PARKER
ARCHAEOLOGY
OF
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CATACOMBS
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THE CATACOMBS.
Title, Preface, and Contents
Text and Appendices
Description of the Plates-Of Construction
Of Fresco-paintings
Gilt Glass Vases
413 495 422
PAGES
24
202
4
29
8
267
John Henry Parker
THE CATACOMBS.
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
So many popular delusions are current on the subject of the
Roman Catacombs, that it is difficult to obtain a hearing for
a plain, unvarnished tale, in which the truth has been the only
object sought for. These popular delusions are not confined to
one party or one side, there are extremes both ways, and both
are equally erroneous; they have unfortunately been made use of
as weapons of polemical controversy, and the conclusions wished
for on each side have been jumped at without proper examina-
tion of the foundations on which they are built. The same tests
must be applied to the legends respecting them that are applicable
to all other legendary history, and they cannot be received as
authentic without examination.
The origin of the name of Catacomb, to begin with, is one of
the questions long discussed and still undecided; but as the name
is medieval only, and not that by which they were originally called,
it does not seem very material: the original name was Cemeteria,
and like many other words this had a double signification, one
general, the other specific; the general name was that of a tract
of ground applied for the purpose of interment, the specific name
was a particular burial-vault, called also a cubiculum, which was
usually sold in perpetuity to a particular family, without reference
to the religion of its members. In one instance only, as far as
has been ascertained, it was given to the holders of a particular
office; the bishops of Rome in the third century had their own
special cemetery or burial-vault, in the general burial-ground of
the family of Calixtus. S. Anicetus, bishop and martyr, A.D. 174,
and Bishop Soter, A.D. 189, were buried in this Catacomb; and
Bishop Zephirinus in his own cemetery, near that of Calixtus; on
the Via Appia. S. Calixtus himself was not buried in the cemetery
that bears his name, but in that of Calepodius on the Via Aurelia.
The Chronological Table of the Catacombs given in this Chapter,
iv
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
brings out their history more clearly, and shews how frequently they
have been restored; and a comparison of the fresco paintings in
them with the mosaic pictures in the churches, which are all dated,
shews that the paintings are not of so early a date as is commonly
supposed; they generally belong to the latest restorations, the gilt
glass vases found in them give the same evidence; few of them
are of any early date, and many of them are not Christian. This
is another indication that many of the catacombs were family burial-
places. There were three catacombs for the Jews, and one for
the Gnostics, or the worshippers of Mithra; and the last was con-
nected with those of the family of Prætextatus.
There is a very general misunderstanding on the subject of sand-
pits; those who are accustomed to English sand-pits only cannot easily
understand how very different the Roman sand-pits are, from the
peculiar geological formation of the Campagna of Rome, the whole of
the subsoil of which consists of successive layers of tufa of different
degrees of hardness; one hard layer is good for building-stone,
another is only loose sand called Pozzolana, a third is between
the two. The last kind of tufa is the best for the purpose of cata-
combs, but they are by no means all made in that material: some
are in clay, others in river sand, which is quite different from the
Pozzolana. The sand-pit roads were made by excavating, in a bed
or layer of sand, a space sufficient to allow a horse and cart to go
along, and the sand dug out to make the road was itself a sand-pit,
but there are other pits at intervals also. These subterranean roads
formed very convenient modes of access to the Catacombs, which
were generally made in the harder bed of tufa under that level. In
some cases the beds are alternate, the Pozzolana is found at two or
three different levels. In the catacomb of S. Priscilla, which is five
stories deep, two are sand-pit roads, one of which has been partially
used for burials, the other has not. When these roads passed under
the property of a family, whether their farm or their burial-place, the
ground was the property of that family to any depth, and the name
of prædium would apply equally to both.
We read of the body of a martyr being interred in the prædium of
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
a certain person, which means in his or her family burial-place. The
endless variety of circumstances attending these burial-places, makes
it very difficult to explain them clearly. Some of the sand-pit roads
appear originally to have been open at the top, and have been only
ancient foss-ways, fifteen feet below the level of the soil, as was usual
in the time of the kings of Rome, and to have been arched over after
the fashion had changed, and the roads were made on the level
of the ground; but this was not until the second century of the
Christian era, or subsequent to that time. It is not in the least
probable, scarcely credible, that the beautiful brickwork of the
time of Nero, with richly-worked cornices and pilasters, such as
we find at the entrance of the catacomb of Prætextatus, was in-
tended to be in a subterranean road for the use of carts for sand only.
The level of the road near S. Urbano is not more than that depth
below the surface that was usual for the foss-ways, and the same
is the case in the cross-road near the Via Ardeatina, in which
the catacomb of Nereus and Achilleus was made in the same
manner. Neither is it at all probable that extensive burial-places
would be made for Christians only in the year 50 of the Christian
era, which is about the date of this brickwork. ✓
In several instances the original entrance to a catacomb was
near a sand-pit in the usual sense, others in a sand-pit road; the
present entrances are almost all modern, merely cut through into
the catacombs by accident, or for convenience; the original entrance,
when found, is not used, and sometimes seems to be rather stu-
diously avoided. In the catacomb of S. Priscilla the original en-
trance has a good flight of steps down to it; and a small piece of
hand-rail of pierced marble, called a transenna, has been restored at
the bottom of the steps, but the upper part of them, though open
to the sky, is not made accessible. In the catacomb of S. Generosa,
excavated in 1870 at the expense of the King of Prussia, in which
the work was directed by Dr. Henzen and De Rossi, the entrance
is not original. There are two old entrances, one through a chapel,
the other close to a sand-pit on the opposite end.
In that of S. Agnes the original entrance was through a chapel,
now the church; but that is closed, and another made near to it.
vi
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
The principal corridor then passes under the church, and the great
flight of steps leading down into it, then under part of the garden
of the monks, and there is an exit from it in the Church, or Bap-
tistery, or Mausoleum of S. Constantia. That building may be called
by either of these names. It certainly is a mausoleum, for the sar-
cophagus stood in it; and it appears to have been a baptistery for
baptism by immersion, for which purpose the central space has been
made at a lower level, with steps down into it from the aisle round
it. Properly speaking it is not a church, though it is usually so
called, and is reckoned as one. In the interval between this and
the church of S. Agnes, and which is now the garden, no less than
five pagan tombs have been found, with an entrance from the lower
chamber of each into the catacomb. The upper parts of the tombs
are destroyed, but the two lower chambers remain in each case.
It seems far more probable that the opening was made by mem-
bers of the family in want of more space for interments, than merely
for the search after the treasures supposed to have been buried in
the catacombs. The latter is the theory of the priests and the
monks, (as was mentioned in speaking about the Tombs). The
communication between a tomb and the catacomb of Calixtus has
also been mentioned.
Scores of Pagan inscriptions have been found in the Catacombs,
and many of them remain there still. The theory of the priests
and their followers is that all these were carried down to the Cata-
combs as old marble, to be used again; this appears to me extremely
improbable. Why should the Catacombs be made a stone-mason's
yard, to cut the stone to the size required, and to engrave the new
name upon it on the reverse side? That this was sometimes done
we see plainly, but it is far more probable that the new inscriptions
were engraved before the slab of marble was carried down into the
catacomb. In some cases all the back of a thick slab is left rough,
and would have to be smoothed and polished before it could be
engraved upon. At the edge of the slab also are remains of the
cement or mortar for fastening it to the wall, with the rough side
inwards, and the pagan inscription outwards.
That the early Christian martyrs were buried in the Catacombs
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
vii
there is no doubt; but the exaggeration of the numbers, that was
made by the Roman-Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, has
made many consider the whole history as apocryphal, which is to be
regretted. There is a natural awe and reverence for these ancient
burial-places, which would have more effect if it had not been for
that exaggeration, and for the traffic that has been made out of
them. The whole history of the catacomb of S. Peter, in the
Vatican Hill, is very doubtful; there are no remains of it visible.
The floor of the old church appears to have been the burial-place,
this is now the floor of the crypt. The old pavement, with the
numerous tombs in it, was preserved when the present church was
built over it on a much higher level. All those on the western side
of the Tiber are in soil not suited for the purpose, and are therefore
inferior to those on the eastern side of the river. The latter, in-
deed, is the district originally called the catacombs a, extending from
S. Paul's Church, on the bank of the Tiber, going along the line of
the road that passes across the Via Ardeatina and the Via Appia,
to the church of S. Urbano, on the edge of the cliff of the valley
of the Caffarelli, in which runs the small river Almo. The church
of S. Sebastian stands at an angle of the Via Appia and of this
cross-road. There is no improbability in there having been a sand-
pit road parallel to it all the way, and that an original entrance to
all these catacombs was through S. Sebastian's, as is still the belief
of the good monks there, although this is denied by De Rossi, whose
opinion carries great weight. The inscription, according to which
174,000 martyrs were interred in this catacomb, would have more
probability, if that number was meant to include the whole series
of catacombs, to which this was an entrance. The church of
S. Urbano may have been at another entrance at the east end of
the series, and S. Paul's at the west end.
There are hundreds of miles of sand-pit roads undermining the
Campagna of Rome in all directions, some still in use, others long
disused and the entrances walled up. Some of them are probably
as old as the foundation of Rome. The earliest commerce of which
a The Circus of Maxentius is described at an early period as being in the
Catacombs.
viii
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
we have any record is the exchange of salt for Pozzalana sand at
Rome, which is the highest point to which the Tiber is navigable,
and the early Kings of Rome made salt marshes at the mouth of
the Tiber, called Ostia, for the preparation of salt, and these are
still in use. A sand-pit road is itself a sand-pit at the same time,
as it is commonly made in a layer of Pozzalana sand of about ten
feet thick, and the sand dug out in making the road was carried
away as sand to be sold; there are pits at intervals also on each
side of the road, but nearly on the same level.
Many visitors to Rome must have seen the numerous sand-carts
going in and coming out of one of the subterranean roads near
where the old Via Latina crosses the Via Appia Nova, at about two
miles from Rome, in a valley near to the celebrated "Painted
Tombs on the Via Latina." They might follow one of the carts for
several miles. These roads were admirably calculated to give access
to the catacombs, and to carry away the sand dug out in making
them; for although the soft tufa in which these cemeteries are made,
and in which tombs are cut in the side of the road, or path, or cor-
ridor, is harder than the Pozzalana beds, it is not so hard but what
when pounded it becomes sand of the same description, and equally
useful.
There is reason to believe that the extensive catacombs on the
Via Salaria (vetus and nova), were also connected together by sub-
terranean sand-pit roads, or subterranean passages of some kind;
as they have not been excavated, there is no means of knowing
exactly of what sort they were; but the opinion of the modern
Fossores, Valentino and his son, who have had great experience,
is that such communication existed in both cases. In the catacomb
of S. Agnes, the tradition of the monastery is that there was a sand-
pit road from the Ponte Nomentana parallel to the high road, nearly
to Rome, and that this was used in making this underground ceme-
tery. It is certain that there is a sand-pit in part of the present
catacomb near S. Constantia, and a road leading to and from the
pit, now choked up, so that the length of it cannot be ascertained.
The present garden of the monks over the catacomb had evidently
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
ix
been a public burying-place, or cemetery, before this catacomb was
made; the ground is full of old tombs, the upper parts of which
have been destroyed, but some of them have openings into the
catacomb below.
The churches outside the walls, grand basilicas as some of them
now are, were all originally chapels at the entrances of the cata-
combs, of which S. Agnes is perhaps the best example, the floor of
the church being considerably below the level of the ground, and
not much above the level of the upper corridor of the catacomb.
The mausoleum of S. Helena was also a chapel at the entrance
of that large catacomb; the tomb itself was vaulted over, and had
an altar in it, so that it served for a church also. After the vault,
which was made of pottery, fell, or was destroyed, a church was
built in it, called after SS. Marcellinus and Peter, Roman mar-
tyrs, who suffered in the great persecution of the Christians under
Diocletian, just before the time of Constantine and S. Helena. This
fine catacomb is very extensive, and a considerable part of it has
never been explored or excavated: permission might readily be ob-
tained to do this if the funds were forthcoming: as the monks of
S. Agnes found some portions of their catacomb which had escaped
the spoliators, and in which the tombs had not been opened, it is
probable that the same might be the case in that of S. Helena.
The magnificent church of S. Paul was originally a cemetery
chapel only, at the entrance of another extensive catacomb, and per-
haps at one end of a great series of catacombs (as has been said).
That this was really the place where the body of S. Paul was buried
after his martyrdom there is no reasonable ground to doubt; it is
about half-a-mile from the place of his martyrdom, and a Lady Lucina
is recorded to have received the body in her prædium, or her own
family burial ground. There are three churches, or chapels, also at
the tre fontane, the place where he was beheaded: we do not know
that these had any immediate connection with the catacombs, al-
though they are very near some of them.
Two of the present
churches are modern, that is, of the sixteenth or seventeenth cen-
tury; one is of the twelfth; this is a large church, the history of
which is curious: it was built by the pope of that period for S. Ber-
x
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
nard, when he was at Rome; and the first monastery of the Cistercian
order in Italy and in Rome was there. S. Bernard was the great
Puritan of his day, and preached against the vanity of the rich deco-
rations of churches that was then the fashion in Rome. The church
of S. Maria in Cosmedin, so called from its extreme richness, was
then just built, and was probably one of those against which S. Ber-
nard had railed. The present church, built to please him, is as
plain as it could well be made, which gives it the appearance of
being a century earlier than it really is.
The fine church of S. Lorenzo, or S. Lawrence, was also originally
a burial-chapel at the entrance of the great cemetery or catacomb of
S. Cyriaca. The great reputation of the relics of S. Lawrence at-
tracted so many worshippers, and such large donations, that the
church has been more than once rebuilt on a more magnificent
scale. There were at one period two churches, placed end to end,
the two altars with their apses looking exactly the opposite way.
In the siege of Rome by the Goths under Vitiges, A.D. 537, the
Catacombs were much damaged; they were repaired and restored by
the Popes soon afterwards, especially John III., A.D. 560-574, and
many of the paintings are of the sixth century. A century later, the
Lombards are stated to have had also a special spite against them,
because the priests cleared such large revenues from the offerings of the
pious to these shrines, and they alleged that they made war against
the priests as the governors of Rome, and not against the Roman
people. To save these valuable relics from the enemy, whose attacks
were expected to be repeated, the bones were brought by wagon-loads
to the churches within the walls, especially those then building, to
which large subterranean chambers or crypts were built to receive
them, as at S. Sylvester in capite Via Lata, Santa Prassede, Santa
Maria in Cosmedin, the Santa Quattro Coronati, and several others.
This has given rise to another popular delusion; the people hearing
of crowds of worshippers coming to touch the relics of the martyrs,
have assumed that there were subterranean passages from these new
crypts to the old Catacombs outside of the town, which is entirely an
error. The name of Roma Sotterranea, given to the great work of
Bosio and Arringhi, and continued by De Rossi, has helped to keep
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
xi
up this popular delusion. Many people who do not know Rome,
suppose that the Catacombs there are really under the city of Rome,
instead of being two or three miles from it; and when they discover
their error, still imagine that there must be subterranean passages
from one to the other, as they are also told by the sacristans of the
churches in Rome.
Another popular delusion is, that the fresco paintings in the Cata-
combs belong to the age of the martyrdoms, that is, the second and
third centuries; this is entirely a mistake. De Rossi indeed is
careful never to assert it, but the popular belief is so completely
implied in his great work throughout, that the abridgers of it, both
English and French, have asserted it without hesitation. The fact
is, that fully three-fourths of the paintings belong to the latest resto-
rations of the eighth and ninth centuries; and of the remaining fourth
part, a considerable number are of the sixth century, painted origi-
nally in the time of John I., who was Pope A.D. 523, and who made
one catacomb and restored two others; and the same paintings occur
in all three, but some of them were damaged in the siege by the Lom-
bards, soon after they were painted, and restored by John III.,
within the same century: traces of early restorations can be seen
upon them. Still, there are many paintings of the fourth and fifth
centuries, the earliest are the common Good Shepherd, and certain
well-known Scriptural subjects. The history of Jonah was the
fashion chiefly in the fifth century, and this is the most common of
all the subjects in the Catacombs, and many of them have been re-
stored in the eighth or ninth century. In the early catacombs of
Prætextatus, and Nereus and Achilleus, there are paintings of the
second and third centuries, but they are not of religious subjects at
all, and might as well be the decoration of a Pagan tomb as of
a Christian catacomb; they are the cultivation of the vine in Præ-
textatus, and the four seasons in S. Nereus; each season is easily
recognised by the produce of the time of the year, and each has the
attendant genius, which looks more like Pagan than Christian art.
There are no religious subjects before the time of Constantine, and
during the fourth and fifth centuries they are confined entirely to
Scriptural subjects. There is not a figure of a saint or martyr before
xii
PREFACE TO THE CATACOMBS.
the sixth century, and very few before the eighth, when they become
abundant. Among these, in the catacomb of S. Calixtus is a figure
of S. Cyprian, the African bishop, which has led the faithful Romans
to believe that he was buried in that catacomb, whereas there is no
doubt that he was a martyr, and was buried in Africa.
Respecting the inscriptions on the tombstones there is no such
doubt, they have scarcely been touched, and are the most genuine
things from the Catacombs; but few of them are before the third
century, and by far the largest proportion are of the fourth and
fifth, with a few of the sixth, and even later; the family burial-
places continued to be in use as long as they were accessible. Un-
fortunately all the inscriptions have been removed from their places
and arranged on the walls of museums, and cloisters, and monas-
teries; frequently there is no record of what catacomb they came
from, but the great works of the successive Keepers of the Cata-
combs, and the Plates of Bosio, and the old Itineraries supply the
localities of many of them, and they are highly-interesting records
of the piety of the early Christians.
CONTENTS TO CATACOMBS.
I. INTRODUCTION
II. CHRONOLOGY.
Catacomb or Cemetery of S. Peter,
under the Temple of Apollo, in
the Vatican (?)
Popes from Linus, A.D. 67(?),
buried there
Inscriptions, genuine
Paintings, generally restored.
•
Dates when each Cemetery is first
mentioned.
Apostate
PAGE
1-13
A. D.
217, Cemetery of S. Calixtus
222, Calepodius
230, Prætextatus or S. Urban-
(restored A.D. 741 and 795)
252, Lucina
269, Dionysius or Dennis
296, Priscilla -·
300, Castolus '
•
•
337, Balbina
348, Calepodius
352-360, Agnes
366, Sebastian, under Julian the
•
•
ΟΙ
•
537, The Goths exterminate the
Catacombs
538, Vigilius and John III. repair
them
+
14
ib.
ib.
15
16
ib.
ib.
17
ib.
18
ib.
19
Damasus
401, Anastasius I.
418, Laurence, or Lorenzo,
Cyriaca (restored A.D. 795)
419, Felicitas (restored A. D. 795)
440, Cornelius
21
498, The Jordanes (restored A. D.795) ib.
523, Nereus and Achilleus, made ib.
Felix and Adauctus, restored ib.
Commodilla, or Domitilla,
restored
ib.
ib.
20
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
22
ib.
C
577, S. Hermes made,-(restored
A.D. 795)
590, The Lent Stations made
619, Nicomedes
626, Marcellinus and Peter-(re-
newed again A. D. 705 and 795)
649, Relics began to be removed
from the Catacombs
•
687, Masses celebrated in them
752, Soter, restored
768, More Relics removed
817, 2,300 bodies removed to the
Church of S. Prassede
857, S. Marcus, restored
867, Priscilla, &c., restored.
1217, Pilgrimages renewed
III. THE MARTYRS
IV. CONSTRUCTION
Paintings
Gilt Glass Vases
•
844, More Relics removed to S.
Sylvester's
•
·
V. LOCAL ARRANGEMENT.
VIA CORNELIA-or TRIUMPHA-
LIS.-S. Peter's Church at the
Vatican
•
VIA AURELIA-S. Pancratius
VIA PORTUENSIS-S. Pontianus
S. Generosa, at the College
of the Arvales
•
•
25-38
39-46
PAGE
47-49
50-55
•
22
•
ib.
ib.
VIA APPIA.
Martyrs executed in front of the
Temple of Mars
ib.
ib.
23
ib.
24
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
56
VI. VIA OSTIENSIS, &c.
Catacomb of Lucina or S. Paul
Via Ardeatina. SS. Nereus and
Achilleus.-S. Domitilla.
• 70
71
S. Petronilla
59
бо
64
68
73
xiv
CONTENTS TO CATACOMBS.
S. Sebastian
Prætextatus, or S. Urban's
Entrance from a sand-pit road
Family of Prætextatus.
S. Quirinus the Tribune, M.
S. Balbina, M.
S. Systus or Sustus
SS. Felicissimus, &c.
SS. Tiburtius, &c.
S. Zeno
Square Chamber of Brick
SS. Januarius, &c., M.
other Cubicula
·
•
79
79, 80, 90
79, 81
81
ib.
ib.
82
ib.
83
•
One Corridor a Sand-pit
The Gnostics (?), or the worshippers
of Mithras
•
•
•
S. Zephyrinus, S. Hippolytus, S.
Xistus, or Sixtus, or Sustus, S.
Cæcilia, S. Soter
VIA LATINA
Liberius took refuge here
An Inscription in Mosaic
Others painted
A Pagan Tombstone in it
The Painted Chambers
Subjects the usual ones
S. Calixtus
Chapel of S. Cæcilia
Inscription of Damasus, a palimpsest 88
Paintings of A.D. 855, SS. Cor-
nelius, Sixtus, Marcus
Chapel of S. Stephen
Crypt, or Chapel, or Cubiculum,
of S. Lucina, near to S. Calixtus
The Gens Cæcilia
This Catacomb also called after
•
•
Called Cameterium majus
Part made under Julian the
Apostate
PAGE
PAGE
74 Glass Vases from this Cemetery . 99
S. Alexander
76
100
78
Discovered in 1855
100
ib.
•
84
85
87
ib.
VII. VIA LABICANA,
SS. Peter and Marcellinus
Mausoleum of S. Helena
92
ib.
SS. Gorgonius, Tiburtius, Castulus 93
Tombstones, A. D. 292 and 307 ib.
Cemetery, restored A.D. 626 and 772 ib.
Paintings
Cemetery of S. Helena
VIA NOMENTANA-S. Agnes
89
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
91
94
ib.
95
96
ib.
ib.
97
ib.
ib.
98
ib.
SS.Primus-Felicianus-and Max-
imianus
VIA TIBURTINA-S. Cyriaca and
A—S. Cyriaca and
S. Lorenzo
Built upon a sand-pit
Tombstones, A.D. 295 to 604
Legend of S. Cyriaca
of S. Lorenzo
Church of S. Lorenzo, originally
a burial-chapel at the entrance
to this cemetery
Hymn of Prudentius
Marble Chair of S. Hippolytus
Cemetery of Novella
of Agapetus
Cemetery of S. Valentine
•
•
Getulius, Cerealis, &c.
S. Hermes
Cemetery very extensive
ib.
103
Tombstones of A.D. 369 to 500 ib.
Relics of S. Cyriaca trans-
lated, A.D. 844
-
S. Hippolytus ad Nymphas, dis-
tinct from S. Cyriaca
Translation of S. Stephen, a Roman
Martyr, A.D. 790
Chapel of Basilla
Tombs of Fossores
•
Paintings
Mosaic Picture
•
Cemetery of S. Protus
•
ib.
105
106
Mammea, the Empress, a Christian 107
Crypt of S. Stephen, Proto-martyr ib.
S. Maximus
ib.
S. Hilary
ib.
S. Chrysanthus
ib.
S. Daria
ib.
ib.
ib.
•
•
VIII. VIA SALARIA VECCHIA
AND VIA FLAMINIA.
•
•
•
ib.
IOI
ib.
ib.
ib.
102
•
ib.
•
104
. 108
•
. 109
ib.
ib.
III
ib.
of Hyacinthus
Tombstones, A. D. 234 and 298 ib.
Bp. Silvester ornaments it ib.
Restored by Hadrian I., A.D.
772, and Nicolas I., A. D. 860
IIO
ib.
ib.
ib.
Relics said to have been translated,
found in 1845
SS. Saturninus and Thrason
Paintings
S. Priscilla
CONTENTS TO CATACOMBS.
•
the mother of Pudens (?)
Paintings, A. D. 523 (?) •
Chapel, with Altar
Platonia
Painting of the wine-barrels
A Sand-pit Road
Inscription of A.D. 204
Called also S. Marcellus
S. Felicitas
stick
•
•
•
•
•
S. Pudentiana (?)
S. Maria in Cosmedin
S. Bibiana
Interment in Churches permitted
•
·
IX. THE JEWS' Catacomb, Via
APPIA.
Opposite to S. Sebastian's
The Seven-branched Candle-
•
The Palm-branch
Lavatory at the entrance
Loculi placed end-ways
Jews' Catacomb on the Via Por-
•
•
PAGE
•
•
tuensis
121
on Monte Verde, or Janiculum ib.
another near S. Sebastian's . ib.
XI. CATACOMBS OF NAPLES.
Entrance through Church of S.
Gennaro
Paintings
Burial-chapel of S. Gennaro, or
Januarius
The work of Greek settlers (?)
Cubicula, Family Burial-vaults
Some of the Tombs are Pagan
•
II2
ib.
113
114
115
ib.
116
ib.
X. CATACOMBS WITHIN THE WALLS
OF ROME.
Crypts under Churches
Places of Pilgrimage
One under S. Prassede
•
117
ib.
ib.
118
→
ib.
119
ib.
ib.
120
ib.
122
123
ib.
124
ib.
ib.
125
ib.
126
ib.
127
ib.
128
PAGE
XII. CHURCHES OUTSIDE THE WALLS
CONNECTED WITH THE CATACOMES.
VIA OSTIENSIS-S. Paul f.m.
A Patriarchal Basilica .
Founded A. D. 254 (?)
by Constantine, A.D. 314 (?)
Endowed by him
Bodies of SS. Peter (?) and
Paul interred here
of other Saints, A. D. 298
of Pope Paul I., A. D. 767
of John XIII., A. D. 972
Count Pier Leone, A. D. 1144
Confessio S. Pauli M.
An Inscription records build-
ing, A.D. 380-400
Restored under Galla Placi-
dia, A. D. 440
Apse rebuilt under King Theodo-
ric, A.D. 498-514
Mosaic head of Christ
·
•
•
·
Great Fire, A.D. 1823
The Cloisters preserved
Sumptuous Restorations
•
·
•
•
XV
•
129
ib.
il.
ib.
ib.
•
130
ib.
Donations in gold and silver, c. A. D.
800
132
Mosaic Picture on Apse, A. D. 1250 ib.
Ciborium or Baldachino, A. D. 1285
Bronze Doors, A.D. 1070
ib.
ib.
Plan of Church that of a Pagan
Temple
•
ib.
ib.
131
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
TRE FONTANE.
SS. Vincentius and Anastasius
134
Built A.D. 626, by Honorius I. ib.
Enlarged A. D. 796, by Leo III. ¿b.
Outer Walls of that date
Rebuilt A.D. 1128, by Inno-
cent II.
ib.
133
ib.
ib.
Consecrated A. D. 1191, by Cle-
ment III.
Remarkably plain, to please
S. Bernard
ib.
