, the “Columbus of of subterranean Rome,” began exploring the catacombs. His initial work was followed up by Giovanni Battista de Rossi, in the 1800′s, who is considered the father and founder of Christian Archaeology.

When you go down into the catacombs you’ll see many of the following:

• Loculi – these are the rectangular niches that are cut out of the walls. They were primarily for ONE body, but sometimes they did contain the remains of more than one person. The bodies were wrapped in a burial shroud – in imitation of Christ. There were no coffins – Christians were too poor. The loculi was then sealed by a slab of marble or more commonly, by tiles and mortar. You’ll see many open loculi as you walk through the catacombs – Sorry kids, no bodies….
• Arcosolium – Built primarily in the 3rd and 4th century, these tombs are much larger niches than the loculi. They usually had an arch above them and served as a burial chamber for an entire family.
• Forma – A tomb dug into the floor of a crypt – a practice that was carried over to churches in later times.
• Sarcophagus – You’ve seen plenty of these in your museum treks. These are the stone, or marble, coffins. Often they are dressed with inscriptions and sculptured reliefs.
• Cubicula – These rooms, translated as “bedrooms,” were actually multiple loculi. This collection of loculi represented a family tomb. Often these rooms were decorated with frescoes portraying biblical scenes.
• Crypt – An even larger room. Many martyr tombs were converted into Crypts.

There were more than sixty catacombs in Rome, each with many, many miles of corridors – all of this built underground. It was an incredible construction feat. Today there five primary Catacombs you can visit. CLICK ON ANY CATACOMB LINK BELOW for more information: 

• The Catacombs of San Callisto
• The Catacombs of St. Sebastian
• The Catacombs of Domitilla
• The Catacombs of St. Agnes
• The Catacombs of Priscilla

The information provided on each of these is time-bound, so do check closure times and dates before you make the trek out to the catacomb you’d like to see. Once there, you will have to join a tour – You cannot wander through the catacombs unescorted. Depending on your groups size, and your tour guide, the tours generally take about 30 minutes. Admission prices are rising, effective 01/01/2010, the prices will be 8 € full price; 5 € reduced fee.

The catacombs are closed on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Easter, and for one month in the winter for restoration. Again, check before you go! The next few posts will go through each of these catacombs, or CLICK THE CATACOMB LINK ABOVE to go directly to the catacomb you seek more information on!

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The catacombs of Italy are entrusted to the Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology, which carries out the works of excavation, exploration and restoration and takes charge of preparing studies and aids (books, pamphlets, souvenirs, videos, etc.) for all the catacombs.
Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology
via Napoleone III, no. 1
00185 Rome, Italy
tel. +39/06/4465610
fax. +39/06/4467625
web site: www.vatican.va/roman_curia

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Catacombe di San Callisto/Catacombs of St. Callixtus

Via Appia Antica, 126
00179 Rome, Italy
tel. +39/06/51301580
fax +39/06/51301567
Website: www.catacombe.roma.it

Closed on Wednesdays
Hours: 9.00 – 12.00 and 14.00 – 17.00
8 € full price; 5 € reduced fee (effective 01/01/2010)

From The Christian Catacombs of Rome website:

“The catacombs of St. Callixtus are among the greatest and most important of Rome. They originated about the middle of the second century and are part of a cemetery complex which occupies an area of 90 acres, with a network of galleries about 12 miles long, in four levels, more than twenty meters deep. In it were buried tens of martyrs, 16 popes and very many Christians. They are named after the deacon Callixtus who, at the beginning of the third century, was appointed by pope Zephyrinus as the administrator of the cemetery and so the catacombs of St. Callixtus became the official cemetery of the Church of Rome.”

Often it is easier to drive to the Catacombs, as they are “outside” central Rome, but as most visitors do not drive in Rome (for good reason), here are the public transportation options for the Catacombs of St. Callisto.

Option 1 – From Roma Termini Station, take bus 714 to Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano (St. John Lateran Square). Then take bus 218 and get off at stop FOSSE ARDEATINE. The entrance to the catacombs is just opposite the bus stop.

Pictured above is the Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano stop, just to the northeast of the church. Get off here and wait for the bus 218. You can also ride the bus 81 and bus 665 to this same stop, depending on where you are in town. These two buses also connect with the bus 218 here. Then ride these stops: P.ZA S. GIOVANNI IN LATERANO , IPPONIO , ILLIRIA , LICIA , EPIRO , CAMERIA , PORTA S. SEBASTIANO , APPIA ANTICA/TRAVICELLA , APPIA ANTICA/DOMINE QUO VADIS , ARDEATINA , FOSSE ARDEATINE, As you can see, Fosse Ardeatine is the 10th stop on the bus 218.

