The Catacombs Essay Example

when did it actually begin? Was this an acceptable Catholic practice now perhaps outlawed?

Or just an old fashioned and outdated burial practice that is perhaps still looked at as being acceptable and “ok? “ Wikipedia, defines the Catacombs as; “…ancient, human-made underground passageways or subterranean cemeteries…served during historic times as a refuge for safety during wars or as a meeting place for cults. “ To my knowledge the Catacombs were originally built for and by the Romans. However, in my research I have learned that there was a civilization more ancient than the Romans whom originally built the catacombs, or their early foundations and structures.

The Romans inherited these underground structures from the mysterious race known as the Etruscans. It is documented that long before the Christian era and the Roman civilization the Etruscans were the creators of the Catacombs. The proof comes in the form of inscriptions, sculptures, and vases excavated from the earth when these ancient tombs were rifled through presenting objects of curious study to the antiquarian. These antiquities aforementioned are predominately housed in the museums of Italy. Unfortunately, there is no known knowledge of the Etruscans language as any records have perished.

There are differences in the characteristics between the Etruscan’s architecture and the earlier Roman’s that are distinguishing. Most apparent, the massiveness. These vast underground cities as they are referred to are always near a major city; Rome, Naples, and throughout the south of Italy which extend to some fifteen to twenty miles in length. There are also traces in Greece, the Greek isles, Crete, and in Asia Minor. As defined by one author; “The Catacombs are underground cemeteries, excavated beside or

near the great highways that run out of Rome…“ (Shahan, Thomas Joseph; The Blessed Virgin in the Catacombs, page 14.

The beginnings of the Catacombs started as soil and rock mining quarries to build The ancient cities and structures during the time of the Etruscan civilization. The sandy rock soil called; tufa was easily quarried to make cement to build the cities. The workmen, or slaves known as the arenarii, or sand-diggers, were persons of the lowest grade and cut off to the rest of society by their occupation. It is believed that the arenarii formed a separate and distinct community of their own due to their isolation from the crowds and the city.

One of the most common figures found portrayed in nearly all of these quarries is that of a man carrying some implement of labor, often for the purpose of excavation, and wearing the short tunic and scanty dress of the slave. ” (The Catacombs of Rome, chapter 2, The Catacombs and their Contents, page 31. ) “…spiritual labor, the “sword of the Spirit” in the evangelical battle…“(Grossu, Sergiu. Church in today's catacombs. New Rochelle, N. Y: Arlington House, 1975, page 20. ) As time went on and cities grew, so did the tunnels and lengths of these subterranean works which were eventually exhausted of their original stores.

The quarried underground paths and roads stood vacant and ready for another use. And who would better know the intricacies then the hands that formed them. The Roman soldiers who were Christians were condemned to hard labor and digging the sand in what is now known as the Catacombs was their punishment. The first followers of Christianity

everywhere were the lowest in the social scale. “through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger…“ (II Corinthians 6:4, 5).

My research revealed that there was reason to believe Christianity was found among these earliest of proselytes. In the times of persecution these subterranean passages were a safe haven which became a place of refuge. It is evidentiary throughout the Catacombs that Christianity was prevalent on every side with tombs and chapels, paintings and inscriptions. Rome’s entire Christian population found burial in these Catacombs for three hundred years. (The Catacombs Of Rome: The Church of The First Three Centuries by the Right Rev. WM. Ingraham Kip, D. D. Missionary Bishop of California Fourth Edition, New York Daniel Dana, Jr. , 381 Broadway. Rev. D. Moore. Pages 30, 31, 32, 33. )

“During the later part of the third century 257, during the violent persecutions of Decius and Valerian, and of Diocletian (Roman Emperors that persecuted the Christians), in the early part of the fourth, the catacombs served as places of refuge and ordinary houses of worship for the hunted Christians. (page 15, Shahan, Thomas Joseph; The Blessed Virgin in the Catacombs, chapter 2. ) “In the fourth and fifth centuries, the numerous conversions of the rich and noble to Christianity naturally increased the demand for the splendid receptacles:…” (Shahan, Thomas Joseph; The Blessed Virgin in the Catacombs, Chapter 2, page 19 . ) After Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire in 381, the Catacombs became a place of pilgrimage. So through the centuries we see that the Catacombs have been re-used or “recycled”, if you will, by the ages but

have predominately been used for a place of burial and Christian worship.