Contrast with S. M. in Cosmedin ib.
M.
Gatehouse, Twelfth Century
Paintings upon it, A.D. 1227
ib.
ib.
Called in 1145, S. Anastasius ad
Aquas Salvias
ib.
zb.
135
xvi
CONTENTS TO CATACOMBS.
S. Paolo alle Tre Fontane, on the
site of the spot where S. Paul
was beheaded
A.D. 1584
135
Church built by Card. Aldobrandini ib.
Paintings, Statues, and Relics ib.
S. Maria Scala Coeli, built over
Catacomb of S. Zeno
Vision of S. Bernard
Rebuilt by Card. Farnese,
Mosaic Pictures
Chapel on the road, modern
•
•
•
Heads of SS. Peter and Paul (?)
Platonia in Crypt
Confessio of twelfth century
•
founded by Innocent I., A.D.
401–417.
over a Cemetery Chapel of
Lucina
•
VIA APPIA.
S. SEBASTIANUS ad Catacumbas . 137
-a Basilica, Monastic and Pa-
rochial
PAGE
Walls of Apse, fifth century
Those of the Crypt earlier, and are
probably those of the Cemetery
Chapel
garden
Church partly rebuilt in 1612
A Chapel of S. Sebastian,
with relics, in Crypt, A.D. 1672
Inscription of Pope Damasus
A modern inscription states
that 74,000 martyrs (?) are in-
terred there
•
•
136
ib.
•
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
Chapel on Staircase, thirteenth cent. 138
Ruins of Cemetery Chapels in the
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
139
ib.
ib.
ib.
140
ib.
The Via Appia a foss-way here
S. URBANO alla Caffarella, a Tem-
ple(?) of Bacchus (?) or a Tomb (?),
C. A. D. 150
S. Urban I. resided here
Church consecrated by Urban IV.,
A. D. 1694
A Hermitage and place of Pil-
grimage
Fresco-paintings, begun 1001
On the small Crypt or Con-
fessio another painting, A.D. 824 142
141
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
Church originally a Horreum, or
Chapel-tomb
142
Fresco-paintings finished, A.D. 1022 143
TOMB OF S. HELENA and Church
of SS. Marcellinus and Peter 144
Interior of Tomb, originally
a Burial-chapel
Modern Church built in it
Sarcophagus of Red Porphyry, now
in Vatican Museum
Mausoleum, entrance to Catacomb
Villa of Constantine near to it
S. AGNES outside the Walls
P
•
772
•
•
•
•
Rebuilt by Honorius, A.D.626
•
Church founded by Constan-
tine, A.D. 314
Completed by Damasus, A. D.
384
ib.
-638
Mosaic Picture, c. A.D. 630 147
Villa and Hippodrome of
Maxentius
ib.
Repaired by Hadrian I., A.D.
•
•
•
Basilica type retained
Three Altars dedicated, A.D.
1256
Church re-decorated by Pius
IX., A.D. 1856
PAGE
ib.
ib.
•
145
ib.
ib.
146
ib.
•
ib.
ib.
Rich ceiling of Nave, A.D. 1606 ib.
Mosaic or Cosmati-work, A.D.
an English botanist .
A Cathedral Church begun over
it by Pius IX.
148
ib.
1256
ib.
Church at entrance to Catacomb ib.
Campanile, fifteenth cent., very ugly ib.
ib.
S. CONSTANTIA
Mausoleum and Baptistery
Afterwards made a Church, A. D. 1256 ib.
Mosaic Pictures of the Vine,
fourth century
Sarcophagus also carved with the
Vine, removed in 1796
Double columns, or twin-shafts
Mosaics over the doors, eighth cent. ib.
149
ib.
· 150
. ib.
ib.
S. ALEXANDER
151
Pope Alexander I., martyr, A. D. 129 ib.
Site re-discovered in 1853 by
ib.
ib.
S. ALEXANDer.
Remains of Mosaic Pavement
CONTENTS TO CATACOMBS.
and foundations, second century 151
Apse and Confessio
Burial Chapels
Original Porch
century
•
VIA TIBURTINA.
S. LORENZO fuori le Mura
originally a Burial-chapel
Church built by Galla Placidia
154
ib.
. ib.
rebuilt by Pelagius II., A. D. 590 ib.
Two churches made into one, A. D. 780 ib.
Choir, the older church
Crypt rebuilt, A.D. 1865
Ambones, marble, thirteenth
•
•
•
Baldachino, handsome, A. D.
century
Fresco Paintings of A. D. 1217,
restored
Monastery and Cloister, thirteenth
century
The modern Campo-santo
PAGE
•
152
ib.
ib.
1148
ib.
ib.
ib.
Bishop's Seat, A.D. 1254
Nave originally S. Stephen's
Mosaic Tomb of Warriors, A. D. 1220 156
Portico and outer walls, thirteenth
•
155
ib.
ib.
ib.
157
158
. 159
VIA LATINA.
CHURCH OF S. STEPHEN,
Roman Deacon
Legends of this Saint
Church built by Demetria over
her Cemetery, A.D. 460
Remains excavated by Pius IX.
Panvinius and Bosio
Aringhi used Bosio's Plates
The Keeper of the Catacombs
Boldetti's Work
the
APPENDIX.
The Itineraries, according to De
Rossi's List
•
•
xvii
•
•
•
PAGE
160
ib.
. 161
ib.
ib.
162
163
ib.
ib.
Bottari re-published the Plates
of Bosio
164
Padre Marchi corrects their errors
Perret's great Work
De Rossi custodian of the Catacombs 165
ib.
His valuable Work
166-171
Bosio-List of his Plates
Bosio and Aringhi compared 171, 172
Perret, List of his Plates
173-180
181, 182
183-189
De Rossi, List of his Plates
Mr. Parker's Photographs
164
ib.
xviii
CONTENTS OF CATACOMBS.
SECOND APPENDIX.
EXCAVATIONS IN 1873-74.
CHURCH OF S. PETRONILLA AT
THE ENTRANCE TO THE CATA-
COMB OF SS. NEREUS, ACHIL-
LEUS, &c.
Described by De Rossi in his
Bulletino di Archæologia Chris-
tiana
W
M
•
PAGE
Plan of Church
Remains left as found
Another entrance to that Catacomb
is of the first century
Painting of the Vine there
Flavia Domitilla
SS. Nereus, Achilleus, Petronilla
Loculi-Val Rufina
Cubiculum or Burial-vault of Aure-
lius Victorinus.
Cemetery made by John I., A.D.
523 (?)
S. Gregory the Great preached a
Homily in this Church
Sepulcrum Flavium
Ypogeum, or Burial-vault of M.
Antonius Restitutus
Tombstone of Beatus and Vincen-
tia, A.D. 395
•
•
•
•
191
ib.
ib.
ib.
192
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
193
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
Nicolas I. restored the Church of
SS. Nereus and Achilleus on the
Via Appia, not this Cemetery
Chapel
•
This Church mentioned by William
of Malmesbury as a place of pil-
grimage for the English
PAGE
•
THE AGAPÆ OR LOVE FEASTS (?).
Remarks upon the Paintings of
these, by the Bishop of Limerick 195
Commemorative Family Feasts only ib.
Inscriptions on one of the Paintings ib.
Irene and Agape, the names of the
attendants
ib.
194
The same names occur in the same
manner on another picture
•
· 196
These attendants are directed to
mix water with the wine
The same scene is represented on
a Pagan Sarcophagus
The round table with fish upon it
Meaning of the Fish
S. PRISCILLA
ib.
•
ib.
197
ib.
198
. 199
LIST OF PLATES-CATACOMBS.
CONSTRUCTION.
PLATE
I. Natural Sections of S. Cyriaca, and Loculi in the Corridors or Passages,
called also Streets (now in the burial-ground of S. Lorenzo).
II. Sections of the Catacombs of S. Generosa, A. D. 500, and S. Cyriaca,
A. D. 259.
III. Prætextatus-Brickwork of the First Century at one of the entrances to
this great Cemetery-Cornice and Wall and Pediment, and an Arch
of the Second Century.
IV. Inscriptions in S. Calixtus on the Loculi of four Bishops of Rome and
Martyrs, in the third century-Eutychianus, A. D. 238, Fabianus, 249,
and Anteros, 235, in Greek characters; and Cornelius, A.D. 252, in
the Latin characters.
FRESCO PAINTINGS.
I. Prætextatus-Cultivation of the Vine, painted on the vault, c. A.D. 150.
The Good Shepherd, on the wall of the same chamber, is c. A.D. 320.
II. 1. SS. Nereus and Achilleus, or Domitilla (?)—An Agape.
2. S. Priscilla-Madonna and Prophet.
III. S. Priscilla-1. The Three Children in the "burning fiery furnace."
2. An Orante addressed by other Persons.
IV. S. Calixtus—An Agape (?), or the Last Supper.
V. 1. S. Priscilla-The Wine Casks, A.D. 525.
2. S. Calixtus-Christ and the Church.
VI. S. Priscilla-1. An Orante and another Figure.
2. An Orante, with a Mother and Child (?), or a Madonna.
VII. S. Pontianus-1. Head of Christ.
2. SS. Marcellinus, Pollion, Petrus.
(These three figures are painted on a wall of the ninth century,
across the corridor.)
VIII. S. Pontianus-1. The Jewelled Cross.
2. The Baptism of Christ.
XX
LIST OF PLATES.
PLATE
IX. Prætextatus-One of the original Entrances-Plan of the ground near
S. Urbano, and the Circus of Maxentius-Section of that Church and
of part of the Catacombs.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XVI.
One of the Chapels at the Entrance, on the plan of the
Greek cross.
Another of the Chapels at the Entrance, on the plan of six
apses round a circular central space.
View in the ruined Corridors, in three storeys, at original
Entrance.
View in the first Cubiculum, with a Fresco Picture of Pagan
Figures.
Other Pagan Figures of the third century, in two groups, in
the same Cubiculum.
XV. Cemetery of Mithraic Worshippers-Fresco-Painting of a Feast, with
inscriptions of VINCENTIVS and SEPTEM PII Sacerdotes.
A picture supposed to represent the Judgment of the
Soul, with inscriptions, INDVCTIO VIBIES and BONORVM IVDICIO
IVDICATI.
XVII. SS. Peter and Marcellinus-Picture of an Agape (?), or Funeral Feast
of a family. Some names inscribed are legible, others are defaced.
XVIII. S. Agnes-Plan and Section of part of this large Cemetery, between
the Church of S. Agnes and the Mausoleum of S. Constantia.
XIX. S. Pontianus-The Baptistery, with a painting of the Baptism of
Christ, and the Jewelled Cross.
XX. Church of S. Sebastian-Two inscriptions.
XXI.
Pictures in a Chapel on the stairs to the Platonia.
XXII. Basilica of S. Petronilla-Two Views, as first excavated before the
restoration.
XXIII. SS. Nereus and Achilleus-Picture of Christ and the Apostles, with
Plan of part of the Catacomb.
XXIV. Priscilla-Plan of part, with the Capella Græca, and an original
entrance by a staircase.
XXV. Natural Section of S. Cyriaca, in the burial-ground of S. Lorenzo, in
A.D. 1875.
XXVI. Church of S. Urban-View of the Interior.
XXVII.
XXVIII. S. Calixtus-Plan.
XXIX. S. Gennaro, or Januarius, at Naples-Plan.
Confessio under the Altar, and Fresco-Painting in it.
PLATE
LIST OF PLATES.
GILT GLASS VASES.
xxi
I. From the Kircherian Museum.
1. The head of Christ in the centre, with groups round it representing
His miracles.
2. Moses striking the rock, with inscription.
II. From the Museums of the Louvre and the Vatican.
III. Two Vases from the Vatican Museum; one from the Catacomb of the
Jews, the subject of the other is the Good Shepherd.
IV. Two from the Vatican Museum.
I. The miracle of the loaves and the seven baskets-ful of fragments.
2. The raising of Lazarus.
V. Two from the Vatican Museum-1. S. Maria, 2, SS. Peter and Pa ul.
VI. Two from Boldetti-Both are of SS. Peter and Paul,
VII. Two-The first from San Clementi, the other from Olevieri, with in-
scriptions. I. PIE ZEZES, &c. 2. S. AGNES between CRISTVS and
LAVRENTIVS.
VIII. From Passeri and Fabretti-Both are distinctly Pagan subjects, and
with Pagan inscriptions.
CATACOMBS.
I. INTRODUCTION.
ON THE CATACOMBS IN GENERAL.
a
THE interest excited by the Roman Catacombs is so generally
felt and acknowledged, that it is not necessary to call attention to
them. As the burying-places of the early Christians in Rome, in
which many of the earliest martyrs were interred, their importance
has been acknowledged in all ages.
Pilgrimages to the tombs of the martyrs began to be made as early
as the fourth century, as soon as the peace of the Church enabled
Christians to shew their respect in this manner. The interest taken
in them rapidly increased, and pilgrimages to the Catacombs became
the fashion, which amounted to a mania in the seventh, eighth, and
ninth centuries; and, like other things which became the fashion, it
was abused, a great deal of insincerity and fraud was mixed with
the sincere piety of the few, and the relics of the martyrs became an
article of profitable trade.
It is well known that it was the custom of the ancient Romans
a The word Catacomb has long been
supposed to be derived from the Greek
verb кaтaкоiμάw, signifying to lull, put
to sleep, and cubiculum has the same
meaning. Cemeterium or cemeterium
signifies both a burial-place in general,
and a special burial-vault belonging to
a particular family, or appropriated to
the holders of a special office, such as
the Bishops of Rome. Loculus is the
place excavated for the body. Ambula-
crum or corridor is the passage with
loculi in the walls, and cubicula are the
separate crypts opening out of it on
either side.
There is, however, considerable dif-
ference of opinion as to the derivation
of the name of Catacomb; the learned
Hofmann gives a different account of
it, deriving it from kатá, 'down,' and
cumba, a hollow.' "Catacumbæ ...
Vocis etymon quod attinet, videtur
composita ex præpositione aτά, quam
suam fecisse Latinos recentiores supra
B
ostendimus, et voce Cumba. Cum enim
ejusmodi polyandria et cœmeteria pub-
lica a cryptis in locis reconditis extite-
rint, quos istius ætatis Scriptores cum-
bas vocabant, videtur locus hic cata-
cumbas, h. e. ad cumbas, ad cryptas
vel ad valles appellatus esse. (Joh.
Jac. Hofmanni Lexicon Universale, ad
voc. Catacumba.)
>>
Ducange mentions the same deriva-
tion, but suggests also another from
cata and tumbas, underground tombs,'
which exactly expresses the meaning,
and this word is used by Gregory the
Great (lib. iii. epist. 50) in certain
manuscripts, though not in the printed
editions. This name was originally ap-
plied to the valley in which the Circus
of Maxentius was made.
In addition to the above, see "The
Roman Catacombs," by Dr. Theodore
Mommsen, in "The Contemporary Re-
view," May, 1871, pp. 161–175.
2
Catacombs.
[SECT.
to burn the bodies of persons of importance; but those of slaves
and of the poor freemen were thrown into pits called puticuli, many
of which are known to exist. The family of the Scipios formed an
exception to the general custom of the Roman citizens. They were
accustomed always to bury the bodies of their family in a catacomb,
which still remains and is open for inspection, just within the Porta
di S. Sebastiano, but outside of the old city. It is not quite on
the usual plan in the later catacombs, some of the bodies being first
placed in sarcophagi, and others introduced endways into cavities
cut in the rock to receive them, instead of being laid sideways in
the two sides of the passages, as was afterwards found generally
more convenient; but this same plan is followed in part of the
Jews' catacomb in the Via Appia, opposite to that of S. Calixtus, and
in some others. There
There is no real distinction between a tomb and
a catacomb. Under a tomb by the road-side there is frequently
a catacomb, and over a catacomb there was commonly a tomb,
sometimes made into a church or a burial chapel. There are fre-
quently columbaria or places for the urns, containing the ashes of
burnt bodies; and arco-solia or places for sarcophagi, or for bodies
to be interred in the same tomb. Many such, of the first and
second centuries, may be seen both in the neighbourhood of Rome
and at Ostia. There is reason to believe that the excavation of new
catacombs continued as late as the fifth century.
These distant cemeteries, three miles from the city, must have
been very inconvenient; and it is supposed that as the people be-
came Christian, they objected either to the burning of the bodies.
or casting them into pits, although the latter practice was con-
tinued, for those whose families were too poor to purchase a piece
of ground for them, until our own days. It has only been discon-
tinued since the year 1860.
b
The Catacombs probably came into use gradually during the first
and second centuries. At first only loculi, or mere graves in stone or
sand excavated out of the rock on the sides of the subterranean
sand-pit roads, were used; then arco-solia, or graves under arches for
b Horatii, Sat, i. 8, ver.
8, ver. 8 seqq.
• This celebrated tomb of the Scipios
is the earliest catacomb in Rome; it
was discovered in 1780, and inscrip-
tions were then found, which were
unfortunately all removed. It was de-
scribed, and the inscriptions, ten in
number, were printed by E. Q. Vis-
conti in the Antologia Romana, and
reprinted by Piranesi in 1785, and in
Lumisden's "Remarks on the Anti-
quities of Rome," 4to. London, 1797.
De Rossi notes that there are no loculi
in the sides, but arco-solia and cubicula
for sarcophagi only, and calls this tomb
a Hypogeum.
d At the places called "Cento-Celle"
and "Torre dei Schiavi," there are
numerous tombs with columbaria, and
there are said to be pits or puticuli also.
Introduction.
I.]
two persons, were brought into use; then chambers for family burial-
vaults were excavated, with entrances from the sand-pit roads ; then
these were made with distinct entrances, independent of the sand-pit
roads altogether, as we see by the flight of steps descending into
them; but these are generally of later date. Signor de Rossie has
shewn that, at least in one instance, the arch of an arco-solium, an
arch of the first century, under which the stone coffin or sarcophagus
of a martyr had been placed, was afterwards used as the entrance to
a chamber excavated behind it; and the sarcophagus was removed
from under the arch and carried to the back of the chamber, in order
that other bodies might be interred near the martyr. This has been
discovered in one of his recent excavations in the catacomb of
Prætextatus, and is probably a clue to several others where the same
process has been carried on.
We know that in the case of the columbaria for another mode of
interment at the same period, some were the property of particular
families; others were public, and the niches for urns were sold sepa-
rately or in groups: there are some inscriptions recording these facts.
In the case of the Catacombs, it appears to be evident that the
same system was carried on; and the custom of interring the whole
body in a decent manner in a grave excavated for it in the side
walls of the subterranean corridors, or in small family chapels on
each side of them, began to be common before the Christian era,
or about that period. As in the columbaria, so in the Catacombs ;
some belonged to particular families, others were public.
That an idea of special sanctity was attached to these burial-places
of the early Christians, seems evident from many passages in authors
as early as the fourth century. S. Jerome' describes thus his visit to
them in his youth :—
"When I was a boy, receiving my education at Rome, I and my schoolfellows
used on Sundays to make the circuit of the sepulchres of the Apostles and
Martyrs. Many a time, too, did we go down into the Catacombs. These are ex-
cavated deep in the earth, and contain, on either hand as you enter, the bodies
• See De Rossi, Bullettino di Arche-
ologia Cristiana.
"Dum essem Romæ puer, et a li-
beralibus studiis erudirer, solebam cum
cæteris ejusdem ætatis et propositi, die-
bus Dominicis, sepulcra Apostolorum et
Martyrum circumire; crebroque cryptas
ingredi, quæ in terrarum profundo de-
fossæ, ex utraque parte ingredientium
per parietes habent corpora sepultorum,
et ita obscura sunt omnia, ut prope-
modum illud Propheticum compleatur:
3
'Descendant in infernum viventes,' et
raro desuper lumen admissum, horrorem
temperet tenebrarum; ut non tam fenes-
tram, quam foramen demissi luminis
putes; rursumque pedetentim acceditur,
et cœeca nocte circumdatis, illud Vir-
gilianum proponitur :
"Horror ubique animos, simul ipsa si-
lentia terrent.
>>
(S. Hieronymus, Comment. in Ezech.,
lib. xii. cap. 40.)
B 2
4
[SECT.
Catacombs.
My
of the dead buried in the wall. It is all so dark there, that the language of
the Prophet seems to be fulfilled :- 'Let them go down quick into hell.' Only
occasionally is light let in to mitigate the horror of the gloom, and then not so
much through a window as through a hole "."
He speaks also of the shafts called luminaria, and says that it
reminded him of a passage in Virgil :—
"A nameless horror makes that region drear,
The very silence fills the soul with fear."
Jerome, who wrote his Commentary on Ezekiel about A.D. 380,
was born in 331.
The popularity of the fathers of the Church in the fourth cen-
tury, who by their writings endeavoured to stir up the zeal of the
Christians of their day, probably led to the exaggeration which
followed. Prudentius, the Christian poet of the same period, by
his enthusiastic hymns contributed to fan the flame, and the
priests of the following centuries were not slow to profit by it.
h
There is a natural reverence for them which would be allowed by
all Christians, if it were not for the exaggeration of modern Rome,
and the impatience felt at the bones found here being made an
article of lucrative traffic. This led to much exaggeration as to the
number of martyrs interred in the Catacombs, until eventually the
people were taught to believe that all the people interred in them
were martyrs. That the number of martyrs in Rome has been
grossly exaggerated, is evident from contemporary writers, such as
Lactantius and Eusebius; the probability is that they should be
counted by tens, rather than by thousands. During the intervals
• The translation is Mr. Burgon's, in
his "Letters from Rome," &c. London,
1862, 8vo.
h
"Haud procul extremo culta ad po-
moria vallo
Mersa latebrosis crypta patet fo-
veis :
Hujus in occultum gradibus via prona
reflexis
Ire per anfractus luce latente docet.
Primas namque fores summo tenus in-
trat hiatu,
Illustratque dies limina vestibuli.
Inde, ubi progressu facili nigrescere
visa est
Nox obscura, loci per specus am-
biguum,
Occurrunt cæsis immissa foramina
tectis,
Quæ jaciant claros antra super ra-
dios.
Quamlibet ancipites texant hinc inde
recessus,
Arcta sub umbrosis atria porticibus ;
Attamen excisi subter cava viscera
montis
Crebra terebrato fornice lux penetrat.
Sic datur absentis per subterranea solis
Cernere fulgorem, luminibusque frui."
(Aurel. Prudentii Peristephanon,
hymn. xi.; Passio Hippolyti Mar-
tyris. For an English version of
this hymn, see Section vii.)
There is an able essay on this sub-
ject by the learned Henry Dodwell,
appended to the Oxford edition of
S. Cyprian, and also printed separately.
See Cypriani Opera, ed. J. Fell, Oxon.
1682, fol., and Dissertationes Cypri-
anicæ, ab H. Dodwello. 8vo., Oxoniæ,
1684. Dissertatio XI., De paucitate
Martyrum, pp. 217–351.
1.]
between the times of persecution, the Christians enjoyed as much
liberty as any other class of the population; many of them held
the highest offices, and this continued to be the case throughout
the first three centuries. S. Paul mentions the Christians in Cæsar's
household, and Eusebius relates, in his time also, that Christians
were entrusted with the government of provinces. The persecution
under Diocletian and Maximian, A.D. 286—305, is described as
consisting of "edicts to tear down the churches to the foundation,
and to destroy the sacred Scriptures by fire." Other edicts ordered
that the "prelates should be committed to prison and constrained
to offer sacrifice to the gods." That several eminent saints met
with their martyrdom for refusing to do this, is also recorded by
Eusebius'; but the whole narrative implies that the number who
died in Rome was not large, and some of these "illustrious
martyrs were domestics in the imperial palace." Lactantius also
mentions that Prisca, the wife of Diocletian, and his daughter Vale-
riana, were Christians". The terms of the edict revoking those for
the persecution, shew that they had not been intended to go the
length of taking the lives of the Christians-that this was an ex-
ceptional abuse of their powers. In the earlier persecutions also,
the number of lives sacrificed in Rome was comparatively small.
Eusebius is a very conscientious historian in relating what fell
under his own observation, but somewhat credulous of hearsay from
others; and to swell the number of martyrs, he is obliged to relate
accounts of what happened in distant provinces, Phoenice, Egypt,
and Phrygia, all which accounts may be exaggerated as to the num-
bers killed. Dodwell sifts the whole history of the martyrdoms of
the first three centuries, and endeavours to shew that the same
exaggeration, as to the number of martyrs, prevails in the whole of
these legendary stories.
The indications of martyrdom which were formerly relied upon
prove on investigation to be of doubtful authority. The palm-branch
is found abundantly on early tombstones in the Jews' catacomb,
but the Jews had many martyrs. The small vial containing the re-
mains of a red fluid, supposed to be blood, has been tested by
able chemists, under the direction of Chr. C. Jos. Bunsen, and
more recently again under a true and enlightened member of the
Roman Church", and is found certainly not to be blood, but probably
wine. This was a Pagan custom very likely to be followed by the
Introduction.
cap. Ibid., cap. 3, 4, 6.
m
Eusebii Hist. Eccles., lib. viii.
5
Lactantius, de Mortibus Persecuto-
rum, cap. 15.
" Sir John Acton, Bart., now Lord
Acton.
6
[SECT.
Catacombs.
Christians as a custom only, without attaching any particular mean-
ing to it.
The tombs of martyrs had great influence on the history of the
Catacombs: hundreds of persons sought to have the bodies of their
friends interred in the same cemetery, and large prices were paid
for a family burying-place near a martyr. A portion of ground suffi-
cient to build a cubiculum, or family vault, was purchased in per-
petuity of the proprietors of the ground, and became the bond fide
property of that family. The name of cœmeterium was applied to
such a family vault equally as to the whole burying-place, cemetery,
or catacomb.
They are never described in any ancient documents by any other
name than cœmeteria; some modern writers use the word catacumbæ as
synonymous. We are expressly told by Ciaconius that the modern
name for cubiculum is capella, and the cubicularius established by
Leo I. is now called capellanus or chaplain. We have frequent
mention of the making of oratoria and cubicula in the Catacombs,
or at the entrances of the Catacombs, but nothing to shew that they
were used for any other purpose than as burial-chapels for the
funeral service, and for the worship of the relics of martyrs. Some
of the cubicula, or chapels, were probably used as schoolrooms in
times of persecution; one or two have a stone bench round them,
with the cathedra or seat for the bishop or teacher.
One of the greatest difficulties of the archeologist always arises
from the use of particular words in a limited technical sense, instead
of the more general and extended sense in which they are commonly
understood. This appears to be the case with the words prædium
and cœmeterium in reference to the Catacombs. The prædia of
the early Christian matrons may have been farms only in the ordi-
dary sense of the word, relating to the surface of the soil only; but
it seems more probable that this name at least included the subsoil,
whether quarries, sand-pits, or catacombs. In either case, the ground
being undermined by long galleries out of which the stone or sand
had been carried, the subsequent employment of which for the pur-
pose of a burying-place would be a most profitable employment of it,
the excavations being naturally afterwards continued for the pur-
pose only of interments. It may also include the family tomb,
0 "Hic etiam constituit et addidit.
supra sepulchra Apostolorum ex clero
Romano custodes qui dicuntur cubi-
cularii, quos modo dicimus capellanos.