Above is the Fosse Ardeatine stop. Clicking on the ATAC link, FOSSE ARDEATINE, you can zoom in and out and get a better sense of the location. Suffice to say, you are out on the Appian Way! Note Via Appia Antica to the north of you in this picture.

To return, just catch the bus 218 back into town from the Appian Way and reverse your tracks!

Option 2 – If you are not near Roma Termini Station or it’s not convenient for you, then ride the metro. Take any train(s) to metro station San Giovanni on Metro Line A. In this picture, it is almost directly in the center, marked by the white M in the red square. Walk north, through the Aurelian Walls, straight up the street until you see the bus stop. This will be the START of the bus 218 run, so you may see a bus just parked there. The driver is probably on his break and the bus will leave in 5-10 minutes. Get on bus 218 and ride the bus ELEVEN stops to stop FOSSE ARDEATINE as outlined above. You can also ride the bus 218 back to here as this is the FINAL stop on the run… then just jump on the metro!

Option 3 – If you are on the Metro B line or close to Piramide Metro Station, then this may work best for you. Go to the Piramide Metro station, which is also connected to the Railway Station Ostiense (perfect for cruisers coming in from Civitavecchia) and go out front and get on the bus 118. This is the starting point for the run so again, like the bus 218 above, you may have to wait until the driver finishes his break. Take the bus 118 about 14 stops until you get to the stop CATACOMBE S.CALLISTO.

These are the stops from the Piramide Metro Station to your stop: PORTA S. PAOLO , AVENTINO/ALBANIA , AVENTINO , CIRCO MASSIMO , TERME CARACALLA/PORTA CAPENA , TERME CARACALLA/VALLE CAMENE , PORTA S. SEBASTIANO/NUMA POMPILIO , PORTA S. SEBASTIANO/SEPOLCRO SCIPIONI , PORTA S. SEBASTIANO , APPIA ANTICA/TRAVICELLA , APPIA ANTICA/DOMINE QUO VADIS , APPIA ANTICA/CAFFARELLA , APPIA ANTICA/SCUOLA AGRARIA , CATACOMBE S.CALLISTO.

Once there, you will have to walk south to southwest from the bus stop. Here’s a map of where you will get off the bus 118

The blue marker is the arriving bus 118. This is the CATACOMBE S.CALLISTO stop. The red marker symbolizes the bus 218 arrival point. You can see where the Catacombs are in this map. So walk south to southwest on the narrow “road” and you’ll come directly to the entrance. Its only about 210 meters, from the blue dot to the red dot!

And, on return, depending on where you are headed, walk back to the bus 118 stop to get you back to Piramide (Or Circo Massimo) Metro Line B stations… or hop on the bus 218 and head to the San Giovanni area. Of course, you can always take a taxi. Write down the address, at the top of this article, and hand it to the taxi driver.

Reference material pulled from

• The Christian Catacombs of Rome
• ATAC Bus Routing

To go to a specific Catacomb page on the Ron-in-Rome website, click on any link below

• Catacombs of Rome – Summary
• The Catacombs of St. Sebastian
• The Catacombs of Domitilla
• The Catacombs of St. Agnes
• The Catacombs of Priscilla

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Catacombe di San Sebastiano/ Catacombs of St. Sebastian

Via Appia Antica, 136
00179 Rome, Italy
tel. +39/06/7887035
fax +39/06/7843745
website: www.catacombe.org

Closed on Sundays
Hours: 9.00 – 12.00 and 14.00 – 17.00
Currently, 6 € full price; 3 € reduced fee – projected increase 01/01/2010

The Catacombs of St. Sebastian were among the first Christian tombs to be built. The church here is one of the seven pilgrimage churches of Rome and is named for St. Sebastian, who is buried here. These catacombs are four levels deep with more than six miles of corridors. They have fascinating early paintings, graffiti, stucco work and mosaics.

In the church, on the first chapel to the left is a smooth white-marble St. Sebastian sculpture full of arrow holes. It was designed by Bernini but carried out by Antonio Giorgetti. The adjacent steps lead down to a crypt with the urn containing the Saint’s relics.

Other Holy relics, visited by pilgrims for centuries, are in the right chapel, including what are believed to be a stone with the footprints Jesus Christ left when he met St. Peter fleeing from Rome, arrows which pierced St. Sebastian and the column to which he was bound, as well as the hands of St. Callisto and St. Andrew.

Getting here is similar to Option 3 as listed above in the Catacombs of St. Callisto posting. As you can see from the map, it’s a straight shot from one to the other once you get on the Via Appia Antica. Actually, according to Google Maps, it’s about 4/10 of a mile. If you walk it, be prepared. There are no sidewalks and it is rough cobblestone. Also, if it’s not Sunday, you’ll have to share the road with buses, cars, and motorini.

