The Catacombs of San Callisto_01
The Catacombs of San Callisto are a creation of around the 2nd century A.D. This site is named after Saint Callixtus, the deacon of Pope Zephyrinus. This cemetery for Christians was initially under the administration of Pope Zephyrinus. The catholic cemetery of San Callisto is made of volcanic tufa rock which is good for creating tunnels. The Catacombs of San Callisto are found along the Appian Way. As you enter the underground catacombs there is definitely a very eerie feel. The catacomb is composed of four levels but only the second level is open to the public. The rooms are all interconnected by passageways. Holes in the wall called loculi were the graves in which two or three people were buried. Also we could find cubiculas, which were rooms containing several graves all belonging to one family. The graves were decorated with frescos and here we see the earliest signs of Christian symbolism. The catacombs were made as a burial ground for Christians who would otherwise have to be cremated under Roman law. The pagan practice of cremation did not sit well with the Christian belief of bodily resurrection. Also, Roman law had strict guidelines as to the disposal of bodies. When catacombs were built they required a permit specifying the size and other technicalities. Though the catacombs were and are a symbol of the Roman persecution of the Christian faith they were not however an actual hiding place for the religious. The bodies in the catacombs were not preserved very well; they were simply wrapped and sprinkled with lime. The stench of rotting flesh would have not allowed Christians to use the catacombs as a hiding place or a place of worship.
I chose the catacombs of San Callisto because it holds a very important part of history. In the catacombs we can see the development of Christianity. We can see how persecution by the Romans shaped the Christian religion. The symbolism that developed in these catacombs are the result of necessity and this symbolism has forever stuck with Christianity. Despite the fact that the bodies were not preserved very well, the catacombs are a symbol of the importance of a “proper resting place” in the Christian religion. Finally, simply the feeling of being down in the catacombs was very unique.
Elena Noureddine, Survey of Art and Architecture, University of Florida
The Catacombs of San Callisto_02
The Catacombs are in short modern phrase, underground burial sites created and used between the second and fourth centuries A.D. However they were much more than that at the time they were built and still are to those that understand them today. Today we know of over fifty different catacomb sites however no one knows how many there may really be, all we can do is estimate over six hundred miles of passageways surrounded by tombs from the catacombs that have already been discovered. Most of the catacombs we do know about are inaccessible to the public due to being unexcavated, dangerous, caved-in, location, etc. There are fewer Jewish Catacombs available than Christian catacombs, as Jews and Christians were not buried together, and of the two remaining Jewish catacombs entry is not impossible but extremely difficult. There is an estimated five millions Christians buried in the discovered catacombs of Rome, however, there is only an estimated half a million Christians in Rome in all the first four centuries; meaning, people flocked from all over to be buried in the sanctuary of the catacombs.
Although, today many of the catacombs are covered by buildings and roads, in the time they were built catacombs could be found only outside the city walls. In the early centuries A.D. Rome had strict laws regarding the disposal of corpses, people were not allowed to be cremated or buried in the city. Most people at the time where still Pagan and chose be cremated and their ashes brought back to their homes in an urn. Christians however where against that idea as many still are today and felt that the body was to delivered whole into the afterlife. This is how we get the location just past city wall for the locations of catacombs. Interesting thing is that today we built from the ground up, seeing as these burials are underground; they are built from the ground down. Translation: the oldest bodies can be found on the top level or the first level directly underground. As more and more dead were buried in the catacombs they began building under the first layer to provide more spaces for burial, hence the most recent bodies from the later centuries at the lowest level. The catacomb we visited had three levels and even had a couple bodies on display that had been preserved in the lower levels by dirt and humidity. Some people speculate that secret hideouts, Christian meeting places and extravagant memorial services were held underground during the persecution of Christians. Most historians do not agree with this theory. Even though the idea seems plausible because of the law that protect burial grounds would have kept the living people inside of them for the time being, the smell of moist air, dirt, and decomposing bodies would have made such a thing quite unbearable. Short meetings and memorial services may have been held in the upper levels but it is unlikely they were largely unattended.
I think the fact we were able to visit such a site is neat because of its rarity, but it gave of an icky feeling that you knew you stood among the graves of the dead where the bodies and family’s once where. It was creepy to walk though the hall and see these rectangle whole is the walls in various sizes knowing a body used to be in that whole many of which were children and young people.
Shannon Carter Norris, Survey of Art and Architecture, St. John’s University
The Catacombs of San Callisto_03
Among the sixty estimated catacombs in Rome, only five are currently open for viewing. The catacombs of St. Callixtus, which are considered to be the most significant in Rome, date back to the middle of the 2nd century during the early Christian and Medieval period. Accidentally discovered in 1849, the catacombs were restored by 1854. Twenty kilometers deep, encompassing four levels, the catacombs served as a cemeterial complex in which martyrs, popes, and many Christians were buried, totaling close to half a million. This dark and cold underground labyrinth houses thousands of tightly spaced stone tombs, including baby as well as family tombs. Due to the persecution of Christians during the third century, in 313 A.D. emperors Constantine I and Licinius’ Edict of Milan required all to respect Christian burials and tombs. The name St. Callixtus comes from the deacon Callixtus, who was appointed by pope Zephyrinus as the administrator of the cemetery, enabling these catacombs to become the official cemetery of the Church of Rome. Two incredible features of the catacombs are the crypt of the popes, also known as “the little Vatican,” and the crypt of St. Cecilia. The crypt of the popes is the official burial place of nine popes. Greek inscriptions of each pope’s name adorn their particular tomb. Adjoining this crypt is the crypt of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Martyred in the 3rd century, a statue of St. Cecilia now lies above her tomb in the catacombs. Various Christian symbols are scattered throughout the catacombs as well as cracked fresco artwork on the walls. Although it is nearly 1800 years later, a great presence of peace and reverence can be felt as one walks though the catacombs of St. Callixtus causing any visitor to experience something spiritual.
Renee Cloutier, Survey of Art and Architecture, St. John’s University
The Catacombs of San Callisto_04
The Catacombs of San Callisto are the first official underground burial site for early Christians. They were built around the end of the second century and were in continuous use for more than two hundred years. As with all other catacombs, the church had to get a permit from the city government and also from the owner of the property before they could begin digging. In order to dig the catacombs, the church hired professional diggers, called fossori. Christian burial grounds were protected under Roman law because all burial places were considered sacred and the desecration of tombs was considered a highly serious crime. Excavations of the Catacombs of San Callisto have revealed five levels of loculi. The loculi are the little places that the corpses were placed into after being wrapped in cloth and sprinkled with lime. These loculi were then loosely sealed with slabs of marble. It surprises me how the Christians did almost nothing to preserve the corpses that were placed into the catacombs. The stench from the bodies must have been completely overwhelming and unbearable. Now, I understand why the myth about the early Christians using the catacombs as a hideout is false. Even though the catacombs had a few places for ventilation, there is no way anyone could survive down there for a long period of time because they would be breathing too much unclean and polluted air. The early Christian art in the Catacombs of San Callisto is unlike any other art in Rome because it portrays feelings of hope and optimism in a place where death and mortality are so prevalent. The paintings in the catacombs are made to be symbolic and portray a spiritual experience, rather than highly artistic and aesthetically pleasing. It is amazing how they early Christian symbols like the anchor and the fish still carry meaning for Christians today.
Katherine Latta , Survey of Art and Architecture, University of Florida
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