Cubiculum enim idem erat apud anti-
quos, quod hodie apud nos capella.
(Alph. Ciaconius, Vitæ et res gestæ
Pontificum Romanorum et S. R. E.
Cardinalium, &c. Romæ, 1677, folio,
Leo I. vol. i. col. 307, c.)
""
I.]
Introduction.
7
with the area in which it stood, which was often quite large enough
to have had a catacomb made under it.
To purchase a piece of ground by the side of the road as a family
burying-place in perpetuity, was always expensive and could only
be indulged in by wealthy families. A piece of ground by the side of
or under an old sand-pit road was far less costly, the land being of no
value for other purposes. For this reason the Catacombs were exten-
sively made in them, and were used by the middle and lower classes,
chiefly by the Christians, but not exclusively so. The more wealthy
Christians paid for a loculus, or place for the body of a poor
fellow-Christian, and burial-clubs were established for conducting
the funerals with decency. Sometimes, probably, the clubs also
purchased the loculi. Several inscriptions recording the purchase
of a particular loculus, or cubiculum, have been found in the Cata-
combs; but as the officials of modern times have removed all
the inscriptions from their places, this part of their history has
been rendered obscure on the pretext of preserving them, which
could have been done as effectually by keeping the doors locked,
and establishing a toll for entering them. A great part of the interest,
and nearly the whole of the historical value of the Catacombs, has
been destroyed by the want of a chronological arrangement, and by
the inscriptions having been collected in museums, arranged and
classed according to the objects of the authorities. They thus pos-
sess very little interest compared with what they would have done
if left in their places. An inscription of the second or third century
is of very different value from one of the eighth or ninth; but it
may be convenient for certain objects to mix them together without
distinction. In the same manner the lamps and glass cups which
were found in the Catacombs belonging to particular graves, have
all been removed to museums, and arranged according to the fancy
or the convenience of the custodians. These would also have been
of tenfold interest and value, if left as they were found. The cata-
comb of the Jews was long one of the most interesting and im-
portant of the Catacombs, because there many of the inscriptions
and emblems were allowed to remain in the walls.
In the catacomb excavated in 1868, at the college of the Arvales,
five miles from Rome, on the road to Porto, near the bank of the
Tiber, the graves have been left, in great part, unopened, under
the direction of De Rossi P, the head officer of that department of
P The Cavaliere G. B. De Rossi is
the well-known author of a very learned
and important book on the Catacomb
of S. Calixtus, in two folio volumes,
which is intended to be carried on. Ile
is also the author of a great work or
8
Catacombs.
[SECT.
the Pontifical Government. The tombs or loculi in the corridors
are closed by tiles, usually three, or by slabs of stone or marble,
well secured with mortar to the rock, out of which the grave is
cut; in this mortar are several graffiti or inscriptions scratched
in it when it was wet, and this being Roman mortar, made with
lime used the same day that it was burnt, is everlasting. These
names are consequently as fresh as if inscribed yesterday by the
hands of the surviving relatives of the deceased.
Further par-
ticulars about them will be found in the account of that cata-
comb (Sect. v.), which had been opened by Bosio in the sixteenth
century, but entirely forgotten. In the catacomb of S. Cyriaca.
(Sect. vii.), near the Campo Santo, which is of much earlier date
than the one at the college of the Arvales, many of the graves or
loculi are also left unopened.
In the excavations made in 1870 by the monks of S. Agnes, the
small portion of the catacomb which immediately adjoins the church
was cleared out, and in this instance also the graves are left un-
opened ; but these are exceptional cases, the rule having been to
strip the Catacombs entirely.
¶
The burial-clubs of modern Rome are a traditional copy of those
of the early Christians, and perhaps Pagans also; for funeral pro-
cessions were quite as important in Pagan times as in Christian ".
The very curious costumes worn by these burial-clubs are probably
of very early origin; and particularly the covering the face with
a mask or a hood, with holes for the eyes only, seems to mark
a very early period, although it is now followed in many Roman
Catholic countries. The custom of following the body to the gate
of the city only, and leaving the actual interment to the officials,
is more like a Pagan than a Christian one. The English custom
of having the family and mourning friends assembled round the
Christian Inscriptions, and the editor
of an excellent Bullettino di Archeologia
Cristiana. I have to acknowledge my
obligations to this gentleman, both as
a learned author and as the custodian
of the Catacombs, where he kindly ob-
tained permission for me to study, and
to have photographs taken in 1868 and
1869. This permission was retracted
by the Cardinal Vicar in 1870. The
excellent account of the Catacombs by
Canon Venables, in Smith's Dictionary
of Christian Antiquities, is mainly
grounded on De Rossi's work, as the
best authority, but any Roman Catho-
lic work on the subject must be re-
W
ceived with caution by Anglicans.
See the Catacomb of S. Agnes.
For much valuable information on
this subject, see the great work of De
Rossi, and the abridgement of it by
Dr. Northcote and Mr. Brownlow (8vo.
London, 1869); also "Les Nouvelles
Etudes sur les Catacombes Romaines,
par le Comte Desbassayns de Riche-
mont. (Paris, 1870, 8vo.) These
clubs were formed into colleges, some
of which appear to have been Chris-
tian in the third century. They were
entitled to certain privileges, which
were open to the Christian equally as
to the Pagan.
">
I
1.]
Introduction.
9
grave, and hearing the last awful words, "Earth to earth, ashes to
ashes, dust to dust-in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to
eternal life," is almost unknown in Rome. The body is displayed
with great pomp in the church or in the cloister, and is carried from
it with great ceremony through the streets; but it is usually carried
to the gate only, not attended to the grave.
The custom of having funeral feasts at the time of the funeral, and
on the anniversaries of it, which we know to have been usual with
the ancient Romans, was continued by the early Roman Christians
also, and the family was probably assembled in the family vault
or cubiculum. The paintings so frequently found in them repre-
senting a feast, and called by some the marriage-feast at Cana, by
others an agape, are more probably intended for the family funeral
feast. This is also said by some to be the last supper of Christ
upon earth, when He partook of the broiled fish with six of the
Apostles, as described in the last chapter of S. John's Gospel. In
some instances the representations agree well with this, in other
cases they do not. In S. John's account there were seven disciples
present on that occasion; some of the paintings represent six and
others twelve, besides the central figure of Christ Himself, but
never seven.
Many of the paintings are probably intended for portraits of the
persons interred, surrounded by paintings of Scriptural subjects, as
indications of the faith of the deceased, who is usually represented in
the oriental attitude of prayer, and attired only in a dress closely
resembling the surplice and stole. The surplice is sometimes white,
the emblem of purity, sometimes red, as washed in the blood of
Christ; and the stole is the emblem of servitude, the yoke of Christ,
over the shoulders. In late examples, and in the case of ladies of
wealthy families, the surplice sometimes has an ornamental fringe to
it, and the stole is also embroidered; for men it is always plain, and
the costume of the modern English clergy is very nearly a copy of
that of the oranti in the Catacombs, and the Apostles, who are
represented in the same costume. The greater part of the paintings
This explanation of the symbolical
meaning of the dress of the early Chris-
tians is given in the Rationale Divino-
rum Officiorum by Durandus, who wrote
in the twelfth century. The paintings
in the Catacombs, however, appear
often intended to represent only the
black border to the dress usual in the
costume of the period. In other cases,
the arms appear to pass under a loose
strip of black, corresponding to our stole,
and this does not always descend to the
edge of the garment.
The Apostles introducing the saints
to Christ, in the mosaic pictures in the
churches, from the sixth to the ninth
centuries, are represented in a COS-
tume closely resembling the surplice
and stole.
IO
[SECT.
Catacombs.
now remaining in the Catacombs are of the time of Popes Hadrian,
Leo III., and Paschal I., or of the eighth and ninth centuries. Nearly
the whole of them were then repaired and the paintings renewed,
but the old ideas were probably continued; as we cannot be certain
of this, however, they are of no authority for any earlier history.
Among the most celebrated of the paintings in the Catacombs are
those in S. Pontianus, on the Via Portuensis; these are frescoes on
plaster upon brick walls of the eighth century, these walls being part
of the repairs of Pope Paschal. These paintings include the cele-
brated Baptism of Christ, and the two fine heads of Christ, with the
cross in the nimbus. Those in S. Priscilla, and SS. Nereus and
Achilleus, belong to the restoration of Pope John I., A.D. 523. The
drawing and many of the subjects are identical.
The soft tufa rock has in many of the other catacombs also
to be supported by walls, generally of brick, but sometimes with
stone doorways; these walls and doorways are the only bits of archi-
tecture about the Catacombs by which we can judge of their dates.
The earliest which are in the tomb or catacomb of the Scipios, are
of the time of the Republic, and are dated by the mouldings of
the arch at the original entrance, and by the sarcophagi found in
them. The next are in the catacomb of the Jews, part of which is
of the time of Augustus, another part of the time of Constantine,
shewing that it continued in use for three or four centuries, and per-
haps a longer period. Most of the tombs there bear marks of
great poverty. The next catacombs in point of date, so far as can
be judged by the architecture, are those of Prætextatus, and of SS.
Nereus and Achilleus, in which there are fine doorways and cornices
of moulded brick of the first or second century. Most of the others
which have any architectural character at all are of the fourth century,
of the time of Constantine, or subsequent to it. That of S. Agnes,
which is one of the finest, is chiefly of that period. That of
SS. Thraso and Saturninus on the Via Salaria, has brick walls of
the sixth century at the foot of the stairs and at the end of the
long corridor. The catacomb of S. Calixtus has been so thoroughly
restored in modern times, that it has lost all genuine character, espe-
cially that part which is periodically illuminated; the other part has
paintings of the eighth century.
Of the inscriptions found in the Catacombs, and collected in the
churches, cloisters, and museums, very few are earlier than the fourth
century, and scarcely any earlier than the third. The earlier ones
are very short and rude, evidently belonging to poor people only.
Sometimes they are little more than scratched upon the marble, or
1
Introduction.
I.]
on the plaster at the edges of the piece of marble, or painted on the
tile which encloses the mouth of the grave; but the names are fre-
quently accompanied by Christian emblems, such as the ixous or
fish", which is the most common as representing the name and
titles of our Lord, or the chalice, with two birds, said to be an
emblem of souls, or the dove with the olive-branch, or a palm-
branch. The latter is usually called the mark of a martyr. Many of
them have the Labarum of Constantine, which shews they cannot be
before his time, and many are much later.
The lamps and glasses found in the Catacombs, but unfortunately
never left there, have the same emblems as the inscriptions, and the
same subjects as the paintings. Many of them are clearly of the
fifth and sixth centuries, and very few, if any, earlier than the fourth.
The plates to Buonaroti and to Padre Garrucci's learned work enable
us now to compare them with other paintings in works of art of which
the dates are ascertained. Many of the subjects engraved on the
glasses are evidently Pagan; the idea that they were all chalices, or
all belonged to priests or martyrs, will not bear examination.
Many Pagan sarcophagi have been found in the Catacombs, and
fragments of them remain in many instances with Pagan sculptures
upon them. In the Jews' catacomb, there is a Pagan sarcophagus
perfect in one of the cubicula or family vaults. Attempts have been
made to explain these away as having been ready-made articles, kept
ready for use, and bought without considering the character of the
sculpture upon them; but such people as the Jews, so rigorous in
u
" IXOTE, 'fish,' evinced, by the five
letters wherewith it is composed, the
initials of the words Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς
Θεοῦ Υἱὸς Σωτὴρ, which mean Jesus
Christ, Son of God, Saviour. Owing
to that circumstance, the name as well
as the image of a fish had become, by
a process analogous to that of the
ancient Egyptians, a sort of phonetic
sign appropriated to express a complete
series of consecrated words; but it is
asserted that a similar representation of
a fish (referred to a totally different
order of ideas, it is true) was also used
on the funeral monuments of antiquity.
The passages on this topic have been
collected by Fabretti, Inscript., c. viii.
p. 569; by Father Allegranza, Spiega-
zione e Riflessioni sopra alcuni sagri
monumenti antichi di Milano, 4to.,
Milano, 1737, pp. 117, 118; and espe-
cially by Father Costadoni, in his dis-
sertation entitled, Del Pesce, Simbolo di
Gesu Cristo, presso gli antichi Cristiani.
II
Cf. Bullettino di Archeologia Cristiana,
1870, pp. 50–65.
Other Christian symbols, which are
of very frequent occurrence in the cata-
comb pictures, are mentioned in the
Apostolical Constitutions, which are
usually referred to the third and fourth
centuries.
•
"Præterea credimus resurrectionem
fore vel ob ipsam Domini resurrec-
tionem. Ipse enim est qui Lazarum. .
resuscitavit. Qui Jonam viventem
eduxit de ventre ceti. . . qui tres pueros
ex fornace Babylonia, et Danielem ex
ore leonis, is non carebit viribus ad
suscitandum nos quoque. . . . Qui Para-
lyticum sanum in pedes statuit . . . et
cæco a nativitate, quod deficiebat.
reddidit, is ipse nos quoque ad vitam
revocabit. Qui ex quinque panibus et
duobus piscibus quinque millia virorum
satiavit .. . . et ex aqua vinum confecit
.. item ex morte sublatos vitæ reddet."
(Constit. Apost., lib. v. cap. 7.)
•
•
•
•
•
I 2
Catacombs.
[SECT.
the observance of their rites, were not in the least likely to be so
careless as this as to the resting-place of their dead. It is far more
probable, as indeed appears in many ways, that these apparent
anomalies arose from intermarriages, and that the claims of family
were considered stronger than those of religion in the matter of
burial, as all differences of opinion cease in the grave. If a Jewess
was married to a Christian or to a Pagan, her family interred her in
the family vault, and probably her husband and children also, to
whatever religion they belonged. The family vaults, or cubicula or
cœmeteria, bear evident marks of having been used by many succes-
sive generations; and when there was no longer any place for
more bodies either in the walls or in the floor, the painted vault
above was broken through, and bodies were inserted there over
the rest of the family. This is the case both in the Jewish and
the Christian catacombs.
In a catacomb connected with that of Prætextatus, there are
Gnostic paintings in one part, shewing that it was a burying-place
for that sect, or, as some say, for the worshippers of the god Mithra.
The assumption always made by the Roman Church that the Cata-
combs were exclusively Christian, or that a distinction was made
after death between the bodies of Christians and of Pagans, requires
to be examined before it is assented to by those who seek the truth
only, without regard to any preconceived theory or traditions. That
some of the Catacombs were Christian is probable, because they be-
longed to Christian families; but it is very doubtful whether they were
rigidly exclusive. So many Pagan inscriptions, Pagan glasses, and
Pagan paintings have been found in them, that the idea of strict
exclusiveness can hardly be maintained. That of S. Calixtus
was the burial-vault of the Bishops of Rome in the third cen-
tury, and it is therefore probable that this Catacomb was exclu-
sively Christian.
In the columbaria remaining in the tomb of the servants of
Livia Augusta, or "the Officers of Cæsar's Household," a mile from
the Porta di S. Sebastiano, on the Via Appia, five inscriptions of
the same names as persons mentioned by S. Paul in his Epistles
have been found, with the urns containing their ashes, so that
if these really are the same persons, the early Christians appear
to have sometimes had their bodies burned in the same manner
as the Pagans *. It may have been as much a matter of fashion
* On this interesting subject see Dr.
Lightfoot's "Commentary on Philip-
pians," pp. 169, 176, and his article in
the "Journal of Philology," 1857. He
does not say more than that there is
some probability of the identity of these
t
1.]
as of religion; the custom of burying the body instead of burn-
ing it was gradually coming in during the first and second cen-
turies, and was pretty well established by the third. No doubt
the Christian doctrine of the Resurrection of the Body had con-
siderable influence in producing this change, but it did not take
place all at once; it was gradual. Many tombs of the first two or
three centuries have both columbaria or places for cinerary urns, and
other places for sarcophagi, sometimes arco-solia; in other instances,
only platforms for the sarcophagi. Of the inscriptions found in the
seventeenth century in the Catacombs, which are published by Bol-
detti and others, a large proportion are Pagan, and the ingenious
attempt to explain away this fact-the assumption that they were
all brought there to be engraved on the other side with the names
of Christians-is extremely improbable as a general rule; although
it is clear that they were so engraved in some instances, it does not
follow that these Christian inscriptions, called palimpsests, were
actually engraved in the Catacombs themselves, and the probability
is quite the other way.
Introduction.
persons. Others would go further, and
say
that for the more rare names which
he cites there is great reason to believe
13
they are the same persons. Some ex-
tracts, with the inscriptions, are given
in our Chapter on Tombs.
"
II. CHRONOLOGY.
y
ACCORDING to the legends of the Roman Church, S. Peter was
buried in the Temple of Apollo on the Via Aurelia, near where he
was crucified, and near the Palace of Nero on the Vatican ².
As
many as eleven of the early bishops of Rome are stated to have
been buried near to him.
All these rest on the same authority, that of Damasus in the
fourth century; there are no earlier records extant. It appears ex-
traordinary that the early Christians should have been allowed to
have a burial-place for their bishops under the Temple of Apollo.
On the other hand, there appears some reason to believe that the
catacomb of S. Generosa was allowed to be made in the sacred
grove of the College of the Arvales at a later period; but Signor
de Rossi considers that this catacomb was made about fifty years
after the college was suppressed".
The following are a few of the illustrious dead who are recorded
to have been buried in the Roman Catacombs, or in the burial-vaults
under S. Peter's :-
S. Linus, first or second Bishop of
Rome, A.D. 67, under Vespasian.
S. Anacletus, fifth Bishop, A.D. 103,
under Trajan.
Leo I. the Great, A. D. 461.
Gregory the Great, who first undertook
the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons,
A. D. 604.
Gregory II., A.D. 731.
Gregory III., A.D. 741.
Leo IX. He died A. D. 1050, and
was the last Pope buried in the
Catacombs.
y "S. Petrus. . . qui sepultus est Via
Aurelia in templo Apollinis, juxta locum
ubi crucifixus est, juxta palatium Nero-
nianum in Vaticano, juxta territorium
The Emperor Valentinian, A. D. 366.
The Emperor Honorius, A.D. 423.
The Princess Mary, daughter of Stilicho,
and wife of the Emperor Honorius.
The Emperor Otho II., A. D. 983.
Ceadwalla, a king of the Western Saxons.
Cenred, a king of the Mercians.
Offa, a king of the Anglo-Saxons.
Ina, a king of the Anglo-Saxons, with
Queen Ethelburga, his wife.
A large number of Christian inscriptions have been collected by the
Commendatore de Rossi, as superintendent of the Catacombs, and ar-
ranged in museums in the order which he thought best; he has also
published a part of them in his great work on Christian Inscriptions,
of which the first volume only has appeared. Of these dated inscrip-
tions only one is of the first century, and two are of the second,
triumphale." (Anastasius 1.)
7 See Via Cornelia, the Vatican.
a See Via Portuensis, S. Generosa.
SECT. II.]
Chronology.
both from loculi in the crypt of Lucina, now part of the catacomb of
S. Calixtus. Of the third century three more are from the same
crypt, and three others from other parts of the catacomb of S. Ca-
lixtus, two from that of S. Hermes; the rest are all single, and from
different catacombs.
It by no means follows that the paintings are of the same age as
the inscriptions on the tombstones; on the contrary, the greater
part of the frescoes appear to have been executed at a much
later period. There are some of the second or third centuries,
but they are not Christian nor Scriptural; they are either merely
ornamental, or they are probably Pagan, such as the Four Seasons,
with their winged Genii, Oceanus, Orpheus, Mercury, Pegasus.
If we may judge by comparison with the drawings of the mosaic
pictures in S. Constantia, A.D. 320, and S. Maria Maggiore, A.D. 450,
very little of the art is earlier than the fifth century, and the Christian
and Scriptural subjects do not generally begin before the time of
Constantine; unless possibly some of the very numerous "Good
Shepherds" may be before that time. The greater part are much
later.
15
The brickwork at the entrance of some of the early Catacombs,
as at those of Prætextatus, SS. Nereus and Achilleus, and S. Domi-
tilla, is of the first century, some of it of the time of Nero, before
there were many Christians to be buried. They were family bury-
ing-places; and if the families happened to be Christians, the per-
sons interred would be so. But in case of inter-marriages, the claim
of family would not be lost by a difference of religion: the Roman
laws would not have permitted this, nor is there any reason to be-
lieve that there was any wish for such exclusion at that period.
The dates of the catacombs which follow are the periods at
which they were made or restored, and the paintings generally be-
long to the latest restorations. They are chiefly taken from the
Pontifical Registers, sometimes called the Liber Pontificalis, from
which Anastasius, the Pontifical librarian in the ninth century, de-
rived his Annals. They had previously been used by S. Jerome.
For the early bishops, see Sect. v.,
S. Peter's at the Vatican. That cata-
comb is now destroyed. See also
Sect. vii., church of S. Alexander on
the Via Nomentana. In the third cen-
tury, the bishops of Rome were interred
in a crypt provided for that purpose on
the Via Appia, now part of the cata-
comb of S. Calixtus. There is reason
to believe that this was one of the
earliest of the Catacombs.
C
"The Liber Pontificalis was
formed out of documents more ancient
than itself, like the Martyrologium
Hieronymi, and there had been at least
three versions or editions of it before
the days of Anastasius," &c. (North-
cote and Brownlow, Roma Sotterranea,
pp. 20, 21.)
•
16
[SECT.
Catacombs.
A.D. 174. S. Anicetus, bishop and martyr, is said to have been
buried in the cemetery of Calixtus. (Anastas., 11.)
A.D. 189. Bishop Soter in the same. (Id., 13.):
A.D. 217. Bishop Zephyrinus was buried in his own cemetery, near
the cemetery of S. Calixtus, on the Via Appia, on the 7th of Sep-
tember ". It is evident that cemetery here means his own family.
burial-vault, near to the large cemetery of the family of Calixtus,
to which the bishop of that name, who was his immediate successor,
belonged, and that Calixtus made another burial-vault in this ceme-
tery for the Bishops of Rome. (Id., 16).
A.D. 222. The cemetery or catacomb of Calepodius is on the Via
Aurelia, three miles from Rome, where S. Calixtus was interred;
but this is mentioned as a burying-place in use, not as being then
made. It is believed to be the one near the church of S. Pancratius
on the Janiculum. S. Calixtus also made another cemetery on the
Appian Road, the same that is still called by his name.
A.D. 230. Urban was a martyr, and was buried in the cemetery
of Prætextatus, according to the legends of the Church, with the
other martyrs of the same period, SS. Cæcilia, Tiburtius, Valerianus,
and Maximus. They were all beheaded, and at night their bodies
were collected by Lucina, with the clergy and her family, and buried
on her property, where now is the catacomb of S. Calixtus . (Id.,17.)
A.D. 235. Calpurnius Pontianus was buried in the cemetery of
Calixtus by Fabianus, who had brought the bodies from Sardinia.
(Id., 20.)
A.D. 236. Bishop Anteros, or Antherus, was buried in the ceme-
tery of S. Calixtus". (Id., 19.)
A.D. 249. Fabianus . . . caused many buildings to be erected for
d "Qui etiam sepultus est in cœme-
terio suo, juxta cometerium Calixti,
Via Appia, vii. Kalend. Septembris.
(Anastas., 16.)
66
""
Qui etiam sepultus est in cœme-
terio Calepodii, Via Aurelia, miliario
tertio, pridie idus Octobris; et fecit aliud
cœmeterium Via Appia, ubi multi sacer-
dotes et martyres requiescunt, quod ap-
pellatur usque in hodiernum diem cœme-
terium Calixti," &c. (Anastas., 17.)
f "Qui etiam sepultus est in cœme-
terio Prætextati, Via Appia." (Id., 18.)
Ciaconius, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pon-
tificum Romanorum, &c., vol. i. col.
146, A. Anastas., 18, mentions only
Valerianus, who was betrothed to
S. Cæcilia, and many others.
Anast., 19, 20. Cf. Ciacon., col.
152, A. According to the legendary
history, Anteros was interred in this
catacomb, with many other martyrs,
by the hands of S. Fabianus, then a
priest, who became his successor ; his
body was afterwards removed to the
church of S. Sixtus (S. Sisto Vecchio),
on the Via Appia, in A. D. 595 (?), with
those of several other saints and martyrs.
Anast., 21. Fabianus's body was
translated to the church of S. Silvester
and S. Martin by Sergius II.
i
The inscriptions on the tombstones
of Eutychianus, Anteros, Fabianus, and
Cornelius, were found by Signor de
Rossi, in the cubiculum of the Bishops
of Rome, in the cemetery of Calixtus,
and photographs of these inscriptions
are to be had.
Chronology.
cemeteries. These were probably burial-chapels at the entrances
of the Catacombs, of which there are many remains; some of them
have portions that may be of this period.
A.D. 252. Cornelius was buried in a crypt near to the cemetery of
S. Calixtus.
According to the legends, in his time, the Lady Lucina (or an en-
lightened lady?) raised the bodies of SS. Peter and Paul at night, and
placed that of S. Paul in her property on the Via Ostense; but Corne-
lius put that of S. Peter near the place where he was crucified, between
the bodies of the bishops in the Temple of Apollo, on the Monte
Aureo, in the Vatican Palace of Nero, on the 6th of July. (Anastasius,
xxii. 22¹) S. Paul suffered martyrdom by beheading; his body was
collected at night by the same Lady Lucina, and buried in a crypt
on her property, near the cemetery of Calixtus on the Via Appia ™.
A.D. 253. Lucius was buried in the cemetery of Calixtus. (Anastas.,
xxiii. 23.)
II.]
17
A.D. 257. Stephanus, and twenty other martyrs of both sexes, and
Cerealis, a soldier, with his wife Sallustia, are said by Ciaconius to
have been buried with him" in this catacomb. (Anastas., xxiv. 24.
See sect. 6.)
A.D. 259. Sixtus II. was beheaded, and six deacons with him; he
was buried in the cemetery of S. Calixtus,-the deacons in that of
Prætextatus,—and S. Laurence who was his archdeacon, and received
the crown of martyrdom three days afterwards, was buried in a crypt
in the cemetery of Cyriaca (in agro Verano), in the field of Veranus.
(Anastas., xxv. 25. See sect. 6.)
A.D. 269. S. Dionysius or Dennis, established cemeteries, and was
buried in that of Calixtus.
A.D. 275. Felix made a basilica on the Via Aurelia, where he was
buried. (Anastas., xxvii. 27.)
A.D. 283. Eutychianus buried three hundred and forty-two martyrs
k 'S. Fabianus . . . multas fabricas
per cœmeteria fieri præcepit." (Anas-
tas., xxi. 21.)
This passage in Anastasius has led
to much dispute as to the exact locality
of the martyrdom of the two great
Apostles, whether it took place on the
Vatican Hill, or on the hill called Mons
Aureus (corrupted into Montorio), which
is a mile to the south of the Vatican.
This hill is called the Golden Mount,
from the golden colour of the sand on
the surface, which is distinctly visible
from many parts of Rome. The church
of S. Peter in Montorio is built on the
с
one site, and S. Peter in Vaticano on
the other.
m Whether he was beheaded on that
site where the great church stands that
was built to commemorate it, or at the
Tre Fontane, a mile further on, is still
an open question. The whole of this
story reads very much like an inter-
polation.