If you ride the bus 118, then it’s very simple. Rather than getting off at the CATACOMBE S.CALLISTO stop, get off at the NEXT stop, which is the BASILICA S. SEBASTIANO. This bus stop is marked by the red ball on the map above. It’s adjacent to the church and catacomb entrance. You CANNOT ride the bus 218 out to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian. After it stops at the FOSSE ARDEATINE stop adjacent to the Catacombs of San Callisto entrance, it turns in a direction AWAY from the Catacombs of St. Sebastian… so either get on the bus 118, or walk the 4/10 of a mile as shown on the map above.

Now, returning to town from the Catacombs of St. Sebastian is a little tricky. If you come out after your visit and get back on the bus 118 at the red ball – the stop you GOT OFF the bus – you are going in the WRONG direction. You’ll have to ride the bus 118 to the end of it’s run, wait for the driver to take his break… and then come all the way back. Add at least 45 minutes to your trip!

The problem is the road in front of the Church is ONE-WAY and the WRONG WAY for you if you want to head back into town. No, to get back into town, you have to walk a little. You could walk back to the Catacombs of San Callisto and catch a bus there, but there are closer options. In the map above, note the two blue balls. These are the stops of the bus 118 on its RETURN RUN, back into town. So once you exit the Church and Catacombs, walk about 100 feet and TURN LEFT onto a little road, Vicolo della Basilica. This small street connects you to the Via Appia Antica HEADED BACK INTO TOWN. Once you dead-end into the Via Appia Antica, you can go left or right to the nearest bus stops – APPIA PIGNATELLI/S. URBANO , APPIA PIGNATELLI/APPIA ANTICA .

The bus 118 will stop on the way back into town at the Circo Massimo Metro Line B station, which is a short walk from the Colosseo. You can catch the Metro Line B at Circo Massimo – or stay on the bus and it ends at Piramide Metro Line B and the Roma Ostiense Railway Station… Again, the perfect place to catch a train back to Civitavecchia is you are cruising.

This is IMPORTANT. The bus 118 is a LONG run and therefore you may have to wait 30 minutes or more for the bus to return on its inbound run. Your only other option would be to walk to the Catacombs of San Callisto and catch the bus 218, which would take you to the San Giovanni area. Going out to both of these catacombs can be a time consuming travel experience. Plan your time accordingly.

Reference material pulled from

• The Catacombs of St. Sebastian
• ATAC Bus Routing

To go to a specific Catacomb page on the Ron-in-Rome website, click on any link below

• Catacombs of Rome – Summary
• The Catacombs of San Callisto
• The Catacombs of Domitilla
• The Catacombs of St. Agnes
• The Catacombs of Priscilla

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Catacombe di Domitilla/Catacombs of Domitilla

Via delle Sette Chiese, 282/0
00147 Rome, Italy
tel. +39/06/5110342, 06/5133956
fax +39/06/51354 61
Website: http://domitilla.soverdi.eu
Email: info@domitilla.soverdi.eu
Closed on Tuesdays

Hours: 9.00 – 12.00 and 14.00 – 17.00
8 € full price; 5 € reduced fee

The Catacombs of Domitilla are among the best preserved and oldest in Rome. These Catacombs are also among the most extensive in the area around Rome. They contain the only underground Basilica you’ll see in Rome, more than ten miles of corridors and almost 150,000 burial spots. The land was donated to the Christians by the noble Flavia Domitilla, granddaughter of the emperor Vespasian – the emperor who built the Colosseo! One of the highlights is a second century fresco of the Last Supper. The Catacombs of  Domitilla is closed on Tuesdays and in January. Worth making the trip to see!

Getting here is quite easy. It’s out towards the Appian Way. In fact, it’s only about a quarter-mile from the Catacombs of San Callisto. So you could easily walk from one to another. See the map below:

BUS 714

From Roma Termini station, just as if you were going to the Catacombs of San Callisto, you get on the bus 714. To get to these catacombs, you’ll stay on the bus for about twelve stops. Don’t be alarmed if you start heading out a town on a huge roadway and see signs to the airport or the beach, This is Via Cristoforo Colombo, one of the busiest (and biggest) roads in Rome. Get off the bus at Piazza dei Navigatori. The bus stop, appropriately enough, is called NAVIGATORI. From there, you will cross the BIG street and head to Via delle Sette Chiese. Walk down the street until you get to #282. It’s about a 3/10 of a mile from the bus stop.

