Catacombs of St Callixtus

We checked out of our beautiful apartment in the late morning. We were so reluctant to leave! We know that getting accommodation on AirBnB is a gamble – sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We struck gold on this one. I wonder when our next pot of gold will be.

We stopped by at the Catacombs of St Callixtus just outside of Rome on the way to the Amalfi Coast. This place is just fascinating. It served as Christian cemetery from around the middle of the 2nd century AD. Up until mid to late 3rd century AD, Christianity was illegal. People who were caught or suspected of practising Christianity were killed. Feeding Christians to the lions were seen as entertainment in ancient Rome.

Christians were mostly slaves with no money to buy proper land for burial. This is how the catacombs came about. Bodies were wrapped in linen, placed in small rectangular cavities dug into the earth, and sealed with a stone slab bearing inscriptions of name, age and date of death. As more people died, they dug deeper into the ground, hence, the tombs at the top are the oldest, and the tombs at the lowest level are the newest.

This catacomb was particular important as it housed the bodies of 16 popes, and St Cecilia. A statue of the latter in her buried position is displayed in the catacomb. Most of them were murdered for their faith. We weren’t allowed to take photos in the catacomb as a sign of respect for the dead.

This is a must see if you ever get the chance.En savoir plus