" Ciaconius, Vitæ et Res gestæ Pon-
tif. Rom., vol. i. col. 169, D. The ad-
dition of those two names is not in
Anastasius.
"S. Dionysius .. cœmeteria in-
stituit." (Anastas., 26.)
18
Catacombs.
[SECT.
with his own hands in various places; he was afterwards a martyr
himself, and was buried in the cemetery of Calixtus. (Anastas.,
xxviii. 28.)
A.D. 290. Caius, in fleeing from the persecutions of Diocletian,
dwelt in the crypts; he was a martyr, and was buried in the ceme-
tery of Calixtus. (Anastas., xxiv. 29.)
A.D. 296. "Marcellinus was bishop during the great persecution
under Diocletian, in which within thirty days seventeen thousand
Christians of both sexes were crowned with martyrdom, in the dif
ferent provinces of the Roman Empire. Marcellinus was called
upon to sacrifice to the heathen gods, which he did; but a few days
afterwards, having repented of what he had done, he was beheaded
by order of Diocletian, together with Claudius, Cyrinus, and Anto-
ninus, who all suffered martyrdom for their faith in Christ. Marcel-
linus exhorted Marcellus not to yield to the orders of Diocletian.
After their martyrdom, their bodies were exposed as a warning to
the Christians for thirty-six days, by his order. Afterwards Marcellus
collected their bodies at night, with a company of priests and dea-
cons singing hymns, and buried them in the cemetery of Priscilla,
in an open chapel or vault (cubiculum) which he had prepared when
penitent, and which remains to this day" (that is, to the time of
Damasus); the body of Marcellinus was placed in a crypt near that
of S. Crescentius, on the seventh of May." (Anastas., xxx. 30. See also
sect. 8.) This open chapel appears to have been one of the chapels
at the entrance to the Catacombs, either above ground, or with
a luminare or opening for light and air in the middle of the vault,
of which several examples remain.
A.D. 300. The catacomb of S. Castolus, the chamberlain of Dio-
cletian. This had been forgotten, but was found again in 1864,
and an account of it is given by Signor de Rossi in his Bullettino ai
Archeologia Cristiana for February, 1865. It is situated on the
Via Labicana, about a mile from Rome, near the railroad and the
Claudian aqueduct. There was at the entrance of it a church
P "Marcellus collegit noctu corpora
[Martyrum?]. . . et sepelivit, Via Sa-
laria, in cœmeterio Priscillæ, in cubiculo
claro, quod patet usque in hodiernum
diem. Cubiculo claro may mean only
lighted "per luminare cryptæ," as that
through which S. Candida was thrown
and pelted with stones. See the acts
of SS. Marcellinus and Petrus, ap. Bol-
land, June 2, n. 10, p. 173.
This catacomb is situated under the
vineyard belonging to the Irish monks
>>
of S. Clement. Some early tombstones
were found in it in 1863, and were en-
graved by Signor de Rossi in his Bul-
lettino for February, 1864.
It is thus mentioned in the valuable
topographical tract De locis sanctis Mar-
tyrum, quæ sunt foris Civitatem Romæ :
-“Juxta Viam vero Prænestinam, juxta
aquæductum, ecclesia est sancti Strato-
nici, episcopi et martyris, et sancti Cas-
toli, quorum corpora longe sub terra
sunt sepulta."
-
II.]
Chronology.
or burial-chapel, dedicated to S. Stratonicus, bishop and martyr, and
S. Castolus.
A.D. 309.
"Marcellus asked permission of a certain matron named
Priscilla, and made cemeteries [in her property] on the Via Salaria.
After his martyrdom, his body was obtained by the blessed Lucina,
and buried in the cemetery of Priscilla." (Anastas., xxxi. 31.) From
this it appears that the Bishop Marcellus prepared certain burial-
vaults in the cemetery of the family of Priscilla, for the bodies of
the Christian martyrs in the great persecution then going on, and
was soon afterwards himself interred in one of them.
19
A.D. 309. Eusebius was buried in S. Peter's, according to some
authorities, and in the church of S. Sebastian, according to others;
but in a crypt in the cemetery of S. Calixtus, according to Anas-
tasius (xxxii. 32).
A.D. 314. Melchiades was buried in a crypt in the cemetery of
Calixtus, on the Via Appia. (Anastas., xxxiii. 33.)
A.D. 330. Silvester was buried in the catacomb of S. Priscilla on
the Via Salaria, at the third mile from the city. (Anastas., xxxiv. 48.)
In his time, we are told by Anastasius that Constantine made a
church to S. Laurentius in the field of Veranus, over the sand-
pit crypt".
A.D. 337. Marcus made two churches, one on the Via Ardeatina,
where his body rests, the other in the city of Rome, near the capitol.
At his suggestion Constantine gave to the church, which he had
made in a cemetery on the Via Ardeatina, a rose farm with all the
fields belonging to it, besides forty pounds in money. He was
buried in the cemetery of S. Balbina, under the church which he had
built. (Anastas., xxxv. 49.)
A.D. 337-348. Julius I. . . . made two churches, one in the City
near the Forum, the other on the Via Flaminia; he made three
cemeteries, one on the Via Flaminia, another on the Via Aurelia,
and another also on the Via Portuensis. (Sect. 5.) He was buried
himself on the Via Aurelia, in the cemetery of Calepodius.
A.D. 352. Liberius resided for some time in the catacomb of
S. Agnes, which he adorned with marble plates. He was recalled
r "Eodem tempore Constantinus
Augustus fecit basilicam beato Lau-
rentio martyri, Via Tiburtina in agrum
Veranum supra Arenarium cryptæ, et
usque ad corpus B. Laurentii Martyris,
in qua fecit gradum ascensionis et de-
scensionis." (Anastas., xxxiv. 43.)
8 "S. Marcus . . . sepultus est in cœ
meterio Balbinæ, Via Ardeatina." This
cemetery was probably afterwards called
by the name of S. Marcus himself, and
was restored under that name in 705
and 855. (See sect. 7.)
"(S. Julius) fecit autem et cœmete-
ria tria, unum Via Flaminia, et aliud
Via Aurelia, atque aliud Via Portuensi.
Qui etiam sepultus est Via Aurelia,
in cœmeterio Calepodii," &c. (Anastas.,
xxxvi. 50.)
•
C 2
20
Catacombs.
[SECT.
to the city by the Emperor Constantius, at the instigation of the
Princess Constantia, who was a Christian. He was buried in the
catacomb of Priscilla. (Anastas., xxxvii. 51.)
A.D. 355. Felix II. is said to have received martyrdom under the
Emperor Constantius, and to have been buried in the catacomb on
the Via Aurelia (Anastas., xxxviii. 53); but the dates do not agree,
notwithstanding that there is an inscription to that effect in the
church of SS. Cosmas and Damian near the Forum Romanum, to
which his relics were translated in 1582". There was no persecu-
tion of the Christians under Constantius II., in the time of Felix II.,
A.D. 355—366; and Felix I. died A.D. 275, before the time of Con-
stantius I., A.D. 305.
A.D. 366. Bishop Damasus made two basilicas, one near the
theatre of Pompey, dedicated to S. Laurentius, the other on the
Via Ardeatina, where he is buried in the Catacombs. He also
built the platonia (at S. Sebastian's), where the bodies of the
Apostles were laid, that is, of S. Peter and S. Paul, which he
adorned with verses. He sought out the bodies of many martyrs,
and decorated their vaults with verses. He was buried near his
mother and sister, in a catacomb on the Via Ardeatina, called after
him Damasi; he wrote a number of Latin verse inscriptions relating
to the saints and martyrs buried in the Catacombs, and had them
incised in a very elegant manner on marble plates, many of which
are extant. (Anastas., xxxix. 54.)
A.D. 397. Siricius was buried in the catacomb of Priscilla. (Anas-
tas., xl. 55.)
In the fifth century, the Popes were buried in different places,
in the churches they had built, or in the catacomb of the Vatican
under S. Peter's. This latter custom became general in the sixth
century, for those Popes who died at Rome, or whose bodies were
brought there.
A.D. 401. Anastasius I. was buried in his own cemetery, ad Ursum
pileatum. (Anastas., xli. 56. See Sect. 5.)
A.D. 417. Innocentius I., also ad Ursum pileatum. (Anastas., xlii. 58.)
A.D. 418. Zosimus, near the body of S. Laurence on the Via
Tiburtina. (Anastas., xliii. 59.)
A.D. 419. S. Boniface made an oratory in the catacomb of S. Feli-
citas, and ornamented the sepulchrey of SS. Felicitas and Livanius,
on the Via Salaria, and was buried there near the body of the saint.
u CORPVS S. FELICIS. PAPAE. ET .
MARTYRIS. QVI. DAMNAVIT CON-
STANTIVM.
"In platoniam scripsit nomina."
X
•
y "Hic (S. Bonifacius) fecit orato-
rium in cœmeterio S. Felicitatis, juxta
corpus ejus, et ornavit sepulcrum," &c.
(Anastas., xliv. 61.)
II.]
Chronology.
(Anastas., xliv. 61. See sect. 8.) This was adorned with a mosaic
picture, of which a drawing is preserved in the Vatican library.
A.D. 432. Cœlestinus was buried in the cemetery of Priscilla,
Via Salaria. (Anastas., xlv. 62.)
A.D. 432-440. Sixtus III., hearing that the Emperor Valentinian
and his mother Placida were furious against Bassus, and had con-
demned him to exile, where he had died, embalmed the body with
aromatic herbs, and wrapped it in linen with his own hands, and
brought it to S. Peter's, where he interred it in the burial-vault of
his family. He also made a platonia (that is, a chapel with the walls
lined with marble plates) in the catacomb of Calixtus, on the Via
Appia, where he wrote the names of the bishops and martyrs, to
commemorate them. He was buried near the body of S. Laurentius
in the crypt on the Via Tiburtina. (Anastas., xlvi. 65. See sect. 6.)
A.D. 440-461. S. Leo made the church (?) or chapel (?) (basilicam)
of S. Cornelius, near the cemetery of Calixtus, (see sect. 7,) and
was buried at S. Peter's.
A.D. 461—467. Hilarius was interred in a crypt near the body of
the blessed Bishop Sixtus at S. Lorenzo (that is, in the cemetery of
S. Cyriaca ¹).
2I
A.D. 482. Simplicius was buried in the church of S. Peter .
A.D. 498. Felix III. was buried in the church of S. Paul ª.
A.D. 498. S. Symmachus restored (or put into better order) the
cemetery of the Jordani near the body of S. Alexander, on the
Via Salaria. (Sect. 8.)
A.D. 523. John I. made the cemetery of the blessed martyrs
Nereus and Achilleus on the Via Ardeatina . . . and renewed the
cemetery of S. Felix and Adauctus, or Commodilla or Domitilla (?),
on the Via Ostiensis, and of Priscilla, on the Via Salaria. (Sect. 9.)
A.D. 536–538. Silverius. In his time, during the siege of Rome,
(which was defended by Belisarius, called also by Anastasius, Vili-
"Hic (Sixtus III.) fecit platoniam
in cœmeterio Calixti, Via Appia, ubi
nomina Episcoporum et Martyrum scrip-
sit commemorans. (Anastas., xlvi. 65.)
a "C
f
(S. Leo) fecit autem et basilicam
B. Cornelio episcopo et martyri juxta
com. Calixti, Via Appia." (Anastas.,
xlvii. 67.)
7.
b"Qui etiam sepultus est ad sanctum
Laurentium in crypta juxta corpus beati
episcopi Sixti." (Anastas., xlviii. 71.)
"Hic sepultus est in basilica beati
Petri apostoli." (Anastas., xlix. 72.)
d "Hic sepultus est in basilica beati
Pauli apostoli." (Anastas., 1. 73.)
e "Hic (S. Symmachus) fecit cœme-
terium Jordanorum in melius prope
corpus S. Alexandri. (Anastas., liii.
31.) This was renewed in 772.
>>
"Hic papa Joannes fecit cœme-
terium B. M. Nerei et Achillei Via Ar-
deatina. Item renovavit cœmeterium
Felicis et Adaucti . . et Priscilla, Via
Salaria." (Anastas., lv. 89.)
·
Each cubiculum was a separate burial-
place for a martyr, and as many cubicula
are connected together by corridors, the
general name given to the whole varies
extremely; it is sometimes called after
one martyr, sometimes another.
22
[SECT.
Catacombs.
sarius the patrician,) the Goths, in their fury, are described as having
exterminated the churches, and the bodies of the holy martyrs ".
A.D. 538. Vigilius repaired the Catacombs after they had been
damaged by the Goths in their second siege of Rome, and restored
some of the inscriptions of Damasus ".
A.D. 560-573. John III. is said by Anastasius and in the Mar-
tyrology to have taken refuge in the catacomb of Tiburtius and
Valerianus, now called of Prætextatus, for several months, during
the siege of Rome by the Goths; and to have celebrated Divine
service there on Sundays. He loved and restored the cemeteries
(or catacombs) of the holy martyrs, and ordered that oblations,
i.e. the bread and wine for the Eucharist, cruets and candles (for
the holy Sacrifice), should be supplied from the Lateran Palace
throughout them every Sunday; also that they should be lighted
up during Lent. (Anastas., lxiii. 110.)
A.D. 577. Pelagius II. made the cemetery of the blessed Hermes
on the Via Salaria Vetus. (Anastas., lxv. 112.)
A.D. 590. Gregory the Great made Lent stations in the Catacombs.
A.D. 619. Boniface V. completed and dedicated the catacomb of
S. Nicomedes at the seventh mile on the Via Ardeatina. (Anastas.,
lxxi. 118.)
A.D. 626. Honorius I. renewed the cemetery of the blessed mar-
tyrs Marcellinus and Peter on the Via Lavicana'. (See sect. 7.)
A.D. 642—649. Theodorus. In his time the bodies of the holy
martyrs, Primius and Felicianus, were taken up from the sand-pit on
the Via Nomentana, in which they had been buried, and taken out
to the city of Rome, and there re-interred in the church of S. Stephen
the Proto-martyr ".
k
B "Nam ecclesiæ et corpora sancto-
rum martyrum exterminatæ sunt a Go-
this." (Anastas., lx. 99.)
h "Dum peritura Getæ posuissent cas-
tra sub urbem,
Moverunt Sanctis bella nefanda prius,
Totaque sacrilego verterunt corde se-
pulchra,
Martyribus quondam rite sacrata piis.
Quos, monstrante Deo, Damasus sibi
Papa probatos,
Affixo monuit carmine jure coli;
Sed periit titulus confracto marmore
sanctus,
Nec tamen his iterum posse latere fuit.
Diruta Vigilius nam posthæc Papa
gemiscens,
Hostibus expulsis omne novavit opus.”
This inscription is now in the gallery
of the Museum of Christian Antiquities
in the Lateran Palace.
It appears from this, and from other
inscriptions and passages relating to the
Catacombs, that the damage done to
them by the Goths was speedily re-
paired, and they continued to be used
as places of interment for some time
afterwards. As places of pilgrimage,
they were even more resorted to; the
fashion went on increasing for two or
three centuries, and has always conti-
nued after intervals. It has been very
much revived between 1830 and the
present time, and the paintings in S.
Calixtus have again been restored or
renewed for the modern pilgrims.
"(Honorius I.) renovavit et cœme-
terium B. M. Marcellini et Petri, Via
Lavicana." (Anastas., Ixxii. 120.)
"Feliciani, quæ erant in arenario
II.]
Chronology.
A.D. 687. Sergius I., "during the time of his priesthood, was ac-
customed diligently to celebrate mass through the different ceme-
teries." (Anastas., lxxxvi. 158.)
A.D. 705. John VII. worked on the cemeteries of Marcellinus and
Marcus (on the Via Ardeatina), and on that of the holy pontiff
Damasus¹. (See sect. 7.)
23
A.D. 731–741. Gregory III. restored the catacombs of S. Urba-
nus, Maximus, Petronilla, on the Via Appia and Ardeatina. (Anas-
tas., xcii. 202.) He also established a body of priests to celebrate
masses every week, and on the nativities and festivals, and other
vigils in the cemeteries. (Anastas., xcii. 204.)
A.D. 752. Stephen II. restored the roof of the cemetery (chapel)
of S. Soter, on the Via Appia, which had fallen in ". (See sect. 7.)
A.D. 757-768. Paul I. "complained loudly of the damage done
by the 'impious Lombards,' and removed many of the relics of the
martyrs into Rome for security. He deposited them in the church.
which he had built in honour of S. Stephen and S. Sylvester (S. Sil-
vester in Capite Via Lata), on the site of his father's house, which
had descended to him by inheritance." (Anastas., xcv. 260.)
A.D. 772—795. Hadrian I. renewed the cemetery of SS. Peter and
Marcellinus, on the Via Lavicana, near the church of S. Helena, as
well as the coverings" over S. Tiburtius, S. Peter, and S. Marcelli-
nus, and made new steps to descend to their most holy bodies, to
which no one could descend before. (Anastas., xcvii. 325.)
·
Hadrian also renewed the basilica of S. Sophia, with the ceme-
tery of Tertullian outside the Porta Latina, . . . together with the
cemeteries of S. Urban the Pope (see A.D. 233), of Felix and of
Agapetus, and of Januarius and Cyrinus the martyrs, outside the
Porta Appia,... and restored that of S. Cyriaca ; . also the church
of the Apostles outside of the Porta Appia, at the third mile, in the
place which is called the Catacombs, where the body of the blessed
S. Sebastian rests with others, which was in ruins; he restored afresh
... the cemetery chapels of S. Hermes, S. Prothus, and S. Hyacinth,
on the Via Salaria.
A.D. 772—795. The cemetery of S. Felicitas on the Via Salaria.
The cemeteries of S. Chrysantus, S. Daria, and S. Hilary,
on the Via Salaria.
The cemeteries of the Jordanes, that is of the saints and
sepulta, Via Numentana." (Anastas.,
lxxv. 128.)
1 "Joannes VII. laboravit in cœm.
Marcellini et Marci et S. Pontificis
Damasi." (Anastas., lxxxviii. 167.)
(Stephanus II.) restauravit et te-
66
ןןן
gumen com. S. Sotheris, quod ceci-
derat." (Anastas., xciv. 235.)
"This probably means, renewed the
paintings on the vaults over the bodies
in the cubicula.
24
[SECT. II.
Catacombs.
martyrs Alexander, Vitalis, and Martial, &c., and of the seven holy
Virgins (see A.D. 498), on the Via Salaria.
A.D. 772—795. The cemetery of S. Silvester, on the Via Salaria.
The chapel of S. Abdon and S. Sennen, on the Via Por-
tuensis, . . . and of the blessed martyr Candida, along with the ceme-
teries of other saints, he renewed in like manner.
The cemeteries of the blessed martyr Hippolytus, near
S. Laurence, on the Via Tiburtina. (Anastas., xlvii. 350.)
A.D. 795. Leo III. restored the cemeteries of S. Sixtus and
S. Cornelius on the Via Appia, and of S. Zoticus on the Via Labi-
cana. (Anastas., xcviii. 361.)
A.D. 817. Paschal I. translated the relics of 2,300 bodies to the
church of S. Prassede, which he had built. (Anastas., c. 435.)
A.D. 844. Sergius II. translated a large number of relics to the
churches of S. Sylvester and S. Martin, in the Therma of Titus.
(Anastas., civ. 491.)
A.D. 845. Leo IV. translated a number of relics to the church of
the Santi Quattro Coronati. (Anastas., cv. 517.)
A.D. 857. Benedict III. restored the cemetery of S. Marcus outside
the Appian gate. (Anastas., cvi. 572.)
A.D. 858—867. Nicholas I. is said to have restored the catacombs
of Priscilla, Basilla, and Saturninus, and the celebration of mass.
in the Catacombs; he also repaired the catacombs of Felix, Ponti-
anus, and Sebastian. (Anastas., cvii. 601.)
A.D. 1217—1229. The pilgrimages to the tombs of the martyrs in
the Catacombs were renewed under Honorius III. The same active
Pope buried the body of Maria, the mother of the King of Aragon,
in the sepulchre (catacomb?) of Petronilla, which is said in the
history of the Councils to be in the Vatican; but this may be an
error arising from the writer not knowing the locality.
• A large crypt was built to receive
these bodies under the apse of the church
which this Pope was then building.
The entrance to this crypt was through
the confessio under the altar. The pas-
sage is divided into two parts, right and
left, and there is an altar at the point of
junction. This altar is richly decorated
with mosaic patterns, and there is a pic-
ture over it of three figures, the Ma-
donna between S. Prassede and her
sister S. Pudentiana. Each division leads
to a doorway into the great crypt be-
hind, now closed. These corridors are
lined with tombstones from the Cata-
combs, several of which have the in-
scriptions visible, and one of these is
of the sixth century; others have them
turned inwards and not visible. There
are several other crypts built to receive
the bodies at this period under different
churches, as at the Santi Quattro Coro-
nati, where they have half of an in-
scription belonging to them, the other
half of which is in another church, some
of the relics of the martyrs having been
divided. In another crypt, under the
choir of S. Maria in Cosmedin, there are
a number of niches to receive the reli-
quary chests, much resembling the co-
lumbaria for cinerary urns.
III. THE MARTYRS.
THE history of the early martyrs in Rome has long been a matter
of controversy, and will probably long continue to be so.
The plan
of this work is to avoid controversy as much as possible, and to
confine it strictly to archæology, or the truth of history in detail.
The legends of the Roman branch of the Catholic Church are not
received as being necessarily true and the whole truth, but like other
authorities of history to be weighed, and the date of the documents
or of the writers to be always considered. When existing remains
are examined by archæological rules, and are found to agree with
the legends of the Church, the two combining may be considered as
amounting to history. This appears to be the case with regard to
the church of S. Pudentiana, but for the martyrdoms of S. Peter and
S. Paul there can be no archæological evidence. There are no re-
mains of buildings of the first century known, either in the Vatican,
at S. Peter's or at S. Paul's, on the Via Ostiensis, or at the Tre
Fontane. There are no cotemporary witnesses, but the authors
of the fourth century mention them as received facts in their time.
Lactantius especially mentions them as an ordinary matter of his-
tory that no one thinks of disputing'.
That during the time of persecution the bishops performed the
divine offices in the Catacombs is not only recorded; but many of
the chapels fitted up for that purpose remain, especially one in the
catacomb of S. Priscilla, where the altar or stone coffin of a martyr re-
mains, with a small platform behind it for the priest or bishop to stand
and officiate over it, according to the practice of the early Church. We
are told that Xystus or Sixtus II., bishop in A.D. 259, with Quartus,
one of his clergy, were beheaded in a catacomb; and Stephen I.,
A.D. 257, having been found in the act of performing divine service,
was allowed to complete it, and then beheaded in his chair. This was
long considered to be in the catacomb of Cyriaca, on the Via Tibur-
tina, which adjoins the public cemetery of S. Lorenzo, where an altar
r C
Cumque jam Nero imperaret, Pe-
trus Romam advenit; et editis qui-
busdam miraculis, quæ virtute ipsius
Dei, data sibi ab eo potestate, faciebat,
convertit multos ad justitiam, Deoque
templum fidele ac stabile collocavit.
Qua re ad Neronem delata, cum ani-
madverteret non modo Romæ, sed ubi-
que quotidie magnam multitudinem
deficere a cultu idolorum et ad religi-
onem novam, damnata vetustate, trans-
ire: ut erat execrabilis ac nocens tyran-
nus, prosilivit ad excidendum cœleste
templum, delendamque justitiam, et
primus omnium persecutus Dei servos
Petrum cruci affixit, et Paulum inter-
fecit." (Firm. Lactantii Liber de Mor-
tibus Persecutorum, c. ii.)
26
[SECT.
Catacombs.
was afterwards erected to his memory; but De Rossi (vol. ii. c. 14)
considers it to have taken place in the catacomb of S. Calixtus.
In the life of Stephen I. there are several legends of his seclusion
in the Catacombs.
Although during the time of persecution the Christians were much
worried and annoyed at the instigation of the Pagan priests, and
many were even put to death, still there were long intervals of com-
parative peace, when they were no more molested than other citizens.
The good emperors did not always yield to the influence of the Pagan
priests, and although these were always hostile, partly from real belief
in their own religion, and still more from the fear of losing their
revenues which depended mainly on the offerings made to the idols,
the people did not always support their idolatrous views. Perfect
toleration of all religions had been one of the principal causes of the
rapid rise and great extent of the Roman power, and it was only when
the Roman people became intolerant under the influence of their
priests, that their power fell almost as rapidly as it had risen.
These persecutions were however not generally of long dura-
tion. At other times, the Christians lived as other citizens; and if
they could conceal themselves until the storm of persecution had
blown over, they were safe, at least until the next persecution took
place. The bishops being naturally the first persons selected for per-
secution, it was a great object to secrete them for a short time, and
for this purpose the Catacombs were admirably adapted: their intri-
cate winding passages were known only to the fossores, who were
generally Christians; and as there were frequently several entrances,
the bishop might escape by one while the enemy were seeking him
by another. But the Catacombs were never intended, nor fit for
dwelling-places, and the stories of persons living in them for months
are probably fabulous. According to modern physicians, it is im-
possible to live many days in the caves of pozzolana in which many
of the catacombs are excavated.
I
We read in the life of Alexander Severus, by Lampridius", that
“he put up in his private chapel statues to Christ and Abraham, as
well as to Orpheus and Apollonius of Thyana." This does not agree
with the story of his persecution of the Christians and Jews. He
could not have selected Christ and Abraham as among the chief
heroes, and at the same time have persecuted their followers.
8 (C
• • •
Matutinis horis in larario suo,
in
quo et Divos principes, sed optimos
electos et animas sanctiores, in queis
et Apollonium, et quantum scriptor
suorum temporum dicit, Christum, Abra-
ham, et Orpheum, et hujusce modi deos
habebat ac majorum effigies, rem divi-
nam faciebat. (Lampridius in Alex-
andro Severo, c. 28.)
III.]
The Martyrs.
27
"The same emperor proposed to have Christ received among the gods of the
Roman people, and to build a temple to Him as Hadrian had previously proposed,
who had also ordered temples without images to be built in all the cities, which, be-
cause they had no other name, are now [A. D. 222-235] called after Hadrian, who
had ordered them to be built; but he was forbidden to do this by the priests,
because if he did so all would become Christians, and the temples would be
deserted "."
From this it is evident that Hadrian had caused many temples
without idols to be erected, which he intended for Christian worship,
and this at the beginning of the second century; moreover that these
temples were still in existence in the third century, in the time of
Alexander Severus, who wished to go a step further, and openly build
temples dedicated to Christ.
In another passage in the life of the same emperor, we are told
that the great Christian maxim, "Do unto others as you would they
should do unto you," delighted this good emperor extremely, and he
ordered it to be inscribed on his palace, and on his public works ".