This Christian place of worship and refuge became what was also known as the city of the dead. People actually lived in these underground cities while escaping persecution through their martyrdom. Wells were dug so there was a constant supply of water.

The caverns and halls were large enough to fit animals, for example: horses. Now, the first thing that came to my mind was how on earth could people live side by side with rotting corpses? In answer to that, the tombs were sealed with thin slats of marble on the walls. “…closed off with marble slabs or tiles. (page 20, The Christian Catacombs of Rome: History, Decoration, Inscriptions. By; Fiocchi Nicolai, Vincenzo. , isbn 3-7954-1194-7, Verlag Schnell ; Steiner GmbH, 1999. ) Historically, May 31, 1578 is regarded as the birthday of Christian archeology. It was on this day that the complex on the Via Salaria Vecchia, and now known as the anonymous Catacomb of the Via Anapo, was discovered by accident. (Bignamini, Ilaria. Archives And Excavations Essays on the History of Archaeological Excavations in Rome And Southern Italy from the Renaissance to the Nineteenth Century (Archaeological Monograph).

Boston: British School at Rome, 2004. Page 25. ) The term Catacomb is derived from the Roman toponym catacumbas, that during the fourth century indicated a location characterized by the ‘presence of hollows’ and wide sandstone cavities. Catacumbas from Greek catacombs, or “near the hollow”. “According to archeological terminology, the word “catacomb“ means underground cemetery of large dimensions, characterized by an elaborate network of galleries and cubicula (square or rectangular chambers). ” (The Christian Catacombs of

Rome: History, Decoration, Inscriptions.

By; Fiocchi Nicolai, Vincenzo. , isbn 3-7954-1194-7, Verlag Schnell ; Steiner GmbH, 1999, page 9. ) Sadly, in 1837, a school of thirty youth and their teacher descended into the Catacombs near the Basilica of St. Sebastian on a visit never to reappear. Every search possible was made but in the end it was all in vain. Somewhere in the labyrinths they were lost. The crumbling nature of the rock makes visits to these Catacombs dangerous as there is always the chance of walls caving in. The passage which they entered had since been walled up.

Many of the Catacombs’ entrances have been secured for the purpose of safety and protection against vandalism to these sacred historical tombs. (The Catacombs Of Rome: The Church of The First Three Centuries by the Right Rev. WM. Ingraham Kip, D. D. , Missionary Bishop of California Fourth Edition, New York Daniel Dana, Jr. , 381 Broadway. Rev. D. Moore. pages 22-23. ) “By no means are the Roman Catacombs being neglected these days…” Harold R. Willoughby The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Sep. , 1939), pp. 6 Published by: The American Schools of Oriental Research. It is believed that the impact of World War I and the subsequent outbreak of influenza causing so many deaths in the thousands (not to mention the issues of hygiene), was one of the contributing factors in the abandonment of this practice. Another factor was that post-war life had changed people and their attitudes towards life. With the increase of a modernized and mechanized world, the youth culture wanted to seize life and live for the moment. The traditional modes

of mourning were no longer practical.

The ancient galleries are twenty two to sixty five feet below the surface and the average passageway is approximately eight by three feet in size. In Rome alone, there are some forty known Catacombs built along ancient Roman roads that consist of vast passageways and galleries. Some of the best known Christian Catacombs in Rome: Catacomb of San Callisto (St. Callixtus), one of the largest and most famous, it contains some half-million tombs. Catacomb of Domitilla, was named after the owner of the land whom in fact was a member of the Roman imperial family and it is located along Via delle Sette Chiese.

The Catacomb of Domitilla contains a fresco that is the earliest known depiction of Christ as the Good Shepherd. (Matilda Webb, The Churches an Catacombs of Early Christian Rome: A Comprehensive Guide, Sussex Academic Press, 2001, 224-48. ) (The Christian Catacombs of Rome - official website. ) Today tourists can visit some of the Catacombs where thousands of niches hold the mummified corpses, their mysteries, historical paintings and a glimpse into the history of this practice which ended almost a century ago.