The bus 714 route to the Catacombs is as follows: TERMINI , S. MARIA MAGGIORE , MERULANA/BRANCACCIO , MERULANA/MECENATE , MERULANA/LABICANA , P.ZA S. GIOVANNI IN LATERANO , L.GO AMBA ARADAM , TERME CARACALLA , COLOMBO/MARCO POLO , COLOMBO/BAVASTRO , COLOMBO/C.NE OSTIENSE , COLOMBO/PADRE SEMERIA , NAVIGATORI.

BUS 30

The bus 30 will also get you to this stop. This bus cuts across town and covers many areas where you may be staying. It starts near the Vatican, then heads through Piazza Cavour, Piazza Navona, Largo Argentina, the Campodoglio area, the Railway station at Ostiense, and then onto Via Cristoforo Colombo… and you can get off again at NAVIGATORI. This is a GREAT express bus with fewer stops and lots of options. If you are staying on the south or west side of the city, this is your bus!

Above is a map from the ATAC site of the route… again, this may be the answer for you if you’re staying in-town. And here’s the route: CLODIO , MAZZINI/CALBOLI , LEPANTO , CICERONE/CAVOUR , ZANARDELLI , RINASCIMENTO , VIA TORRE ARGENTINA , TEATRO MARCELLO/ARA COELI , PETROSELLI , MARMORATA/VANVITELLI , CAVE ARDEATINE , STAZ. OSTIENSE, MARCO POLO/BRICHETTI , COLOMBO/BAVASTRO , NAVIGATORI.

BUS 160

The bus 160 will get you from downtown in the Via del Corso area out to the Catacombs of Domitilla. This bus starts at Piazza San Silvestro, right off the Via del Corso. Passing through Piazza Venezia and the Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth) stops, you can get on this bus at the Circo Massimo Line B Metro stop – so bus 160, like bus 30 has a metro connection! Here’s the run out to the catacombs on the bus 160: S. SILVESTRO , CORSO/MINGHETTI , P.ZA VENEZIA , TEATRO MARCELLO/ARA COELI , PETROSELLI , BOCCA DELLA VERITA’ , GRECA , CIRCO MASSIMO , BACCELLI , GUERRIERI , CHIARINI/GUERRIERI , COLOMBO/BAVASTRO , COLOMBO/C.NE OSTIENSE , COLOMBO/PADRE SEMERIA , NAVIGATORI ,

BUS 670 – BUS 671

Two other buses to consider are the bus 670 and bus 671. These will get you to the same stop, but frankly are probably limited to most travelers because of where they start. The run of the bus 670 is PINCHERLE/PARRAVANO , PINCHERLE/AMALDI , PINCHERLE/PISATI , PINCHERLE/MARCONI , MARCONI/PINCHERLE , MARCONI/BORTOLOTTI , CALZECCHI , BALDELLI , GIUSTINIANO , GIUSTINIANO/SETTIMIO SEVERO , GIUSTINIANO/VILLA LUCINA , GIUSTINIANO/GALBA , ZOAGLI/MAMELI , ROSA RAIMONDI/REGIONE LAZIO , S. NEMESIO/CTO , S. NEMESIO/VILLA LUCINA , VILLA LUCINA/LARGO DELLE SETTE CHIESE , P.ZA ROMANO B. , PULLINO/LUIGGI , PULLINO , C.NE OSTIENSE/CAFFARO , C.NE OSTIENSE/S. GALLA , C.NE OSTIENSE/PADRE GIULIANI , COLOMBO/C.NE OSTIENSE , COLOMBO/PADRE SEMERIA , NAVIGATORI

And the run of the bus 671 is COLLI ALBANI , S. GASPARE DEL BUFALO , L.GO COLLI ALBANI , APPIA/CANTU’ , APPIA/ENEA , FURIO CAMILLO , ALBERONE , PONTE LUNGO , APPIA/ALBA , RE DI ROMA , CERVETERI , SOANA , GALLIA/SATURNIA , GALLIA/LICIA , P.LE METRONIO , TERME CARACALLA , COLOMBO/MARCO POLO , COLOMBO/BAVASTRO , COLOMBO/C.NE OSTIENSE , COLOMBO/PADRE SEMERIA , NAVIGATORI ,
The bus 671 may be more viable as it has multiple metro connections.

Getting back is easy. Walk back to Via Cristiforo Colombo and jump back on the buses as listed above and head back to your starting point. The blue ball on the map symbolizes where your “return” bus stop is!

Reference material pulled from

• The Catacombs of Domitilla
• ATAC Bus Routing

  To go to a specific Catacomb page on the Ron-in-Rome website, click on any link below

• Catacombs of Rome – Summary
• The Catacombs of San Callisto
• The Catacombs of St. Sebastian
•  The Catacombs of St. Agnes
• The Catacombs of Priscilla

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