This, again, is not consistent with his persecuting those who hold
this maxim as one of the great truths of their religion.
x
On the other hand, among the Epistles of S. Cyprian, written
between A.D. 248 and 258, during the seventh persecution, are seve-
ral letters addressed by him to the martyrs when in prison, and
condemned to hard labour on the roads. One is addressed to
"Nemesianus, Felix, Lucius, another Felix, Polianus, Victor, Jader,
Pelian, co-episcopus, and the other priests and deacons and brothers,
condemned to hard labour in the mines and quarries. He entreats
them to have courage and perseverance and charity." Other letters
are the replies of the prisoners, who were afterwards martyrs, to
Cyprian, then in exile. The Lucius here mentioned was not the
Pope, but an African bishop of the same name. One of these is the
reply of “Felix, Jader, Pelian, with the priests and all others, dwell-
t "Christo templum facere voluit,
eumque inter deos recipere; quod et
Hadrianus cogitasse fertur, qui templa
in omnibus civitatibus sine simulacris
jusserat fieri. Quæ hodie idcirco, quia
non habent nomina, dicuntur Hadriani,
quæ ille ad hoc parasse dicebatur; sed
prohibitus est ab his qui consulentes
sacra, repererant omnes Christianos fu-
turos, si id primum fecisset, et templa
reliqua deserenda." (Lampridius in
Alexandro Severo, c. 42.)
V
"Si quis de via in alicujus posses-
sionem deflexisset, pro qualitate loci, aut
fustibus subjiciebatur in conspectu ejus,
aut virgis, aut condemnationi: aut si
hæc omnia transiret dignitas hominis,
aut gravissimis contumeliis, cum diceret,
Visne hoc in agro tuo fieri quod aiteri
facis? Clamabatque sæpius, quod a
quibusdam sive Judæis sive Christianis
audierat, et tenebat: idque per præco-
nem, cum aliquem emendaret, dici ju-
bebat, Quod tibi fieri non vis alieri ne
feceris. Quam sententiam usque adeo
dilexit, ut et in palatio et in publicis
operibus præscribi juberet." (Lampri-
dius in Alexandro Severo, c. 50.)
* Cyprian. epist. lxxvii. ad Nemesia-
num et cæteros martyres in metallo con-
stitutos.
28
[SECT.
Catacombs.
ing with them in the mine, that is, of Sigus ;" but it is clear that
these martyrs were not at work anywhere near Rome. Sigus is
a town in Numidia, in Africa, and it is more probable that Cyprian
in exile wrote to his own personal friends in his diocese, then in
prison, and perhaps afterwards condemned to death. There is a
figure of S. Cyprian, with those of other martyrs, in the Roman Cata-
combs; but these figures are of the eighth and ninth centuries, and
are no evidence of events of the second and third. S. Cyprian also
mentions Felix as one who had worked next to him in chains, under
Diennius; but there is nothing to indicate that this was in Rome
or anywhere near to it. Gallus and Gallienus were then emperors.
S. Augustine, in his celebrated treatise on the City of God, written
about A.D. 400, says, "Whoever heard any of the faithful, when the
priest was standing at the altar even over the body of a martyr,
erected for the honour and glory of God, say in his prayers, I offer
sacrifice unto thee, Peter, or Paul, or Cyprian, when he offered, in his
memory, to God, who made them men and martyrs? Whoever, there-
fore, offers obsequies in the places of the martyrdoms, and orna-
ments them, does so in their memory, not as sacred things or sacri-
fices as to gods ".'
Tertulliana, in his Apologies, written about A.D. 220, mentions the
collecting of alms, and distributing them for various purposes, placing
first for the purpose of sepulture, then attending to the sick, to
orphans, and to old people, assisting the needy, and those confined
for the faith in prison, in mines, or in islands.
b
"S. Ambrose speaks of the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius in this way. He
says that he had intended to be buried there (under the altar) himself, because it
seemed to him fitting that the priest should rest where he was wont to offer Holy
Sacrifice whilst alive, but that he yields the place to the martyrs to whom it is
due, for that those triumphant victims ought to be where Christ is the victim (ubi
Christus hostia est). Only He who died for all lies upon the altar, they who were
redeemed by His passion under it º. In which last words he seems to indicate
a reference to the language of the Book of the Apocalypse, vi. 9—11 [I saw under
the altar the souls of those that were slain for the Word of God and for the testi-
mony which they held.]
"That which S. Ambrose testifies about Milan, Prudentius testifies about
"Cypriano charissimo et dilectis-
simo, Felix, Jader, Polianus, una cum
presbyteris et omnibus nobiscum com-
morantibus apud Metallum Siguense
æternam in Domino salutem." (S. Cy-
priani Epist. 80.)
7. 66
Quæcumque igitur adhibentur re-
ligiosorum obsequia in Martyrum locis,
ornamenta sunt memoriarum, non sacra
vel sacrificia mortuorum tanquam deo-
rum. Quicumque etiam epulas suas eo
deferunt, quod quidem a Christianis
melioribus non fit," &c. (S. Aug. de
Civit. Dei, lib. viii. c. 27.)
ณ
a Tertulliani Apologeticus, c. 39.
b Ambrosii epist. xxii. 13; edit. Bene-
dict., vol. ii. fol. 877.
e Northcote, p. 401.
111.]
The Martyrs.
Spain; of the sepulchres of S. Eulalia at Barcelona, and of S. Vincent at
Valenza: also of S. Hippolytus in Rome. S. Jerome also about the tombs of
S. Peter and S. Paul in the same city; and he appeals at the same time to the
practice of all the bishops throughout the world.
((
'We must not suppose, however, that the altar was always immediately over
the grave, though doubtless this was the more usual practice. Prudentius speaks
as though, in the case of S. Hippolytus, the altar was only near his tomb; and
both Bosio and Boldetti seem to have found instances in which the altar was placed
in the middle of the chamber, not on a tomb in the walls, just as it was at one
period in the Papal crypt. Neither were the mensæ (slabs) of these altar-tombs
always fixed and immovable. On the contrary, in three or four instances they have
been found with massive bronze rings inserted in them, by which they could be
lifted off and a sight of the martyr's relics obtained. S. Martin of Tours is said to
have been the first saint, not a martyr, whose tomb became an altar ¹. When altars
were multiplied in churches, it became a rule universally observed, that the altar
must contain some relics, and there still remain many indications of the ancient
practice in the prayers and ceremonies of the Liturgy (of the Roman Catholic
Church)."
29
The acts of the martyrs, collected and published in the great
work of the Bollandists, contain many particulars respecting the
persecutions of the early Christians; and although these acts cannot
be traced to any early period, and are probably much interpolated,
they have in all probability a basis of truth and certain particulars
of real history not to be found elsewhere. They cannot be received
as authority on any doubtful point, for few of them can be traced
further back than the eighth or ninth century; but, like all other
traditions, they should rather be sifted and examined than sum-
marily rejected. When the stories related agree with others more
authentic, and we know from other sources that a persecution of the
Christians was going on at the time mentioned, and if the facts re-
lated agree with the traditions indicated, we may receive them as
probably true, and they add much to the dry outlines of history
which they clothe with living interest. The frequent mention of
a place of public execution in front of the Temple of Mars, between
the Via Appia and the Via Latina, may be received as proof that
there was such a place of public execution in that locality.
Many of the early bishops of Rome were martyrs, and in a time
of persecution it was natural that the bishop would be the first per-
son selected for an example, in the endeavour to frighten his flock,
and make the timid abjure their faith; we know that it was by the
a Prudentii Peristeph. hymni iii.,
v. 191; iv., v. 7.
e Hieronym. adv. Vigilant.
f "Propter ubi apposita est ara dicata
Deo.'
(Prudentii Peristeph. hymn. xi., S.
Hippolyt. v. 170.)
8 De Rossi, Roma Sotterranea, vol. i.
pp. 169, 285.
h Greppo, Dissertations sur l'Histoire
du Culte des Reliques, p. 16.
30
Catacombs.
[SECT.
blood of the martyrs that the Church was strengthened; but if the
crown of martyrdom had been bestowed on so many thousands, as is
stated in the later legends of a credulous age, it would have ceased to
be any distinction, and we should not read of persons being anxious
to obtain the honour of interment near the relics of a martyr, if these
relics existed by thousands. At one period the credulous Romans
were taught to believe that all the persons buried in the Catacombs
were saints or martyrs, as we see by inscriptions in the churches;
they are still taught that all were Christians; but the number of
Pagan sarcophagi and Pagan inscriptions found in the Catacombs
to the present day are not consistent with this theory, and have to
be explained away. The Pontifical authorities will not now admit
either that any Pagans were ever interred in the Catacombs, or that
they were ever used for interment after A.D. 410; in both these
points they go too far. They assert, without hesitation, that all the
Pagan inscriptions found in the Catacombs were merely brought
there as old marble, to be used again as palimpsests. This opinion
seems to be grounded on a few instances only; but there are many
other Pagan inscriptions now lying in the Catacombs, with the
mortar or cement on the edges of them for fastening them against
the wall. In some instances the back of the slab is left rough, and
there is no trace of any intention to clean it, and cut them to fit
the loculi, a process not likely to have been carried on in the
Catacombs; they appear, indeed, to have been left there neg-
lected. The evidence of Boldetti, who was himself the keeper of
the Catacombs, of the number of Pagan inscriptions found in his
time, seems conclusive on this point, although he himself followed
the traditions of his office, that the Catacombs were exclusively
Christian, as the present authorities do. Padre Marchi, in his valu-
able work, records a number of Pagan inscriptions found by him, and
in his Plans shews the spots where they were found. The draw-
ings in one cubiculum of the great catacomb of Prætextatus are
distinctly Pagan, and not Christian. The public have long been
rigidly excluded from that part of this great catacomb by the Pon-
tifical authorities.
That the Catacombs were occasionally used for interment long after
the fifth century appears in many ways. Among the inscriptions now
arranged in museums, in the corridors, in the cloisters, or in the
porches of churches in Rome, originally brought from the Catacombs,
1 Such at least is Dr. Northcote's in-
terpretation of Signor De Rossi's views.
(Roma Sotterranea, by Northcote and
Brownlow, ch. iv. p. 104.)
J See Plates XIII. and XIV.
III.]
Translation of Relics.
31
are many of a later date than the fifth century, and of the large
number of glass vessels and lamps also, many belong to a later period.
Father Garrucci, one of the most learned Jesuits of the day, who has
specially studied this subject, does not agree with Signor de Rossi
upon it, and has published works in opposition to his views. The
list of celebrated persons buried in the Catacombs is brought down
even to the twelfth century, when the celebrated Countess Matilda,
to whom the Roman see was mainly indebted for its landed estates
and temporal power, is said to have been honoured with interment
in the Catacombs near a martyr.
The Catacombs were much damaged during the siege of Rome by
the Goths under Vitiges, in 537. "The churches and the bodies of
the holy martyrs were exterminated by the Goths," says Anastasius *.
They were restored by the Pontiffs, and chiefly by John III. [A.D. 560
-574], "who loved and restored the cemeteries of the holy martyrs.
He ordained that oblations (or offerings) should be made, and the
Catacombs lighted with lamps on every Sunday in Lent." This
practice was continued in the following century.
In the various sieges of Rome by the barbarians, the Catacombs
were repeatedly rifled in search of treasure, and the Lombards espe-
cially are said by Anastasius to have wilfully destroyed many of them.
They were repaired and restored by the Romans in the time of
Hadrian I. and Leo III.
In the time of Paschal II., A.D. 1104, the Roman Christians went
barefoot on a pilgrimage to the Catacombs. Honorius III., A.D. 1220,
translated a number of bodies from the catacomb of Pontianus,
called in his time ad Ursum Pilcatum. It is probable that he restored
the paintings in some of the vaults from which he had taken them,
as such appears to have been the custom. Some of the paintings
published in Perret's work appear to be of the thirteenth century.
In the Middle Ages, the Catacombs are said to have been abused,
like everything else in Rome, for warlike purposes in the barons'
wars, and battles are said to have taken place in them between
the adherents of the Colonna and the Orsini families. Petrarch de-
scribes these lamentable events in his time, and the adherents of
Cola di Rienzi are said to have used them as places of muster and
concealment. Notwithstanding all this desecration, they seem to have
been still used occasionally as places of pious pilgrimage. Amongst
the graffiti, or names scratched upon the walls, with several dates
of the fourteenth century have been found, a bishop of Rome and
"Ecclesiæ et corpora sanctorum martyrum exterminata sunt a Gothis." Anas-
tas. 99; Silverius, A.D. 536.
32
[SECT.
Catacombs.
companions early in this century, with several German names
Latinized, and the date 1397. On one of the early Christian
tombs was found a small chalice of silver gilt, and a palm-leaf
worked in silver, with the date 1340. In another crypt was dis-
covered this inscription, with the date 1321 above it, and the names
of three visitors beneath it :-
"Gather together, O Christians, in these caverns, to read the holy books; to
sing hymns to the honour of martyrs and the saints that here lie buried, having
died in the Lord; to sing Psalms for those who are now dying in the faith.
There is light in this darkness. There is music in these tombs."
In the catacomb of S. Calixtus, the names of various pilgrims,
who had visited them in the fifteenth century, are scratched upon
the walls: some Franciscan friars in 1432; Brother Lawrence, of
Sicily, with twenty brothers of the order of friars minor, on the
seventeenth of January, 1451, and again in 1455, "in the week in
which Pope Nicholas V. died;" some Cistercians in 1467; the abbot
of S. Sebastian's, with a large party, in 1469; other Franciscan friars
in 1482. At the same period, Pomponio Leto, and other litterati,
who were active in the revival of classical literature, and were sus-
pected of heresy, also visited them, and inscribed their names, giving
themselves, apparently in joke, grandiloquent titles, including that
of Pontifex Maximus'.
The translation of the relics from the Catacombs to the churches
in the city, did not begin until the time of Pope Theodore [A.D.
642-649], when "the bodies of SS. Primus and Felicianus, which
had been buried in the sepulchre on the Via Nomentana, were
brought into the city, and interred in the church of S. Stephen the
Proto-martyr."
A second devastation of the Catacombs took place in 755, which
was even more fatal, because at that time they were reduced to
a state of ruin by Astolfus, King of the Lombards. A particular
account of their miserable state is given by Paul I. in 761, in a letter
to John the Abbot, published in Labbe's "Collection of the Councils."
The same prelate removed many of the relics to the churches of
S. Stephen and S. Silvestro in capite, which he had then just built,
and to several other churches in the city.
This practice was continued by other Pontiffs down to the end of
the ninth century, as we are informed by Anastasius, who mentions
this in the life of Nicholas I., A.D. 858, the last that he wrote, and
the continuator repeats the same account of later pontiffs. Sinul-
See Tiraboschi, Storia della lettera-
tura Italiana, tom. vi. part i. pp. 93–
97; De Rossi, S. Calisto, and North-
cote, p. 3.
III.]
The Martyrs.
33
taneously with this the repairs and ornaments in the Catacombs were
carried on, the place where the body of a martyr had once been buried
being still considered sacred after the body had been removed.
The Catacombs do not appear to have been generally used as
places of interment after the fifth century, but the members of
families who had vaults continued to bury in them for a long period;
in several instances the painted vault has been cut through to insert
fresh bodies, after the cubiculum or chapel was full. Some inscriptions
of the fifth and sixth centuries have been found, and are preserved in
the crypt of S. Prassede, and in other places. Many paintings and in-
scriptions were restored by Hadrian I. in the eighth century, and
Leo III. at the beginning of the ninth, after the invasion of the
Lombards™, as has been said. A large proportion of the paintings
now remaining in the Catacombs are of this period, for example,
those in the sepulchral chapel of S. Cornelius, in the catacomb of
S. Calixtus, published by Signor de Rossi", and including many of
those usually referred to in England as of ecclesiastical authority :
a comparison of the style of drawing with that of the mosaic pic-
tures in the churches demonstrates this. Although we have paint-
ings of the second and third centuries, and architectural details even
of the first, we find no painting distinctively Christian before the
time of Constantine, and Boldetti is in error when he ascribes some
paintings in the catacomb of S. Calixtus to the time of Nero º.
The Inscriptions having been removed from their places and col-
lected in museums, in many instances without any record of the
particular catacomb from which each came, their historical value
is almost destroyed; but the dates of some of the inscriptions
are ascertained by the names of the Consuls, and from these it
appears they were in use even in the first century. In the Vatican
Museum is one of A.D. 71 :—
VC. VESPATIANO III. COS. AN.
Boldetti found another of the date of 102 or 107, scratched on the
plaster in the catacomb of Lucina, on the Via Ostiensis. They be-
come very numerous throughout the third, fourth, and fifth centuries,
and occasionally as late as the sixth, and even the seventh; one of
the date of 568 is given by Boldetti (p. 86), another of 610 by
Aringhi.
(PH)OCAE. III. COS. . . . CARI. AMICI.
m See De Rossi, Roma Sotterranea,
vol. i. pp. 303, 304.
"De Rossi, plates vi., vii.
D
• Boldetti, Osserv. sopra i cim. de'
SS. Mart., 1. i. p. 5, c. xviii.
34
Catacombs.
[SECT.
It is worthy of remark that the form so usual in the Middle Ages,
HIC IACET, is extremely rare in the Catacombs.
p
Each painted chapel, or cubiculum, was usually the burying-place of
some family to whom it had been sold in perpetuity, in the same
manner as the plot of ground by the side of a road was to the
more wealthy families 9. Of this we have evidence of various kinds;
perhaps the best are inscriptions; one of these is thus printed by
Boldetti (p. 53) :—
Appl
IN. CRVPTA. NOBA. RETRO. SANCTVs.
Another from the catacomb of S. Balbina is in the Vatican Mu-
seum :
IN. CYMETERIVM. BALBINAE. IN. CRVPTA. NOBA,
There is good reason to believe that the right of interment in
a family vault was considered to belong to all members of it, not-
withstanding any change of religion or inter-marriage with one of
another religion, and this right of family was respected alike by
Christians and Jews".
The agapæ, or love-feasts, were held upon various occasions,
on a wedding-day, on the day of a funeral, on the anniversary
of the dedication of a church or cemetery, and on the anniver-
sary of a martyrdom. These last were especially held in the
Catacombs.
An oration in praise of the forty holy martyrs is attributed to
P The following inscription probably
applies to a cubiculum for a family:
CVBICVLVM DVPLEX CVM ARCISOLIIS
ET LVMINARE
IVSSV PP SCI MARCELLINI DIACONVS
ISTE
SEVERVS FECIT MANSIONEM IN PACE
QVIETAM SIBI SVISQVE.
This inscription is given by De Rossi
as from the catacomb of S. Calixtus,
and as a proof that it was under the
special jurisdiction of the Popes; but it
seems to admit of a different interpre-
tation that Severus made a double
chamber or burial-vault for himself and
his family, in the time of Bishop Mar-
cellinus and of the Emperor Diocletian.
It is much to be regretted that this in-
scription was not left in its place: the
removal of it deprives it of half its value
and interest.
• The following relates to the pur-
chase of a crypt near the body of a
saint:-
IN CRVPTA NOBA RETRO SANCTVS EME-
RVM SE VIVAS BALERRA ET SABINA
MERVM LOCV BISONI AB APRONE ET
A BIATORE
SERPENTIVS EMIT LOCVM A QVINTO
FOSSORE AD SANTVM CORNELIVM.
• The following is given by Gruter,
P. 399, I :-
C
COTTIA. A. COTTI . F. GALLA
TESTAMENTO. FIERI. JVSSIT
A. COTTIO. PATRI. PRO. COS.
HISPANIAE. ET. PACVLLAE. MATRI. ET
A. COTTIO. FRATRI. QVAESTORI AED
PLEBI. ET. MEMMIAE. GALLAE. AVIAE
HVIC. MONVMENTO.TVTELAE. NOMINE.
CEDVNT. AGRI. PVRI. IVGERA. DE -
CEM. ET
TABERNA . QVAE. PROXIME. EVM.
LOCVM. EST.
"Romæ in domo Latini Juvenalis juxta
plateam Judæorum tab. marmorea.
>>
III.]
The Martyrs.
S. Gregory of Nyssa", as written in the fourth century, soon after
the persecution under Julian the Apostate; but the editor says it is
one oration. It is now divided into two parts, and is said to have
been so divided because he was interrupted on the first day by the
crowd and confusion, and was obliged to stop and conclude it on
another day. This oration, if genuine, was evidently spoken at
a commemorative feast, for in the beginning of the second part he
mentions the law about convivial meetings, and that it was neces-
sary to prepare a supper in honour of the martyrs. At this supper
he was speaking under the protection of the law.
It is one of many other curious instances of the intense igno-
rance of the Roman population during the sixteenth century, that
the very existence of the Catacombs had been forgotten, and
hence the accidental discovery of them in 1578 excited great in-
terest and attention. The valuable works of Panvinius, Bosio and
Aringhi" were eagerly sought for, and the populace were half mad on
the subject; it was at once assumed that all the persons buried in
these public cemeteries during five or six centuries were saints and
martyrs. Their relics were supposed to work miracles, nearly every
tomb was rifled in search of treasure, and the bones, alleged to be
those of martyrs, were sold at a high rate. Every inscription was
removed from its place. The tombstones were built up in the
walls of the porches and cloisters of the churches, and after a time
museums were formed to contain them, in which they were classed
and arranged according to the fancy or the object of the directors ".
In the seventh and eighth centuries it was the custom (as we
S. Gregorii Nysseni Opera, vol. iii.
pp. 490-514. Editio Paris. sive Ægid.
Morelli, 1638, folio. This oration is con-
sidered by later editors to be spurious,
and probably not earlier than the eighth
century.
t Baronius had visited them, but was
too much occupied with his great work
on the "Ecclesiastical Annals" to un-
dertake any other. Ciaconius employed
artists to copy the paintings; but he
also was engaged in his great work,
the Lives of the Popes and Cardinals.
The real name of this author was Cha-
con, he was a Spaniard; but he resided
many years in Rome, and is always
known by the Latin name Ciaconius,
which he adopted.
" Others began various works on the
subject; but Bosio was the only one
who lived to complete the task to
which he had dedicated a great part
35
of his life, and his book is the founda-
tion of all subsequent knowledge of the
subject. (See the Appendix.)
The arrangement of the inscriptions
by Signor de Rossi in the gallery of the
monastery of S. Paul's outside the Walls,
and in the Christian Museum at the
Lateran, in which they are divided into
classes, is no doubt very valuable and
satisfactory in its way, and, if taken in
connection with his valuable work upon
these early inscriptions, is perfectly in-
telligible; but a large and expensive
folio book is not in everybody's hands,
and the simple chronological arrange-
ment, with a systematic index, would
have been more generally satisfactory.
See Signor de Rossi, Inscriptiones
Christianæ Urbis Romæ, septimo sæ-
culo antiquiores, folio. Roma, 1857—
61. He gives an excellent Chronological
Table at the end of the first volume.
D 2
36
Catacombs.
[SECT.
have said) to make pilgrimages to the tombs of the martyrs in the
Catacombs, and make offerings at those shrines. Most of the paint-
ings there were made by or for the pilgrims, and comparatively
few of them are of any very early date. In the eighth and ninth
centuries these profitable relics were considered to be in danger
from the invasion of the Lombards; they were brought in large
quantities within the walls of Rome for security, and buried in
crypts built for the purpose, which were called Catacombs, as at
S. Prassede, the Quattro Santi Coronati, S. Maria in Cosmedin, and
several others. We read of many waggon-loads being carried to
a single church in Rome ". After the Catacombs went out of use,
the churches were much used as burial-places, some being more
popular than others; S. Maria in Ara Coeli was at one period the
favourite burying-place, and other churches have had their turn.
That the small chapels in the Catacombs were intended chiefly
for the performance of the burial-service, or for families or pilgrims.
to pray at the shrines of the martyrs, seems evident from their size,
as none of them could hold more than fifty or sixty persons; and at
the time they were chiefly built, in the third or fourth century, the
Christians assembled for public worship in much larger numbers. But
in times of persecution they were used occasionally for the regular
Church service, when the Christians were not permitted to meet as
usual in the houses of the more wealthy members of the body, who
usually received them in their halls or basilicas. From this circum-
stance, in later times, when the name of basilica became synonymous
with church or ecclesia, these chapels were sometimes called also by
that name. There is an excellent chapter in Bingham's "Antiquities
of the Christian Church" (book viii.), on the different names given
to churches at various periods, and the distinction between oratories,
chapels, and churches. They were sometimes called martyria, (which
would apply to these chapels,) and confessio, which name was after-
wards confined to the small crypt under the altar in which the relics
of the confessors and martyrs were collected and exhibited. They
were originally also called cœmeteria, as in the canons of the Council
of Eliberis, which was held in the heat of the Diocletian persecu-
tion, when the Emperor forbade their assembling even in these
underground chapels; and those near the surface were sometimes
destroyed. On such sites new chapels or churches were generally
w Boniface VI. (A.D. 896) is said to
have brought twenty-eight waggon-loads
to the Pantheon alone.
* Bosio and Aringhi give a list of
fifty-six churches (ecclesia) in the Cata-
combs these could only be the small
burial chapels before mentioned.
III.]
Cemetery Chapels.
37
built after the persecution ceased, which may partly account for so
many of them being of the fourth century.
Mabillon, in his Iter Italicum, relates that in his time, the body
of a woman found in the catacomb of S. Calixtus was sent to the
Augustinians of Toulouse as that of the martyr Julia Evodia, be-
cause they had found with it the vase supposed to contain the blood
of the martyr. But the inscription was Pagan, beginning with the
D. M., and was not that of Julia Evodia, the martyr, but that of her
mother Casta ". Muratori gives an inscription as Pagan from the
D. M., and from the mention of the College of Pontiffs. Boldetti con-
siders this as old marble only, the same as Signor de Rossi. This
is the tradition of the office.
b
Boldetti gives a series of eleven tombstones with the inscrip-
tions, Pagan on one side and Christian on the other, which proves
that this was sometimes the case; but the fact of the same keeper
of the Catacombs giving another series of thirty-five Pagan inscrip-
tions found in the Catacombs in his time, and these without any
mixture of Christian indications, but Pagan only, goes against the
theory that the Catacombs were exclusively for Christian burial.
He gives a series of twenty-four Christian inscriptions, with the
D.M. introduced, or what may be considered as mixed inscriptions,
half-Christian and half-Pagan.
▾ Mabillon, Museum Italicum, &c.
tom. i. Iter, p. 225.
z D. M.
IVLIA EVODIA FILIA FECIT
CASTAE MATRI. ET BENE. MERENTI
QVAE VIXIT ANNIS LXX.
HYGIAE. C. SIBI. ET. ALEXANDRO
MARIT[0] SVO ITA
VT. POST. MORTE[M]. HYGIAE NEMO
IN HOC. SARCOPHAGO.
Q
·
PONANTVR. NISI.
NISI. IPSA ET. MA-
.
RITVS. SVVS . QVOD. SI . QVI[S]
ALIVM POSVERIT. DET. COLLEGIO.
PONTIFIC. PENA. XSS. DECMNS. IN.
It is given also by Boldetti, p. 446.
b Boldetti, Osservazioni sopra i Cimi-
terj de' SS. Martiri, ed Antichi Cris-
tiani di Roma, &c., 2 vols. folio, Roma,
1720, lib. ii. cap. ix., x. and xi. He
gives engravings of tombstones found
by him, one from the catacomb of
S. Agnes with this inscription :
DOMINE
ILARIS
LVDERE
•
FRATER
SEMPER
TABVLA
a
In the centre of the inscription is a sort
of board for a game, and under it two
views of a vase, one of the exterior, the
other of the interior, with two dice in
it, distinctly Pagan emblems. See p. 447.
The following was found in the Cata-
comb of S. Priscilla (See Boldetti,
P. 441) :-
E. D. M.
ET. BON[A]E. MEMORIAE. AVR.
LEVCADI. CIVI. TICINENSI . FILIO.
AVR. GRECIONIS. QVI. VIXIT. ANNIS.
PIVS. MINVS. XXV. ADFINIS. DE[-]
PRENSVS. IN. LOCO. PEREGRE, CON[-]
TRA VOTVM. .FIERI. CVRAVIT.
One of the tombstones found in the
catacomb of Pretextatus is a list of
twenty-eight names of soldiers or legio-
naries, and eight officers of the legion.
The upper part is wanting. There are
thirty lines remaining, the last three-
DEDIC. IMPP. M. AVRELIO.
ANTONINO. II. IT. P. SEPTIMIO
GETA. COSS. V. KAL. IVNIAS.
All the letters A are cut as A, without
the cross line.
For a further account of Boldetti's
valuable work, see the Appendix.
38
[SECT. III.
Catacombs.
Some of these tombstones were found on the surface of the ground
outside of the catacomb, others have evidently been broken off to
fit the openings of the loculi. These inscriptions are given by
Boldetti as belonging to the Catacombs, and also by Fabretti
in his work on the inscriptions found there, published about the
same time.
с
• Raphaelis Fabretti, Gasparis F., Ur-
binatis, Inscriptionum antiquarum quæ
in ædibus paternis asservantur Explica-
tio et additamentum, una cum aliquot
emendationibus Gruterianis, &c. Romæ,
MDCCII. folio.
IV. CONSTRUCTION,
In the Roman Campagna there were forty-three cemeteries, cata-
combs, or cubicula, whose names are recorded in inscriptions, in
martyrologies, and in the Pontifical Registers used by Anasta-
sius', since republished, with additions, in various forms, and re-
peated in substance by Baronius in his Annals, and Panvinius in
his treatise on the Cemeteries. Aringhi reckons the number at fifty-
six, and from the account of Signor de Rossi it appears that the
number is now reckoned at about sixty. The number of general
cemeteries is not so large.
d
The original entrances to the Catacombs were in many instances
by subterranean roads or corridors, sometimes called streets. These
corridors, which served as entrances to and passages in the burial-
places, were originally old arenaria or sand-pit roads, from which
the Pozzolana sand had been extracted; when this bed of sand is
extracted, the entrance is usually closed. The soft bed of Pozzolana
sand was, however, not generally used for interments, but the harder
bed under it, called "tufa granulare." The different horizontal
layers or beds of tufa vary very much in hardness and also in
thickness. There are hundreds of miles of old sand-pit corridors
now ready for use as burial-places or cemeteries, and useless for
any other purpose. The use of these would be infinitely preferable
to the recent Roman practice of throwing the bodies of all persons,
whose families cannot afford to buy a piece of land in perpetuity,
into a pit, in the same manner as the ancient Romans did the
bodies of their slaves.
d The galleries in the Campagna are
said to extend altogether to between
800 and 900 miles, and the number of
bodies interred in them to have been
between six and seven millions. These
are the calculations of Padre Marchi,
but the grounds on which they rest are
not very satisfactory; there seems to
have been a good deal of conjecture.
There is no doubt, however, that they
are of enormous extent, and must have
contained a very large number of bodies.
Ciaconius, vol. i. p. 142.
*
'See p. 14, Chronological Table.
There are three hundred and eighty
pits provided in the burial-ground of
S. Lorenzo, one of which was opened
every night. All the bodies brought
for interment that day or night were
thrown into it, after being first stripped
to the skin by the officials; and then
hot lime was thrown upon them, that
they might be thoroughly decayed be-
fore the year came round. The mouth
of the pit was closed with lime grouting,
so that no effluvium could escape, and
this covering was not broken until the
pit was wanted to be used again. This
40
•
Catacombs.
[SECT.
These corridors or passages of the sand-pits from which the Pozzo-
lana sand had been excavated, are large enough to admit a horse
and cart; these were frequently the entrances to the Catacombs, the
corridors of which are usually by the side of or under those of the
arenariæ, or sand-pits, and are only just large enough for a man,
or two men with a body, to pass along; the height varies from five
to seven or eight feet, or more, according to the thickness of the
bed of tufa. In the catacomb of S. Hermes, part of the wide sand-
pit road has been reduced to one-third of its width, by building up
brick walls on each side with loculi in them.
There is in general, at present, no communication between one
catacomb and another; each occupies a separate hill or rising ground
in the Campagna, and is separated from the others by the intervening
valleys. When the first tier of tombs extended to the edges of the
hill, a second was made under it, and then sometimes a third, or
more. The manner in which the rock is excavated in a number of
corridors twisting in all directions, in order to make room for the largest
possible number of bodies, is thus accounted for. The plan of the
catacomb of S. Priscilla is a good illustration of this. It would
have been hardly safe to have excavated the rock to any greater
extent. The lowest corridors are frequently below the level of the
valleys, and there may have been originally passages from one to the
other, so that one entrance to S. Calixtus may have been through
S. Sebastian's. The peculiarly dry and drying nature of the sandstone,
or tufa rock, in which these tombs are excavated, made them admi-
rably calculated for the purpose. These Catacombs were the public
cemeteries of Christian Rome for several centuries, and it would have
been well for the health of the city if they could always have con-
tinued so. Unfortunately after the siege of Rome by the Goths, in
the time of Justinian, when some of the catacombs were rifled of
their contents, the use of these excellent burying-places was dis-
continued.
That the arenaria were considered as burying-places in the time
of Nero is evident from his exclamation of horror at the idea of
being taken there alive for the purpose of concealment". The are-
naria or sand-pits are also mentioned by Cicero in his Oration
\ for Cluentius, where he says that the young Asinius, a citizen of
custom appears absolutely horrible to
English people, but habit had made the
Romans callous to it. It has now quite
recently been discontinued, but this
custom of using the pits was still in
use in 1860.
h
"Ibi hortante eodem Phaonte, ut
interim in specum egesta arenæ con-
cederet, negavit se vivum sub terram
iturum." (Suetonius in Nerone, c. 48.) ·
Construction.
Iv.]
noble family, was inveigled into one of them and murdered. This
shews they were in use before the Christian era, and there is
every reason to believe that they have been in use ever since lime-
mortar came into use, which is believed to have been two or three
centuries before that period. The celebrated Pozzolana sand
makes the best mortar in the world, from its gritty nature. This
valuable sand is found to any extent nearly all over the Campagna
of Rome, in horizontal beds or layers between the beds of tufa; some
of the tufa itself, which is sandstone, may be scraped into this sand,
but it is easier to take it as ready provided by nature. People once
accustomed to the use of this sand cannot do without it, and hun-
dreds of carts filled with it may be seen daily traversing the Cam-
pagna, conveying it either to Rome, or to Ostia, or to Porto, for ex-
portation. The horizontal layers or beds of this sand are not usually
more than six feet thick, although they extend at a certain level over
the whole surface of the country. It is therefore excavated in hori-
zontal corridors, with various branches, extending for many miles, un-
dermining the whole surface of the soil, but not in large or deep pits,
so that the name of sand-pit is rather deceitful to English people,
who commonly imagine it to be always a large and deep pit to
which these roads lead only; this is not always the case, the roads
themselves being excavated in the layer of sand, and frequently
themselves the sand-pits. Sometimes there are different layers of
sand at different levels, and in some cases there may be two sand-
pit roads one over the other, with the bed of hard tufa between them.
We are told in the Acta Sanctorum that one of the punishments
inflicted on the Christians by the Emperor Maximinus in the sixth
persecution, A.D. 235, was digging sand and stone.
The martyrs
Ciriacus and Sisinnus are especially mentioned as ordered to be
strictly guarded, and compelled to dig sand and to carry it on their
own shoulders.
41
Some of the catacombs were evidently made under tombs by the
side of the road, and in that of S. Calixtus there are remains of the
tomb on the surface of the ground. The burial-chapels of the fourth
century commonly found over a catacomb probably replace earlier
This grittiness or roughness arises
from its volcanic origin. It has never
been rounded by the action of water as
river sand has, and, if examined with
a microscope, it is seen to consist of
crystals with jagged edges, in the same
manner that fresh lime does: therefore
when hot lime, fresh burnt, before it
had absorbed moisture from the atmos-
phere, was mixed with this rough
sand, the expansion and crystallization
of the lime binds it together in such
a manner as to form an artificial con-
crete stone as hard as the hardest natu-
ral rock.
42
[SECT.
Catacombs.
tombs. The church of S. Urban is now considered to have been a
family tomb of the first century, made into a church long afterwards.
Many inscriptions are preserved relating to the preservation of
a tomb with the land belonging to it in perpetuity, and they fre-
quently mention the number of feet along the road and in the field.
Their size varies enormously. Horace mentions one that was 1,000 ft.
by 300 ft. The inscription of one dug up in the Via Labicana gives
1,800 ft. by 500 ft.; another was only 24ft. by 15 ft., and another 16 ft.
square. In the case of one of the larger tombs belonging to a family
that became Christian, it was easy for them to make a catacomb
under it and allow their fellow-Christians to be buried there, or to
sell portions of the large space for separate vaults. Many vaults of
16 ft. square might be made in the space of 1,800 ft. long by 500 ft.
wide, as the one on the Via Labicana. If the adjoining field belonged
to the same family, the catacomb might be extended as far as the
family property itself extended. This is the most probable explana-
tion of the prædium of the Lady Lucina and other Christian martyrs.
They were heiresses to whom such a tomb and meadow belonged.
When the space was limited, three or four stories were excavated in
succession, one under the other, as we see in many instances.
The measurements of Michele de Rossi coincide with this in
a remarkable manner. He finds the area of each separate cata-
comb to be respectively 100, 125, 150, 180, and 250 ft. None of these
spaces are at all too large for the area commonly left round a tomb
of importance, and the family property of this area would extend to
any depth. Each cemetery was complete in itself, but sometimes
connected with others by subterranean roads.
These tombs were protected by special laws, and the area in which
the tomb stood was included with it. The area was often of con-
siderable extent, and was intended for the burial-place of succeed-
ing generations of the family to whom it belonged. The tombs of
the period of the early empire were by no means exclusively for
the columbaria for cinerary urns. The instances in which there
are both places for bodies and urns are perhaps more numerous
than those for urns only. The fine sarcophagi now found in museums,
or applied to all sorts of uses, as water-troughs, vases for flowers,
and various other purposes, were all originally in tombs, and gene-
rally in tombs in which there were also columbaria for cinerary urns.
Some pagan tombs on the Via Latina have catacombs for the inter-
ment of bodies under them. The custom of burning the bodies was
never universal, and lasted only for a certain period; the custom of
See p. 69, and chap. iv. sect. 2.
IV.]
burying the bodies came in again soon after the Christian era, and
probably was influenced by the strong feeling which sprung up among
the Christians on this subject. The sumptuous painted chambers in
the upper part of the tombs of the first and second centuries on the
Via Latina, were evidently imitated by the poor in the catacombs in
the fourth and fifth centuries and later; but there is no evidence of
any Scriptural or religious subjects for paintings before the time of
Constantine. The character of the paintings is almost universally
later, and the few that are early are not Christian nor Scriptural.
It might very well happen that some members of the family were
Christians and others were not, and this would account for the mix-
ture of Pagan tombs with Christian ones in the same catacombs.
The subterranean sand-pit roads frequently run parallel to the high
roads at a little distance from them, and such a road passing at the
back of the subterranean cemetery or catacomb would be very con-
venient to the Christians in time of persecution. The part of these
roads which came within the limits of the cemetery would naturally
be used for burial-places also, as we see that they were distinctly in
the case of S. Hermes, and nearly with equal certainty in other
cases. In ordinary times, there was no necessity for secrecy. The
bodies of Christian martyrs were given up for the purpose of burial
to those who applied for them'.
The catacomb of SS. SATURNINUS AND THRASO, the entrance
to which is in the gardens of the Villa Gangalani, about a mile
from Rome, on the Via Salaria, is stated in a bull of Pope
Nicholas IV., A.D. 1290, to have formed part of the great cata-
comb of S. Priscilla, the entrance to which is about a quarter of
a mile farther from Rome on the same road. On descending into
that of S. Saturninus by a steep flight of steps of modern appearance,
but perhaps restored only", we soon pass under the road and hear
carriages passing over head; we then continue to descend to the
depth of about fifty feet, divided into five corridors, only four of
which can at present be seen; but we pass the entrance to the fifth
on one of the staircases, and see the opening to it. The two lower
Construction.
"Si quis in insulam deportatus vel
relegatus fuerit, pœna etiam post mor-
tem manet: nec licet eum inde trans-
ferre alicubi, et sepelire inconsulto prin-
cipe: ut sæpissime Severus et Antoninus
rescripserunt, et multis petentibus hoc
ipsum indulserunt." (Digest., lib. xlviii.
tit. 24, art. 2.)
The Roman laws applied to the
whole Roman Empire, and this explains
the text respecting the giving up of the
43
body of Christ to Joseph of Arimathea
for burial.
m Staircases to descend into the Cata-
combs were made by Damasus in the
fourth century, some of them covered
with marble slabs; these are evidently
not original entrances, but insertions,
and some of the old tombs are de-
stroyed in making these new stair-
cases for the use of the pilgrims.
44
[SECT.
Catacombs.
corridors of this catacomb have tombs or cubicula on the sides;
a few of these are painted, and the vault of the corridor in front
of them also. All these paintings seem to be of the fourth century,
or later.
The sandstone in which this catacomb is made is more than
usually hard, for which reason apparently there are only three of the
side chapels for family burying-places, and few of the arched tombs ;
most of the recesses for graves are merely parallelograms just large
enough to contain the body, or two bodies side by side, one behind
the other, the recess being excavated to a sufficient depth for that
purpose, and some of these have the slabs covering the openings
left in their places. The skeletons are allowed to remain in several
of the tombs where the slab has been removed and left open.
One
of the chapels has remains of paintings of the fourth century in
a very decayed state. The other two chapels are connected by
a short passage; they have evidently been family burying-places, a
second added when the first was full. The passage is made through
the principal tomb of the first chapel, the body previously interred
there was probably removed to the inner chapel when that was
made. The painted chapel is in the upper corridor, the double
one in the lowest.
In descending from the garden, the two upper corridors have
tombs on the sides, and are regular catacombs; the third is an
arenarium, or sand-pit, without tombs, and large enough for a horse
and cart to pass along, as in the ordinary sand-pits. There must
have been another entrance to this, and it is said to have been half-
a-mile off, which is not improbable, judging by other sand-pits, both
those now in use and others that are closed, some of which are known
to be more than a mile long; and with the different branch gal-
leries, the corridors altogether often extend several miles. These
galleries are large and wide enough for a horse and cart, but not
for two to pass, sidings being made at intervals for that purpose.
The passages in the Catacombs vary much both in height and in
width, but are seldom more than three feet wide. The chapels also
vary in size, but none of them would hold more than fifty people;
those in the present catacomb are small.
That each of these chapels was the burial-place of a family, and
was considered as private property, is evident from the remains of
a door at the entrance of several of them, as in the catacomb of
S. Priscilla. In one of these, the stone corbel, with the hole for the
pivot to work in, remains in its place; the lower stone, with the
corresponding hole, has been moved, but is lying on the floor in an
adjoining chapel. Another door has been made to slide up and down
IV.]
like a portcullis or a modern sash-window, as we see by the groove
remaining on both sides. This is close to a luminaria, or well for
admitting light and air; and it seems quite possible that it really was
a window, or that the upper part was made to slide down to admit
the light and air from the luminaria. If this was the burial-place of
Priscilla, the paintings were probably renewed in the restoration by
John I., A.D. 523. The lower part of the wall is faced with stucco
panelled with oblong panels, coloured in imitation of different kinds.
of marble; the stucco is about an inch thick, like slabs of marble,
and the divisions between the panels are sunk to that depth, as if
each panel had been painted before it was placed and fixed to the
wall like marble slabs. There are some long narrow slips of white
stucco lying about, which seem to have been fitted into the hollow
grooves between the slabs. The vaults in this catacomb are in
many parts supported by brick arches; in one place, at a crossing,
are four small low brick arches, the character of which agrees with
the period of the restoration in the sixth century; the mortar be-
tween the bricks or tiles is about the same thickness as the tiles
themselves, which are rather more than an inch thick, so that there
are five tiles to a foot, including the mortar between them. These
brick arches are not subsequent repairs, but part of the original.
construction to carry the vault. The arenarium, or sand-pit gallery,
through which the present entrance is made, has evidently been
used as a subterranean road. A branch of an aqueduct running
along the side of this, is part of an extensive system of irrigation.
carried on throughout all this district, the water having been brought
from the Aqua Virgo, which passed in this direction ".
It was
probably part of the original line of the Aqueduct, which has been
altered in the portion near to Rome; this has not been traced out
to any considerable extent, but Signor de Rossi has found many
remains and indications of it. The sand-pit roads, or arenaria, ran
for miles parallel to the high roads, and were probably used by the
carters in preference to the open roads in hot weather, as they are
always cool.
Construction.
See the Chapter on the Aqueducts.
• The number of instances in which
arenaria are mentioned in the Ponti-
fical Registers and in the Acts of the
Martyrs as burial-places of the early
Christians, seem quite conclusive on the
point, although the modern Pontifical
authorities will not admit this. There is
scarcely one of the catacombs that has
not either a sand-pit in some part of it,
or a sand-pit road connected with it.
45
This was remarkably the case in that
of S. Generosa, excavated by the Ger-
mans in 1868. The sand-pit and the
road to it were found at the end furthest
from the present entrance.
The re-
markable instance of this in S. Agnes,
and the tradition of the monastery re-
specting it, has been already mentioned.
The arenarium, or sand-pit in S. Ca-
lixtus, is described in the great work
of De Rossi.
46
Catacombs.
[SECT.
In the admirable essay of Signor Michele Stefano de Rossi on the
construction of the catacomb of S. Calixtus P, he shews the manner in
which the staircases have been introduced at a subsequent period for
the use of the pilgrims; that in some instances the lower part of the
stairs has been cut away for security, to prevent the intrusion of the
persecutors at some period of persecution after the staircase was
built, and that was after the catacomb had been some time in use,
for many loculi or graves in the walls were cut through in making the
staircase. This last alteration, the cutting off the lower part of the
staircase, was probably made at the time of the persecution under
Julian [A.D. 362]. The fossores had learnt by the experience of
their youth, or of their fathers in the time of Diocletian [A.D. 300],
the necessity for these precautions. The following extract from
Dr. Northcote's translation will explain this matter more clearly than
other words would be likely to do :—
"The entrance to this gallery, cut through so many loculi, shews the damage
done to the sepulchres in its formation, although a point was chosen with special
care that the damage might be as small as possible. . . . From the entrance to the
bottom of the flight, the steps are well preserved and covered with slabs of terra
cotta. The ambulacrum (or walk) itself is paved with large tiles, all of which
bear this stamp, OPVS DOLIARE EX PRAEDIIS DOMINI NOSTRI] ET FIGL NOVIS :
that is, according to Marini, from the imperial manufactory of Marcus Aurelius
[A.D. 161–180], probably used again as old materials. As we approach the en-
trance to this gallery, communicating with the arenarium, we notice that the wall
on either side of the entrance is sustained by masonry of tufa (the natural soil or
rock) and brickwork, and that the entrance itself has been cut through some of
the loculi, an evident proof of its having been made at a later period than the
ambulacrum. The masonry, however, does not reach the present roof, because
at the time that it was built the roof had not been raised to its present elevation
by the excavation of the small (upper) gallery 4."
Over the door of another chamber an inscription of the year 290
was found.
The catacomb of S. Cyriaca, adjoining to the great modern burial-
ground of S. Lorenzo, affords at the present time an admirable
opportunity for studying the construction of a catacomb in a natural
section of it.
P "Analysis of the Cemetery of St.
Calixtus," forming chapter iii. book v.
of the work of Dr. Northcote and Mr.
Brownlow, pp. 360-377, translated
from the great work of the Commen-
datore G. B. de Rossi, but written by
his brother Michele Stefano de Rossi;
it is the result of many years' experience
and careful observation.
a Northcote and Brownlow, Roma
Sotteranea, &c., p. 366.
r VIBIV. FIMVS. R. VII KA SEP
DIO. III. ET. MAX, COS.
Vibius Fimus died (recessit) August 26,
when Diocletian, for the fourth time,
and Maximinus were consuls. (Ibid.,
p. 374.)
IV.]
Paintings.
PAINTINGS.
47
If the tombs of the early martyrs, before "the peace of the Church,"
were commonly decorated with paintings at all, which is not pro-
bable, it is almost certain that those paintings have been renewed
at various subsequent periods. The only monuments of the first
three centuries are the tombstones with inscriptions and small
simple emblems incised upon them.
It is difficult to decide by the art of drawing only between the
end of the third and the beginning of the fourth century. But
this art was in the height of perfection in the first century, in
the second it was still very good, in the third it had begun to
decline, but not so rapidly as to justify the assumption that the
very bad drawings in the Catacombs belong to that period, with
the exception of those already mentioned as not Christian. The
drawing of the figures in the mosaic pictures in the vault of S. Con-
stantia, which are of the first half of the fourth century, are de-
cidedly better than any of the Scriptural subjects in the Catacombs.
The mosaic pictures of the fifth century on the sides of the nave
of S. Maria Maggiore, published by Ciampini, are much more
like them.
S. Paulinus, bishop of Nola, writing in the fifth century, says that
he had painted a catacomb, (or a cubiculum,) for the pilgrims, and
gives his reasons for doing soº. He thought good to enliven the
whole temple of S. Felix, in order that these coloured representations
might arrest the attention of the rustics, and prevent their drinking
too much at the feasts. The temple here evidently means the tomb
or crypt in which the commemorative feasts were held, and were
represented by paintings. His expressions imply that such paintings
were not then a received custom.
That the painted vaults in the Catacombs were used for feasts on
various occasions in the same manner as the painted chambers in
the Pagan tombs, is evident from the manner in which several
S. Paulini poema xxvi. De S. Felice
Natal. carmen ix., ver. 511; et poema
xxvii., carm. ix., ver. 22, sqq. Those
two poems were written A.D. 402 and
403. See S. Pontii Meropii Paulini . . .
Nolani episcopi, Opera, &c. Veronæ,
1736, folio, p. lxxiv., 641, 646.
This was the constant practice in
the Middle Ages. In the ballad “
que
Villon feit à la requeste de sa mere,
pour prier Nostre-Dame," she says:
Femme je suis povrette et ancienne,
Ne riens ne sçay: oncques lettre ne
leuz;
Au moustier voys dont suis parrois-
sienne,
Paradis painct où sont harpes et luz,
Et ung enfer, où damnés sont boulluz."
48
Catacombs.
[SECT.
writers of the fourth and fifth centuries mention them; in addition
to the letters of Paulinus of Nola and S. Augustine, and the hymns
of Prudentius, there is also a remarkable passage in a sermon of
Theodoret on the Martyrs (written about A.D. 450):-
"Our Lord God leads His own even after death into the temples for your Gods,
and renders them vain and empty; but to these [Martyrs] He renders the honours
previously paid to them. For your daily food and your sacred and other feasts of
Peter, Paul, and Thomas, and Sergius, and Marcellinus, and Leontius, and Anto-
ninus, and Mauricius, and other martyrs, the solemnities are performed; and in
place of the old base pomp and obscene words and acts, their modest festivities are
celebrated, not with drunkenness and obscene and ludicrous exhibitions, but with
hearing divine songs and holy sermons, and prayers and praises adorned with tears.
When, therefore, you would dilate on the honour of the martyrs, what use is there
in sifting them? Fly, my friends, the error of demons, and under their guidance
seize upon the road that leads to God, and welcome their presence with holy
songs, as the way is to eternal life "."
Bosio enumerates six cubicula or family burial-chapels in the
cemetery or catacomb of Priscilla, and thirteen arched tombs with
paintings. These pictures, of which he gives engravings, were far
more perfect in his time than they are now. His engravings are good
for the period when they were executed; but it was a time when all
drawing was bad, slovenly, and incorrect, so that the general idea
only of the picture is all we can expect. The costume and ornaments
do not indicate any very early period of art, but rather a time when
it had declined considerably. Costume in Rome, as in the East
generally, was far more stationary and less subject to changes than
in the West, and these may be as early as the fourth or fifth century,
but can hardly be earlier. Several of the martyrs buried in the Via
Salaria suffered in the tenth persecution under Diocletian, called the
great persecution, about the year 300: the decorations of their tombs,
u
Ignoscenda tamen puto talia
parvis
Gaudia quæ ducunt epulis, quia men-
tibus error
Irrepit rudibus; nec tantæ conscia culpæ
Simplicitas pietate cadit, male credula
Sanctos
Perfusis halante mero gaudere sepul-
cris."
(De S. Felice Natal. carmen ix. v. 562.)
"Suos enim mortuos dominus Deus
noster in templa pro diis vestris in-
duxit, ac illos quidem cassos vanosque
reddidit; his autem honorem illorum
attribuit. Pro prandiis enim diariisque
ac dionysiis, et aliis festis vestris, Petri,
et Pauli, et Thomæ, et Sergii, et Mar-
celli, et Leontii, et Panteleemonis, et
..
•
Antonini, et Mauricii, aliorumque Mar-
tyrum solemnitates peraguntur, et pro
illa veteri pompa, turpique rerum ac
verborum obscenitate, modestæ celebra-
bantur festivitates, non ebrietatem, et
jocos risusque exhibentes, sed divina
cantica, sacrorumque sermonum audi-
tionem, et preces laudabilibus lacrymis
ornatas. Cum igitur ex honore Marty-
ribus delato,
ribus delato, quid utilitatis proveniat
cernatis, fugite, amici, dæmonum erro-
rem; præviaque illorum face atque ductu,
viam capessite quæ ad Deum perducit,
ut in immortali ævo illorum choris et
præsentia perfruamini." (Theodoreti,
Episc. Cyrens., Opera, tomus iv. Sermo
viii. de Martyribus, p. 605. Lutetiæ
Parisiorum, 1642, folio.)
Iv.]
Paintings.
V
therefore, cannot be earlier than the fourth century, and many of
them have been restored or renewed at subsequent times. John I.,
A.D. 523, is recorded to have renewed the cemetery of Priscilla, and
this probably means that he renewed the paintings in the style of
his own time, as the greater part of the paintings now remaining
are of the character of that period.
49
On comparing the costumes of the figures in this catacomb with
those in the illuminations of the celebrated manuscript of Terence,
usually attributed to the seventh or eighth century, and which can
hardly be earlier than the fifth, we see at once that the long flowing
robe was the ordinary costume of the period, and that the narrow
scarf of black ribbon hanging over the shoulders, with the ends
reaching nearly to the ground, was the usual badge of a servant.
This seems to have been adopted as part of the costume of a Chris-
tian going to pray to God, whether in a church or chapel or any
other place, emblematical of the yoke of Christ, as Durandus says.
The surplice and stole of the priest of the Anglican Church is a
more close copy of this ancient costume than any now worn in the
Roman Church. The rich cope, cape, or cloak was the dress of
the Roman senator and of the Pagan priests; it was probably
adopted by the Bishop of Rome when he assumed the title and office
of Pontifex Maximus, and after a time the custom was followed
by other bishops and priests of his communion ".
▾ See the Pontifical Registers published by Anastasius, quoted in our Section
on the Chronology of the Catacombs, p. 21.
50
[SECT.
Catacombs.
GLASS VASES.
A valuable work on the ancient glass Vases found in the Cata-
combs was published by F. Buonarotti in Florence, nearly simul-
taneously with the work of Boldetti on the Catacombs, and of Fa-
bretti on the Inscriptions found in them. This is the foundation
of all the subsequent works on the subject; the figures are badly
drawn and engraved, according to the fashion of the period, but
many
of the later works are not much better. The subjects are gene-
rally the same as in the paintings on the walls: the Good Shepherd,
more numerous than any other; Adam and Eve, Moses striking the
rock, Noah and the Ark, the raising of Lazarus, Peter and Paul, gene-
rally busts, these are very numerous. Both the style of drawing
and the character of the inscriptions indicate late dates and frequent
copying from the same type. In one are three figures, S. Peter,
S. Paul, with S. Laurence, seated between them.-S. Agnes occurs
frequently, always drawn as in the usual type of the eighth century.
Other busts are evidently portraits of persons interred. In some are
the father, mother, and child;-one has the name of Cerontius; an-
other of two busts, Cericia and Sottacus ;---another is a family group,
father, mother, and four children; the name is partly broken off . . . .
N... BVSVISTRIS. P. Z. remains.-Abraham with a drawn sword in his
hand, and Isaac with his eyes bound, kneeling at his feet, with the
ram. This subject is taken as an emblem of Christ, as shewn by the
inscription—ZESES CVM TVIS SPES HILARIS.—A tall female figure with
the hands uplifted in prayer; the inscription is PETRVS PAVLVS Ane,
possibly for AGNES.-Another similar subject consists of two figures
seated facing each other; over the left hand figure the name CRISTVS,
over the right hand one ISTEFANVS.-Several of the subjects are dis-
tinctly Pagan; others are evidently from the Jews' catacomb, as two
lions guarding the ark, and under them two of the seven-branched
candlesticks, with leaves and vases and palm-branch, and this in-
scription-ANASTAS. IRIEZESVS'; the whole in an engrailed border
of late character.
The foot of a glass vase, found in the catacomb of S. Calixtus in
1715, was engraved by Boldetti, and in the work of Garrucci on the
Z
x
* "Osservazioni sopra alcuni fram-
menti di Vasi antichi di vetro, ornati di
figure, trovati ne' Cimiterj di Roma, per
Filippo Buonarotti." Fol. min. Firenze,
1716.
y IRIEZESVS. Buonarotti should have
endeavoured to make out this word,
which seems to be cut in two: [K]irie
Zesvs, Lord Jesus.
Z
"Vetri ornati di figure in oro trovati
nei cimiteri Cristiani di Roma, raccolti
e spiegati da Raffaele Garrucci." Roma,
1858, fol. [Editio secunda, 1864] plate
I, fig. I.
Glass Vases.
Iv.]
ancient glass vessels found in the Catacombs. It was presented to the
Pope Clement XI., and is now in the Kircherian Museum. In a circular
panel in the centre is a bust clothed in the toga and the lana. Round
this figure is the word Zesus, which is considered by Boldetti and
Aringhi to be the same as JESUS; but Father Garrucci considers the
costume as fatal to this interpretation". In the outer circle are figures
and groups of Scripture characters and events, two from the Old
Testament prophecies of Christ: 1. The three children in the "burn-
ing fiery furnace;" 2. Tobias with the fish. Two from the New
Testament, representing His miracles: 1. The restoring the paralytic,
who is represented carrying his bed; 2. The marriage of Cana, with
the wine-pots. Christ Himself is here represented with the rod of
power in His hand.
51
On another vase, engraved in Garrucci's work, plate viii. fig. 17, the
subject is the miracle of the loaves. Christ is represented standing in
a tunic, with a nimbus round His head, and a scroll or roll of parch-
ment in His left hand, surrounded by the seven baskets full of the
fragments; over His head and round the edge are the words CRISTVS
ZESVS. This shews that these glasses are work of a low period of art
and of ignorant workmen, who used the Z and the J indifferently,
probably writing from ear, and the pronunciation being the same; or
the workmen may have been Byzantine Greeks, who were numerous
in Rome in the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries, and probably
at an earlier period also.
Another yase from this catacomb is published by Garrucci, plate
xxxiii. fig. 1. This was found by Boldetti either in S. Calixtus or
in Prætextatus, in 1718. On it is a picture of the table of the money-
changers, with money upon it; there are two figures, one of whom
has the corner of the table in his hand, and seems in the act of
upsetting it, the other is looking on as if astonished. On the right
is a small ark or chest, with two money-bags under it, having the
numbers cccxx. and CCLV. upon them, as if for the contents of
each. Under the picture is the word SACVLV, and on the left hand
BIS. AN. DRESCO; the right-hand side is broken away, and that
part of the inscription is not preserved. This vase is conjectured
by Boldetti to have belonged to the tombs of two persons employed
in the Mint, to whom the name of Collibista is supposed to apply,
and the letters Co to have been the two first letters of that word;
the inscription under the picture, SACVLV, is supposed to relate to
"It seems far more probable that no
particular costume was appropriated to
Christ or the Apostles at the period
when these glasses were made, than
that the central figure of this group
can possibly be intended for any one
but Christ.
E 2
52
[SECT.
Catacombs.
the money-bags or sacks. It seems more probable that the subject
intended is Christ upsetting the tables of the money-changers in the
temple, and that the word SACVLV is a contraction of SANCTVARIVM(?)®.
The character of the work is late, probably of the eighth century.
Another foot of a vase from this catacomb, (plate xi. fig. 3)
has figures of PETRVS and SAVLVS, and the monogram of Constan-
tine on the top of a post or the stem of a tree, adorned with gems
between them. Their names are written down the sides, but not
vertically; each holds his roll, or the volume of his epistle, in his
hand, and there is another volume by the side of S. Peter. The
costumes and drawing agree with the end of the fourth century.
Other vases on the same plate are evidently later. This glass
vase was found entire by Boldetti in the catacomb of S. Calixtus.
It will be observed that to S. Paul is given his original name of
SAVLVS. Both figures have beards, that of S. Paul considerably
longer than S. Peter's. The heads of these two Apostles are very
usual on these glasses, and they frequently have the monogram of
Constantine between them; in other instances, in place of this is
a circle with small tongues of flame issuing from it; in others a cres-
cent, sometimes a small figure of Christ holding the crown of martyr-
dom over each.-On another vase from this catacomb (plate xvi.
fig. 5) are three figures, Christ, Peter, and Paul, in conversation.
This vase was also found entire by Boldetti in this catacomb, and
is now in the Vatican Museum ©.
Another glass vase from this catacomb is published by Aringhi,
vol. ii. p. 680, and described by Boldetti as of extraordinary size, with
a head of Christ in the circular panel at the foot; this figure is repre-
sented by Garrucci, plate xvii. fig. 6. The Saviour is dressed in the
tunic, and has the pall over His shoulders. He has the nimbus, the
hair is cropped short in front, but two long locks appear under the
ears, and the chin is quite clean, without any beard; the edge of the
circular panel is engrailed. All the details seem to be indications of
a late date, and other vases, engraved on the same plate, seem
to be clearly of the time of Pascal I. or Leo III., the time when
this catacomb was restored. Another vase from the same place is
engraved by Garrucci, plate xxii. fig. 5. This was also found by
Boldetti, and published by him, p. 194. In this are three figures,
with the names AGNES, VINCENTIVS, POLTVs, probably IPOLTVs for
b Perhaps only bad spelling for sa-
cellum, a chapel.
'Et occurrit ei SS. Petrus et Paulus,
credo quod pluribus locis simul eos cum
illo pictos viderent. . . . Sic omnino
errare meruerunt, qui Christum et Apo-
stolos ejus non in sanctis codicibus,
sed in pictis parietibus quæsierunt.
(S. Augustinus, de Consensu Evangelis-
tarum, lib. i. c. 10, § 16.)
""
IV.]
S. Hippolytus. They have not the nimbus, but wear caps. S. Agnes
is richly draped in a long robe or dalmatic, with the embroidered
stole or cipassi hanging down in front, over the front of the dalmatic,
but under the lana which hangs over her shoulders: this is the par-
ticular kind of pallium or pall appropriated to ladies of noble family.
On her neck is the maniaces, a sort of necklace of large pearls or
beads; her hands are uplifted in prayer, and her bare arms appear
out of short sleeves. These details of costume agree with other
figures of S. Agnes on different vases, and with the mosaic figure in
the church named after her. All these figures seem to be of the
eighth or ninth century.
Another vase from this catacomb, found by Boldetti, and now
preserved in the Vatican Museum, was engraved by Garrucci (plate
xxxviii. fig. 2). It is only an inscription surrounded by a cornice or
crown of leaves, flowers, and thorns; the words are :——
Glass Vases.
53
CENA. BENANTI. ET, CLAVDIANI. QVI. SE. CORONABERIN... BIBAN.
Between the two last words are tongues of flame.
This is explained to be merely secular and jovial, and numerous
quotations from ancient authors are given in illustration, respecting
crowns of flowers on festive occasions; but it seems far more pro-
bable that this tomb was that of two martyrs, whose sorrowing
friends rejoiced in their having obtained the crown of martyrdom.
Another vase, bearing a head of a monk, with a cross on the fore-
head, and the inscription LIBERNICA, is pronounced by Garrucci to
be spurious.
Among other objects found by Boldetti in the Catacombs and en-
graved by him (lib. ii. cap. 14), are several torques, the usual orna-
ment for a warrior, mirrors for the ladies, pins, and combs, and
rings; most of the latter have the Constantinian monogram upon
them. Several have dice with various emblems; others, tessera with
various objects incised upon them, not Christian. Amongst other
ornaments are a Gorgon's head, various fibulæ and other articles of
dress, as in pagan tombs.
There is no doubt that at least thirty of the vases published in
Garrucci's work, plates xxx. to xlii., are distinctly pagan, and all
these are said to have been found in the Catacombs".
Many of the glasses with gilt figures upon them appear to have
been provided for the commemorative feasts, as may be seen by the
inscriptions upon them, such as "a mark of friendship drunk, and long
life to them and theirs.” "Life and happiness to thee and thine.”
d One of the finest collections of these glass vases, after that in the Vatican, is
now in the British Museum.
54
[SECT.
Catacombs.
Garrucci gives several others to the same purport. Some of these
drinking-glasses are shewn by the coins represented upon them to be
of the third century, but the generality are much later. Many ol
them have pagan subjects, as has been mentioned.
Of the glass vessels with gilt figures and inscriptions upon them,
several from the catacombs of S. Cyriaca and S. Hippolytus are
engraved in the works of Buonarroti, Bottari, and Garrucci ",
relating to different saints. Perhaps the most important of these
is the one of which the original is preserved in the Museum of
Florence, and which has been engraved several times, in the centre
of which Christ is represented crowning two martyrs, with the names
of FIDELIS and FESTA. The first is dressed in the toga and a
woollen cloak or pallium, called læna; the second in a toga and
pallium, also on the hem of which is sewn a large band embroidered
in gold, and over that a necklace.
Round this central picture are six shafts, with labels bearing figures
with the names of PETRVS, PAVLVS, EPOLITVS, CIPRIANVs, Svstvs,
LAVRENTIVS.
Of these, SS. Laurentius (Laurence), Epolitus (or Hippolytus), and
Sustus (Sixtus II.), were martyrs in the seventh and eighth persecu-
tions under Valerian and Gallienus, A.D. 250, 260, as recorded in
the Pontifical Registers of Sixtus II., used by Anastasius the Li-
brarian, and in the Roman Martyrology for the sixth, tenth, and
thirteenth of August. SS. Peter and Paul, in these cases, are com-
monly mistaken for the apostles, but are in reality intended for two
other martyrs of the same name, who were executed in the same
persecution, and are commemorated on the third of October with
four others, among whom were probably Fidelis and Festa. S. Cy-
prian, the celebrated Bishop of Carthage, was also one of the martyrs
in that persecution on the fourteenth of September, but not at
Rome. S. Cyriaca the widow, called also Domnica, and other
martyrs in the same persecution, named Adonis and Justin, are
also recorded to have been interred here. When the church was
For an account of those from the
catacomb of S. Agnes, see our descrip
tion of that catacomb, p. 85.
f See note x, p. 50.
8 Bottari, Pitture e Sculture sagre
estratte dai Cimiterj di Roma. Roma,
1737-
737-1754, folio, 3 vols.
h Garrucci, as before cited, see p. 46.
iSee also Fabio Gori, Della Porta e
Basilica di S. Lorenzo, della Catacomba,
&c., p. 50.
Præter hæc autem sanctæ memo-
riæ decessor meus, itidem ad corpus S.
Laurentii martyris quædam meliorare
desiderans, dum nescitur ubi venerabile
corpus ipsius esset collocatum, effo-
ditur exquirendo, et subito sepulcrum
ipsius ignoranter apertum est; et ii qui
præsentes erant atque laborabant, mona-
chi et mansionarii, quia corpus ejusdem
martyris viderunt, quod quidem minime
tangere præsumpserunt, omnes intra de-
cem dies defuncti sunt, ita ut nullus
vitæ superesse potuisset, qui sanctum
IV.]
55
rebuilt by Pelagius II. at the end of the sixth century, his suc-
cessor, S. Gregory, relates that the body of S. Laurence was found
intact', and worked miracles.
Glass Vases.
As the mistake of confounding the martyrs Peter and Paul, of
this persecution in the third century, with the two apostles of the
same names, is a very common one, it will be as well here to
collect other passages relating to their true history, in addition to
those already given.
The cemetery or catacomb in which this S. Peter is said to have
baptized the converts in the third century, is called ad nymphas,
a word here used in the sense of 'the springs' or sources of water
This catacomb was the one in which the S. John who was a martyr
with this S. Paul, or another S. Paul near the same period, had buried
the bodies of other martyrs, "whose bodies John the priest collected
at night, and buried in the month of February (in the catacomb or
burial-place), at the springs in the Via Nomentana, where Peter had
baptized ".”
•
justi corpus illius viderat." (S. Gregorii
Magni epist., lib. iv. ep. 30, Constan-
tinæ Augustæ.)
"Posthæc fecerunt eam plumbatis
atque scorpionibus affligi, usque dum
Domino reddidit spiritum. Corpus mar-
tyris sepelierunt in agro Verano non
longe a corpore B. Laurentii, a parte
occidentali, ibi in cœmeterio sursum
prima est Cyriaca sancta vidua, decimo
Kalendas Septembris. (MS. Cod.
Vatic., quoted by Aringhi, Roma Sub-
terranea, lib. iv. c. 16.)
""
1 The custom of embalming the body
had been learned from the Egyptians
by the Romans, and some of the bodies
of the saints and martyrs were embalmed
with spices, which gave out what was
called "the odour of sanctity" when
the coffins were opened in the Middle
Ages. Miracles are worked by faith,
that is, the faith of the person in whom
the miracle is wrought; there are ac-
counts of miracles worked in India on
persons who have faith in their idols,
as well authenticated as those of the
Roman Catholic Church.
-
m
ra
"Et cadit in patulos nympha
Aniena lacus."
•
*
(Propert., lib. iii. eleg. 16, v. 4.)
Aringhi, lib. i. c. 16, § 7, mentions.
a place named "ad Nymphas," on the
Via Aurelia. See also the index of
vol. ii., sub vocib. Nymphæ, &c.
n
، ،
Quorum corpora collegit
Joannes presbyter noctu, et sepelivit in
Via Numentana sub die Kal. februarii
ad Nymphas, ubi Petrus baptizabat."
(Aringhi, lib. iii. c. 16.)
It was also called after S. Hippolytus,
These springs of water can still (1869)
be seen in the vineyard of Monsignor
Gori, between the Via Nomentana and
the Via Tiburtina, where this catacomb
is situated. This site was not discovered
by Bosio; but it has now been taken
possession of by the Cardinal Vicar,
acting in the name of the Pope, and
the keys can only be obtained at the
Vicariate. The usual inscription an-
nouncing this has been recently put
up over the entrance. (See p. 93.)
* Var. lympha.
V. LOCAL ARRANGEMENT.
VIA CORNELIA, OR TRIUMPHALIS.
S. PETER'S CHURCH AT THE VATICAN.
S. PETER'S Church was built over the catacomb of the Vatican,
near the Via Triumphalis, in which many of the early Popes were
buried in the first and second centuries; but this catacomb was
of small extent: the soil being clay, was not found suitable for the
purpose. In the fourth century, Pope Damasus ascertained that the
bodies interred in the cemetery or catacomb of the Vatican were
lying in water; he sought for the spring which caused this, and on
cutting away the rock he discovered it. He made a fountain of it,
with a proper drain, and the fountain which plays in the court of
the Pontifical palace on the Vatican Hill is supplied by that spring.
Damasus placed in the cemetery an inscription recording what he
had done.
This catacomb is mentioned by Eusebius as existing in the time
of Nero, and he quotes the authority of Caius, a writer of the third
century; but there is still the want of contemporary evidence for the
important facts relating to these martyrdoms and the very early
Christian cemeteries.
“Thus Nero, publicly announcing himself as the chief enemy of God, was led
on in his fury to slaughter the Apostles. Paul is therefore said to have been be-
headed at Rome, and Peter to have been crucified, under him; and this account is
confirmed by the fact that the names of Peter and Paul still remain in the cemeteries
of that city even to this day. But likewise, a certain ecclesiastical writer, Caius by
name, who was born about the time of Zephyrinus, Bishop of Rome, disputing
with Proclus, the leader of the Phrygian sect, gives the following statement respect-
ing the places where the earthly tabernacles of the said Apostles are laid. But
I can show, says he, the trophies of the Apostles; for if you will go to the Vatican,
or to the Ostian road, you will find the trophies of those who have laid the founda-
tion of this church, and that both suffered martyrdom about the same time P.”
CINGEBANT LATICES MONTEM TE-
NEROQVE MEATV
CORPORA MVLTORVM CINERES AT-
QVE OSSA RIGABANT.
NON TVLIT HOC DAMASVS COMMVNI
LEGE SEPVLTOS
POST REQUIEM TRISTES ITERVM PER-
SOLVERE POENAS.
PROTINVS AGGRESSVS MAGNVM SV-
PERARE LABOREM,
AGGERIS IMMENSI DEIECIT CVL-
MINA MONTIS.
INTIMA SOLLICITE SCRVTATVS VIS-
CERA TERRAE,
SICCAVIT TOTVM QVIDQVID MADE-
FECERAT HVMOR,
INVENIT FONTEM PRAEBET QVI
DONA SALVTIS.
HAEC CVRAVIT MERCVRIVS LEVITA
FIDELIS.
The remains of this catacomb are be-
lieved to have been entirely destroyed
in the sixteenth century, in building the
foundations of the great church.
P Eusebius, Hist. Eccles., lib. ii. c. 25,
A.D. 54-68.
Via Cornelia.-S. Peter's.
SECT. V.]
57
The following early Bishops of Rome, or Popes, are said on an
inscription of Damasus 9, given by Anastasius, also in an old Itinerary,
repeated by Panvinius, to have been buried in this catacomb :—
૧
1. S. Peter himself, June 29, A. d. 65.
2. S. Linus, Sept. 23, A.D. 67.
3. S. Cletus, April 26, A.D. 81.
5. S. Anacletus, July 13, A.D. 103.
6. S. Evaristus, Oct. 26, A.D. 112.
8. S. Sixtus, April 6, A.D. 135.
9. S. Telesphorus, Jan. 5, A. D. 141.
10. S. Hyginus, Jan. II, A. D. 154.
12. S. Pius, July 11, A.D. 166.
14. S. Eleutherius, May 26, A.d. 198.
15. S. Victor, July 18, a. D. 199.
After a church was built on the site, there is no distinction between
this catacomb and ordinary burial-vaults. S. Peter's became the
usual place of interment for the Bishops of Rome, whether they were
kings or not. It was a cathedral church, and that was the usual
place to bury the bishops, whether in a catacomb or in the crypt
only. At the present day the catacomb has either been destroyed.
or entirely concealed. Bosio gives engravings of sculpture only, and
none that is of an earlier date than the fourth century, and no early
tombstones or inscriptions from this catacomb have been preserved
or published. Alpharanus and Aringhi say that there were chambers
or cubicula with paintings ".
The following is William of Malmesbury's account of this road,
and the catacombs upon it; of the second and third churches (?)
or cemetery chapels (?) mentioned in this road nothing is at present
known:
"The first is the Cornelian gates, which is now called the gate of S. Peter, and
the Cornelian way. Near it is situated the church of S. Peter, in which his body
No three authors agree as to the
history of the martyrdom and burial of
S. Peter. Some say that the martyrdom
took place on the Janiculum, and on the
highest part of it, called Mons Aureus,
where the church of S. Pietro in Mon-
torio now stands. Others say it was
in the valley in or near to the Nauma-
chia of Augustus, where the monastery
of S. Cosimato (SS. Cosmas and Da-
mian) now stands. Others, on the Vati-
can Hill, on the site of the great church,
a mile from the other sites. The ac-
counts of the burial are mentioned with
the respective catacombs, and an attempt
has been made to reconcile the appa-
rently contradictory statements, by sup-
posing the bodies to have been buried
in one place and translated more than
once, and the heads buried in a different
place from the bodies. See the cata-
comb of S. Lucina and church of S.
Paul, c. v.; and S. Sebastian, c. 6.
Signor de Rossi is of opinion that
the tombstone of Linus was discovered
in the seventeenth century with the name
only. See Bullettino di Archeologia
Cristiana, 1864, p. 50.
The earliest authority for these burials
is Damasus, as published in the work
of Anastasius. The dates are corrected
according to the latest investigations
published by Dr. R. A. Lipsius under
these titles: "Die Papstverzeichnisse
des Eusebios, und der von ihm abhän-
gigen Chronisten," &c., 29 pages,
4to., Kiel, 1868; and "Chronologie
des Römischen Bischöfe bis zur Mitte
des vierten Jahrhunderts," 280 pages,
8vo., Kiel, 1869.
Bosio gives twenty-eight plates of
sculptures belonging to S. Peter's Church,
and sarcophagi found in the crypt, but
no paintings. See Appendix.
S
p
Malmesbury's History of the Kings
of England, and the Modern History,
58
Catacombs.
[SECT.
lies, decked with gold and silver and precious stones; and no one knows the num
ber of the holy martyrs who rest in that church, in which lie the holy virgins Ru-
fina and Secunda. In a third church are Marius and Martha; and Audifax and
Abacuc, their sons."
It seems nearly certain that William of Malmesbury, in his account
of the Catacombs, followed an old Itinerary prepared for the use of
the pilgrims to these shrines; and it is probably taken from a
manuscript of the eighth century, preserved at Einsiedlen, which was
afterwards used also by Panvinius in the seventeenth century, in his
celebrated chapter "De Cœmeteriis Urbis Romæ t." The order is
the same, and often the same words are used. The text given to us
by Malmesbury, in the twelfth century, appears to be the best;
Panvinius has added to it, and the text of the older account is
unfortunately in such a bad state that it is almost impossible to
follow it in many parts. Pilgrimages to the Catacombs were the rage
in the sixth century; they have been renewed from time to time,
with considerable intervals. In the eighth and ninth centuries the
fashion was very strong; it continued with more or less force
throughout the Middle Ages, until the sixteenth century, when the
Catacombs seem to have been entirely forgotten, so that the re-
searches of Bosio were looked upon as a wonderful discovery, as we
have said. Panvinius was a cotemporary of Bosio, and one of the
most learned men of his day. Having probably found the old Itine-
rary in the Vatican library, and given useful information to Bosio, he
was one of the first to call attention to the antiquities of Rome,
and his works contain much valuable information respecting them.
Buried as everything then was, he was obliged to make bold con-
jectures, many of which no doubt proved correct; but they are not
always to be depended on. His works constitute the foundation of
what are now called "the Traditions of the Roman Antiquaries.”
translated by Sharpe. 4to. London, 1815,
p. 421.
The references to William of
Malmesbury are given to the English
translation by Sharpe for the conveni-
ence of English readers, but the Latin
text will be found in the Appendix.
The following is the title of his
work on the Catacombs: "Onuphrii
Panvinii Veronensis, fratris eremitæ
Augustiniani, de Ritu sepeliendi mortuos
""
apud veteres Christianos, et eorundem
cœmeteriis Liber.' It was printed with
"Historia B. Platinæ de vitis Pontifi-
cum Romanorum, fol. Coloniæ, 1568,”
reprinted at Louvain in 1572, and at
Rome in 1581, both 8vo., and a French
translation was published at Paris in
1613, 8vo. Some further account of
this work will be found in the Ap-
pendix.
v.]
Via Aurelia.-S. Pancratius.
VIA AURELIA.-S. PANCRATIUS.
"The fourteenth is the Aurelian gate and way, which now is called the gate of
S. Pancras, because he lies near it in his church, and the other martyrs, Paulinus,
Arthemius, S. Sapientia](or Wisdom), with her three daughters, Faith, Hope, and
Charity. In another church, Processus and Martinianus; and in a third, two
Felix's; in a fourth, Calixtus and Calepodius; in a fifth, S. Basilides ".'
59
Panvinius mentions a catacomb of Lucina on the Via Aurelia,
this is usually placed on the Via Ostiensis.
X
The catacomb of S. Calepodius is mentioned in the Acta S. Ca-
lixti as on the Via Aurelia, at the third mile, and it is believed to
be the same as that now called S. Pancratius. Calepodius is said
to have been a priest under Calixtus, and a martyr in the time of
Alexander Severus; according to the legend, his body was thrown
into the Tiber, rescued from it, and buried in this cemetery. S. Julius,
a senator, and Antoninus, martyrs under Commodus, are also said to
have been interred here. The body of S. Calixtus is also said to
have been recovered from the pit into which it had been thrown by
order of Alexander Severus, and buried in this catacomb, together
with Palmatius the consul, his wife, children, and other members of
his family, to the number of forty; Simplicius, with his wife and
family, to the number of seventy-eight; and Felix, with his wife
Blanda, all these are said to have been baptized by Calixtus, and
put to death by order of Alexander Severus. Pancratius is said to
have been a martyr at the age of fourteen under Diocletian, and his
history is related by Bede. After the peace of the Church, Julius I.
was buried here, and the catacomb was sometimes called after him².
The relics of many of these saints and martyrs were translated to the
church of S. Maria trans Tiberim; the head of S. Pancratius was
translated to the Lateran, and the body placed in the church of the
monastery of S. Pancratius, under the high altar there; and these
relics were said to work miracles ª.
a
" William of Malmesbury, p. 421.
* See our Chronological Table, A.D.
222.
y There is no such name among the
consuls; possibly Paternus, A. D. 233,
may be the person intended, unless the
whole story is a fiction. The large num-
ber makes it appear doubtful.
2 The inscriptions of Damasus, quoted
by Panvinius, give three catacombs to
S. Julius,-I. on the Via Flaminia, near
the church of S. Valentinus extra muros ;
II. on the Via Aurelia; III. on the Via
Portuensi, as already mentioned in the
Chronological Table, A. D. 331.
a The same cemetery or catacomb, in
бо
Catacombs.-S. Pontianus.
[SECT.
;
The catacomb of S. Pancratius, which contains four painted cham-
bers or cubicula, in its present state does not possess much interest
the soil is not favourable for the purpose, and many of the walls and
vaults are of brick, some of which appear to be ancient and original,
with repairs of the eighth or ninth century or later. The entrance
to the catacomb is through the church, which has been several
times rebuilt, and the present appearance of it is entirely modern.
VIA PORTUENSIS.-S. PONTIANUS.
"The thirteenth is called the Portuan gate and way; near which, in a church,
are the martyrs, Fœlix, Alexander, Abdon and Sennen, Symeon, Anastasius, Polion,
Vincentius, Milex, Candida, and Innocentia ".”
The catacomb of SS. Abdon, Sennen, Pygmenius, and S. Pontianus,
is generally called after S. Pontianus only; it was formerly called “ Ad
Ursum Pileatum," from a figure of a bear which was at the entrance.
It is situated on a hill on the Via Portuense, about a mile beyond
the gate, is made in a rock of sandstone of fluvial deposit, an ex-
cellent material for the purpose, and is consequently in good con-
dition. It contains a baptistery, with a well or spring of pure
water, over which is a small chapel painted, with a jewelled cross
and figures, among which are the saints Abdon and Sennen, in the
style of the time of Pope Hadrian I.; but these paintings probably
replace earlier ones, as this catacomb is an early one.
There are
also two fine heads of Christ, one with a jewelled nimbus, but of the
eighth century, the time of Hadrian.
According to the Martyrologium Romanum, S. Quirinus, who
was a martyr under Claudius, A.D. 41-54, was buried in this
catacomb; but that would be before the time of the first per-
secution, and of the martyrdom of SS. Peter and Paul, and seems.
very apocryphal. The next martyrs said to be buried in are
a general sense, is frequently called by
different names, after the saints or mar-
tyrs that were interred there, each in
a separate cubiculum or burial-vault.
The name of 'catacomb' is constantly
applied in two senses, the one general
for the whole cemetery, the other special
for each particular burial-vault or chapel.
That of S. Pancratius was called, at dif-
ferent periods, in this manner by the
names of S. Lucina, SS. Processus and
Martinus, S. Agatha, S. Calixtus, S. Ju-
lius, S. Felix. The inscription of Da-
masus, relating to S. Felix, is also pre-
served, and from this it appears that
Damasus also built and adorned his
tomb, that is, his cubiculum or vault,
in this catacomb. In the Einsiedlen
manuscript the following catacombs are
recorded as places of pilgrimage be-
tween the Via Aurelia and the Via Por-
tuensis:-Processus and Martinianus, and
Pancratius, Abdon and Sennen. The
catacomb of S. Felix is considered by
Panvinius as distinct from, but adjoining
to, that of Calepodius, and he puts it at
the second mile on the Via Aurelia.
b William of Malmesbury, p. 424.
v.]
SS. Abdon and Sennen, but their bodies were only translated to this
place in the time of Constantine; they had previously been buried
near the Amphitheatre, where their martyrdom had taken place.
Their relics were afterwards again translated to the church of
S. Marcus by Gregory IV. (A.D. 827-844), at the time when the
Lombard invasion made it necessary to remove the relics of the
saints and martyrs within the walls of the city for security.
S. Pygmenius, a martyr under Julian the Apostate (A.D. 362), is also
said to have been interred here by the matron Candida, near to
SS. Abdon and Sennen. It is likewise related by William of Malmes-
bury that there was a chapel in honour of SS. Abdon and Sennen,
and of S. Candida, in this cemetery or catacomb.
Anastasius I., A.D. 401, and Innocentius I., A.D. 417, are also said
to have been interred here. The relics of the former, with those of
other saints, were translated by Paschal I. to the church of S. Pras-
sede or Praxedes, and those of Innocentius to the "Titulum Equitii,”
or S. Pietro ad vincula, by Sergius II. Other martyrs, named Felix,
Alexander, Simeon, Pollion, Vincentius, Milex, are likewise said in
the Itineraries to have been interred here, and their relics were
also translated to S. Prassede by Paschal I.
The paintings in this catacomb are not numerous; but they are
more than usually perfect, and seem to be for the most part in
the same state as in the time of Bosio . On descending into
this catacomb the first paintings to attract attention are at the
end of one of the corridors, one right in front, with others on
each side of this. The principal painting consists of three stand-
ing figures of saints, with the nimbus, draped in long flowing robes
and stoles (or coloured or black borders to the cloak?), with
their names vertically over their shoulders. 1. S. Marcellinus, with
a roll of parchment or book in his hand. 2. S. Pollion, with the
crown of martyrdom in his hand. 3. S. Peter.
On the side of
these are two other saints, Milex and Pygmenius, with a jewelled
cross between them. These paintings are on a coat of plaster,
which has peeled off in places, and shews distinctly under it
a brick wall, with wide joints of mortar of the usual well-known
character of the eighth century. The style of drawing of the
pictures is also of that period, agreeing with the mosaics of the
Via Portuensis.-S. Pontianus.
61
• Bosio gives engravings of seven
paintings from this catacomb, which
are in a more perfect state than any
of the others. The same subjects have
been copied repeatedly, but no fresh
ones added.
See Appendix.
d This painting is on a wall of the
eighth century, built across the corridor;
the part beyond it was too much damaged
to be restored, or perhaps enough was
done for the pilgrims.
62
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Pontianus.
same time in the churches, many of which bear the names of the
donors. The paintings over the well or baptistery in this catacomb
are perhaps the best known, and the most celebrated of all the
paintings in the Roman Catacombs. Amongst them is the large
and very rich cross, of the same form as the small jewelled cross on
the wall of the eighth century before mentioned, and of precisely the
same character as a work of art. There are also two fine heads of
Christ, with the nimbus enriched with jewels, and a large one on the
vault over the steps that descend to the well; the other is on the wall
at the top. The painting of the Baptism of Christ by the Baptist, in
which He is represented as standing in the water above the waist,
is probably the earliest example of this favourite idea of the Middle
Ages. There is also a painting of the three children in the burning
fiery furnace, as engraved by Bosio, but now much decayed; and
figures of other saints, with their names written vertically as before:
Milex, standing in the oriental attitude of prayer, with the hands ex-
tended, dressed in a sort of highland costume; Abdon and Sennen,
standing turned towards the head of Christ, which emerges from
a cloud between them. He places the crown of martyrdom upon
each, and they are draped in the costume of the eighth century,
wearing trousers, with a short cloak reaching to the knees, and the
Phrygian cap. As to Vincentius, he is standing in the attitude of
prayer, draped in a long robe with an apron. All have the circular
nimbus.
Another painted chamber, not described by Bosio, has the Good
Shepherd in a circular panel in the centre of the vault, and ap-
parently the history of Jonah in the four square compartments, with
ornaments between of late character,—all much decayed or damaged.
The whole of the paintings in this catacomb evidently belong to the
same period, the eighth century, as we have said, when it was re-
stored, that is, repaired and repainted for the edification of the
pilgrims. Anastasius records the restoration of this catacomb or
cemetery by Pope Hadrian I., A.D. 772—795˚, and the character
of the work agrees perfectly with that period.
f
Of the other catacombs on the Via Portuensis, one is said by
Aringhi to have been made by Felix II., when he was expelled from
his bishop's throne by Constantius, A.D. 305, and retired to a farm
which he possessed on this road. A church or chapel is also men-
tioned in connection with it.
Santi Bartoli relates some curious discoveries in his time in a
• Anastasius in S. Adriano, § 336.
f Aringhi, Roma Subterranea Novissima, lib. ii. c. 18, tom. i. p. 360.
63
v.]
Christian (?) catacomb outside of the Porta Portuensis, in a vineyard
belonging to the Abbot of the Effetti (?). A number of bodies were
found, supposed to be those of saints, and with them "a splendid
series of very rare medallions, pieces of metals, incised gems, pearls,
and all sorts of things more curious for the learned "," which had
probably been votive offerings of the faithful.
Via Portuensis.-S. Pontianus.
"In uno cemeterio Cristiano sca-
vato nella vigna dell'Abbate degli Effetti,
fuori di Porta Portesi, oltre i corpi
santi in quantità, vi fu trovata bellissima
serie di medaglioni rarissimi.... Si
sono anche trovati in quantità bellissimi
pezzi di metalli, intagli de' gemme cris-
talli, perle, ed ogni genere di cose più
curiose ed erudite. (Santi Bartoli,
apud Fea, Miscellanea, p. 238.)
64
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Generosa.
S. GENEROSA, AT THE COLLEGE OF THE Arvales.
This catacomb is situated in the Via Portuensis, at the sixth
mile from Rome on the bank of the Tiber. It was excavated in
1868, at the expense of the King and Queen of Prussia, under
the direction of Dr. Henzen and Signor de Rossi; and what gives
this catacomb unusual interest, is that the greater part of the graves
or loculi have not been opened. The original coverings over the
openings, which are almost all of tiles only, are left hermetically
sealed with plaster round the edges, as usual when they have not
been opened; on this plaster or mortar the inscriptions or marks,
by which to know the graves, have been scratched while the mortar
was wet, and, as that has set as hard as a rock, they appear as fresh
as if they had been written yesterday. One of these gives the names
of the consuls, which are of the fourth century; some of the tiles or
bricks also have upon them the brick-stamps of the same period.
Near the entrance is a deep well of early character, probably also of
the same period.
An excellent account of these excavations was published by
Dr. Henzen, who had the direction of them", in which he gives
all the inscriptions, with facsimiles of the most important. The
College of the Arvales has obviously nothing to do with the cata-
comb, except that it happens to be in their grounds.
"Cœmeterium Generosæ ad sextum Philippi" is described by Bosio
and Aringhi as six miles from the city; the martyrs Simplicius, Faus-
tinus, and Beatrix, are said to have been buried in it, and their relics
translated by Leo II., first to S. Paul's, and then to S. Maria Mag-
giore, where an inscription to that effect is preserved. This must
be the same as the one mentioned above.
This catacomb was in the sacred grove or wood of the college
of the Arvales. Simplicius and Faustinus were martyrs in the
great persecution under Diocletian, at the end of the third cen-
tury. This burial-place appears to have been then in existence,
or to have been then made: which is remarkable, as it seems to
shew that some of the priests of the college of the Arvales must
have been Christians at that time, although the college was still
nominally dedicated to the Goddess Dia, and the grove was called
Lucus Dea Dia in some of the inscriptions of the Arvales. De
h "Scavi nel Bosco Sacro dei fratelli
Arvali, per larghezza delle LL. MM.
Guglielmo ed Augusta, Re e Regina di
Prussia, operati dai Signori Ceccarelli.
Relazione a nome dell' Instituto di Cor-
rispondenza Archeologica, publicata da
Guglielmo Henzen." (Roma, dalla Ti-
pografia Tiberina, 1868.)
Via Portuensis.-S. Generosa.
v.]
Rossi considers that the college was abolished in the third century,
and the site could therefore be used as a cemetery in the fourth.
If this conjecture is correct, the college must have been rebuilt just
before its suppression, as the remains of the building now visible are
of the third century. There are numerous fragments of cornices
and other ornamental features, the character of which is very dis-
tinct and late. The vault under the college also remains, and is
almost entirely of the same period. On the other hand, none of the
fragments of the calendar found here at the same time are of later
date than the third century. The legend relates that the bodies of
the martyrs were thrown over the stone bridge into the Tiber, and
were recovered by their sister Beatrix or Victrix, near the place
called Ad Sextum Philippi, on the Via Portuensis. She took refuge
with the Christian matron, Lucina; but the persecutors seized her,
and, after keeping her a prisoner for seven months, suffocated her
in prison. Her body was recovered by Lucina, who gave it for
interment to the brothers at Sextus Philippusi.
At the entrance³ of the catacomb are the ruins of a small chapel
with an apse, the construction of which may be of the fourth
century. This chapel is excavated to a considerable depth, and is
on a level with the catacomb itself. There is an opening to look
into the catacomb, in which was apparently a grating, as at the
catacomb of S. Cyriaca, and there was a door from this chapel into
the catacomb: it was therefore the regular entrance to it. The
present entrance is not an original one, though very near to it.
The catacomb was probably made in an old sand-pit gallery. Over
the door of the chapel was an inscription in the beautiful characters
of the time of Damasus *; a small portion only has been preserved.
The bodies, or the relics of these martyrs, were translated by Leo II.
to the church of S. Bibiana, within the wall of Aurelian, near the
i Adonis Martyrol., ed. Georgio Rho-
digino, p. 359, apud de Rossi, Bullet-
tino di Archeologia Cristiana, 1869,
No. I. This author Ado, who lived
in the ninth century, is the earliest
authority for the legend that he can
find with all his well-known diligence.
in the research for authorities. Six
hundred years after the event for the
earliest mention of it, makes the legend
very doubtful; but the painting and the
inscriptions are better evidence.
The present entrance is entirely
modern; there were probably two en-
trances originally, one through the
chapel, where the grating was after-
F
wards placed; the other from a sand-
pit road at the opposite end, where a
sand-pit remains with an entrance from
it into the catacomb, or at the present
time the reverse, an entrance from the
catacomb to the sand-pit. This cata-
comb is not of much extent, and the
whole of it seems now to have been
excavated. It had evidently been ex-
amined in the time of Bosio.
MARTIRES SIMPLICIVS ET FAVSTINVS
QVI PASSI SVNT IN FLVMEN TIBERE
ET POSITI
SVNT IN CEMETERIVM GENEROSES
SVPER
k
65
•
FILIPPI.
66
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Generosa.
Porta di S. Lorenzo, A.D. 682. Signor de Rossi gives in his Bul-
lettino di Archeologia Cristiana a learned dissertation on the name
of Beatrix or Victrix, which he shews to be the same; the variation
of the spelling arises from the difference of pronunciation in dif-
ferent provinces, and such variations are still of common occurrence.
These account for many of the variations in the spelling of names
on ancient inscriptions. He also shews in a similar manner that
Rufus and Rufinius and Rufinianus, Faustinus and Faustinianus,
Balesianus and Valesianus, are similar variations in the spelling
only.
The names of the consuls scratched on the plaster of one of the
loculi or graves, give the date of A.D. 372, and shew the catacomb
to have been then in use. A.D. 382 is also the probable date of the
chapel with the inscription of Damasus.
m
There is only one painted chamber in this catacomb, and the
painting appears to be of the sixth century. It represents a group
of five figures, all with the nimbus, four with each his crown of
martyrdom in his hand. The names of Faustinianus and Rufinianus,
written vertically, are perfect; the other two names are mutilated
and indistinct. In the centre of the picture is Christ with the
cruciform nimbus, the right hand raised in the attitude of bene-
diction, according to the Byzantine fashion; the left hand holds the
Gospel in a rich jewelled binding. Under the feet of all the figures
are wavy lines, representing the waves of the river in which they
were drowned.
Julius I. (A.D. 337-352) is said to have made three catacombs,
one of which was on this road, and the martyrs Cyrus and Joannes
were buried in it. They suffered martyrdom in the tenth persecution,
under Diocletian, A.D. 300; their bodies, or what were supposed
to be the relics of them, were translated into the city, to the church
of S. Prassede, under the emperors Honorius and Arcadius, A.D. 414,
and a church was built (?), or a chapel made in the catacomb (?)
by the noble matron Theodora, as related by Sophronius in a very
prolix story. This is said to have been two miles from the city, on
the bank of the Tiber, opposite S. Paul's; the place was corruptly
called Santa Passera in the time of Aringhi. These relics were
interred in the confessio under the altar, and an inscription over the
door stated that the relics of SS. Cyrus and John of Alexandria,
martyrs of the time of Diocletian, in the year 303, given to Rome
m
Anastas. in S. Leone ii. § 149.
Signor de Rossi gives a woodcut of this painting, from a good drawing.
67
v.]
by Alexandria, the great Greek town", were interred here. In the
Roman Martyrology, S. Hippolytus, Bishop of Porto, is said to have
been made a martyr by drowning him in the Tiber with his hands
and feet tied; his body, rescued by the Christians, was buried here.
It appears that all the martyrs who were drowned in the Tiber
were buried on this road, when their bodies could be recovered by
the Christians, and some at Porto itself: hence, in the time of the
pilgrims, in the seventh and eighth centuries, this road was looked
upon as especially sanctified, and the Porta Portuensis was called
Porta Romana for distinction. Bosio made careful researches on
this road for many years, from 1600 to 1618; he only succeeded
in finding two burying-places, cemeteries, or catacombs, one at
a place called Pozzo Pantaleo, evidently in an arenarium for Pozzo-
lana sand; but though he found some cubicula, with traces of old
painting on the vault, including a Good Shepherd as usual, it was too
much destroyed to be worth further search, and was covered up
again. The distance of this from Rome is not mentioned. The
other is that now called S. Pontianus. In this, on the partition wall
under the paintings of SS. Marcellinus and Petrus, he found a con-
temporary inscription, with the name of Eustathius, servant of
S. Marcellinus". There is another contemporary inscription in the
porch of S. Maria in Cosmedin, recording a considerable donation
to that church by Duke Eustathius; this was probably the same
person who called himself the servant of the blessed Marcellinus,
much as a good Anglo-Catholic would now call himself the servant
of Christ. As this catacomb is situated on the top of the hill which
separates the Via Portuensis from the Via Aurelia, and as SS. Mar-
cellinus and Petrus received their crowns of martyrdom on the latter
road, Bosio conjectured that this catacomb extends to both sides.
of the hill, and had originally an entrance from the latter road also.
In that case, the martyrs Artemius, Candida, and Paulina were
probably buried in another cubiculum or chapel of this catacomb.
Via Portuensis. - S. Generosa.
" CORPORA SANCTA CYRI RENITENT
HIC ATQVE IOANNIS
QVAE QUONDAM ROMAE DEDIT
ALEXANDRIA MAGNA.
• The catacomb of S. Generosa,
when excavated at the expense of the
King and Queen of Prussia in 1868,
had evidently been examined before, to
some extent; one entrance to this is
from a sand-pit road, and there ap-
pears every probability that this is the
same place that Bosio called Pozzo
Pantaleo.
PEVSTATHIVS
SERVITOR
B. MARCELLINI MARTYRIS.
HVMILIS PECCATOR
F 2
VI. THE VIA OSTIENSIS, &c.
""
The twelfth gate and way was called the Ostiensian, but at present S. Paul's,
because he lies near it in his church. There, too, is the martyr Timotheus; and
near, in the church of S. Thecla, are the martyrs Felix, Audactus, and Nemesius.
At the Three Fountains 9 is the head of the martyr S. Anastasius."
CATACOMB OF LUCINA OR S. PAUL.
LUCINA is said to have been a pious lady of one of the great
families of Rome, daughter of a Senator, a rich heiress, and one of
the early Christians, a disciple of the Apostles. She is reported to have
interred the bodies of S. Peter and S. Paul in her farm on the Via
Ostiensis, and to have founded the church of S. Paul on the spot
where his body was discovered; this was afterwards rebuilt as a mag-
nificent cathedral in the fourth century, and has been several times
rebuilt. There is an altar to her memory in a chapel, with a tes-
sellated pavement to the left of the apse, and an inscription, which
states that under that pavement is the cemetery of S. Lucina, in
which the bodies of many martyrs are buried. Lucina appears
to have been the family name, as we have others of the same name
at later dates, and they had an estate on the north of the city as
well as this on the south. The church of S. Lorenzo in Lucina
stands on part of it, and that of S. Marcellus in the Corso is also
said to have been erected on that property, which shews that it
was of considerable extent. Unless we admit the conjecture of
Signor de Rossi, that Lucina was not the name of an individual or
of a family, but an enlightened lady, that is, a Christian. There
seems much probability in this conjecture.
This catacomb was also called after other saints who were interred
here, S. Commodilla, SS. Felix and Adauctus. It was almost de-
9 Aquæ Salvia, now Tre Fontane.
The tradition is, that S. Paul was be-
headed on this spot; that his head, on
touching the ground, rebounded twice,
and that a fountain immediately burst
forth from each place where it fell. See
Lumisden's "Roman Antiquities.
""
See the Section on Churches con-
nected with the Catacombs. Panvinius
gives a catacomb of S. "Timotheus
8
presbyter," within the church of S. Paul.
8 De Rossi conjectures that Lucina
may possibly not be a proper name or
family name, but a title given to more
than one of the early Christian ladies, as
it literally signifies the enlightened. It
seems improbable that the same family
should have a large territory on the
Campus Martius to the north of the
city, and another on the south also.
SECT. VI.]
Catacomb of Lucina or S. Paul.
69
stroyed in rebuilding the church, and remains entirely filled up
with earth.
Ciaconius and others consider that the catacomb of Lucina was
part of the great cemetery of S. Calixtus, which is between the Via
Appia and the Via Ardeatina, and the latter is but a short distance
from the Via Ostiensis; it is quite possible that all these catacombs
were connected together by subterranean roads. Two of the earliest
Christian inscriptions are from loculi or gravestones in this catacomb,
A.D. CVII. and CXI., published by Boldetti, and in Signor de Rossi's
"Christian Inscriptions:" the first was scratched upon the wet
plaster, the second was in marble; others, of the dates of A.D. 235,
238, and 249, shew that it was in use in the third century. In the
cloister of the monastery of S. Paul, there are many inscriptions
and sarcophagi from the catacomb of S. Lucina. A large collection
of inscriptions from this catacomb has also been placed in the walls
of a hall and a lofty corridor in the monastery of S. Paul, arranged
systematically by Signor de Rossi.
The burial-places or catacombs of S. Felix, S. Adauctus, and
S. Emerita, were found by Boldetti and Marangoni near the church
of S. Paul, under the present road that goes from that church to
S. Sebastian's. The figures of the three Magi, with their names over
them, were also discovered in the same catacomb, and published
by Boldetti.
70
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Domitilla.
VIA ARDEATINA.
SS. NEREUS AND ACHILLEUS.—S. DOMITILLA.
The very early catacomb of S. Domitilla is situated on the Via
Ardeatina, on the western side of the Via Appia, now at the junction
of a cross-road from S. Paul's to S. Sebastian's. It is a part of the
extensive catacomb of SS. Nereus and Achilleus, and was excavated
about 1860. The entrance to it is perhaps the most remarkable
feature, and throws considerable light on the plan of the catacombs
generally. It is either from a subterranean road, or from a foss-way
20 ft. below the level of the soil, which has been arched over in
the Middle Ages to bring the road to a level with the ground. The
entrance arch is of excellent brickwork of the second century, or
earlier. On each side of it is a porticus or porch, consisting of an
enclosed space arched over; that on the right hand for the conveni-
ence of funerals. On the left is a baptistery (?), or possibly a place
for washing the bodies, at the entrance to the catacomb in the
sand-pit road, with a well in it, and a font or stone vessel to hold
water supplied from the well, with the place for the pulley to draw
up water, and the brick pipe to carry it into the font (?) on the
other side of a wall. This catacomb is of five stories and of great
extent, and is so near to that of S. Calixtus on the Via Appia, as to
make it probable that they have been originally united by a corridor
or subterranean passage; but as neither of these has been fully ex-
cavated, this cannot at present be decided one way or the other. It
is also so near to S. Paul's on the other side, as to make it pro-
bable that it is the same that was sometimes called the catacomb
of S. Paul, or was connected with it. The subterranean road before
mentioned as probably passing from the Caffarella and the church
of S. Urbano, and the tomb of Prætextatus, and near to S. Sebas-
tian's, would have led to S. Paul's, and is probably part of the same
road that is here visible. This is, however, only a conjecture.
Flavia Domitilla was the name of the females of the family of the
Emperor Domitian; three generations of the same name are men-
tioned, and they are believed to have become Christians at a very
early period. Dion Cassius seems to support this belief, his account
being that "Domitian put to death several persons, and among them
Flavius Clemens the consul, although he was his nephew, and al-
t De Rossi considers this to have
been the habitation of a guard for the
cemetery, a sort of porter's lodge, and
it has a good deal of that appearance.
VI.]
though he had Flavia Domitilla for his wife, who was also a relation
of the Emperor. The charge of atheism was brought against them
both, on which charge many others had been condemned; and
for going after the manners and customs of the Jews some of them
were put to death; others had their goods confiscated, but Domi-
tilla was only banished to Pandetterra", an island in the gulf of
Gaeta, now called Santa Maria." Eusebius mentions the same
facts, but calls the island Pontia. Some accounts make the
younger Domitilla to have been also banished as well as her
aunt, and make her the person mentioned by Eusebius, who gives
the name of Bruttius for his authority; this name has been found
in the catacomb. S. Jerome mentions the island as a place of
pilgrimage in his time. Inscriptions have been found which prove
that the ground in which the catacomb is situated was the property
of Flavia Domitilla. The farm is now called Tor Marancia, after
a medieval tower, as usual in the Campagna of Rome.
One of the inscriptions relates to a family tomb, and gives the
dimensions of the ground belonging to it, granted by Flavia Domi-
tilla:-35 ft. in front, and 40 ft. in the field, (which is quite sufficient.
to begin a catacomb).
Via Ardeatina.-S. Domitilla.
The
The earliest dated inscription from the catacomb of S. Domitilla
is of A.D. 277, on a gravestone, with the names of the Consuls.
inscription of Damasus is preserved in the Einsiedlen manuscript
[71]. Other inscriptions found in the catacomb are of Bruttius
Crispena, and of the Gens Bruttii, and the historian mentioned by
Eusebius is supposed to have been a member of this family.
SS. Petronilla, Flavia Domitilla, Nereus and Achilleus, are also
said to have been buried here in separate chapels, or cubicula,
and part of the catacomb is now called by the last two names.
There are several painted cubicula here, some of which appear to
be of the second or third century; but they are for the most part in
a very decayed or mutilated state. One representing the four seasons
is better preserved than most of the others, and is very curious.
u Dion Cassius, Hist., lib. lxvii. c. 13.
Hieronymi epist. ad Eustochium, 86.
V
* Ex indulgentia Flavia Domitillæ,
neptis Vespasiani. Quintilianus hanc
memorat in proem., lib. iv. Instit. Orat.
"Cum mihi Domitianus Augustus so-
roris suæ nepotum delegaverit curam,"
hoc est filiorum Flavia Domitillæ, so-
roris Domitiani.
71
FLAVIA DOMITILLA. FILIA. FLAVIE
DOMITILLE
IMP. CÆSARIS [VESPASI]ANI. NEPTIS .
FECIT. GLYCERA. I. ET
LIBERTIS. LIBERTABVSQVE. EORVM.
CVRANTE
T. FLAVIO. ONESIMO CONIVGI
BENEMERENT.
•
•
(Gruter, Inscriptiones Antiquæ, p.
CCXLV. No. 5.)
on this
y His own catacomb was
road; see our Chronological Table,
A.D. 367.
72
[SECT. VI.
Catacombs.-S. Domitilla.
Spring and Summer are represented as female figures with wings, so
small as to look almost like butterflies' wings attached to their
shoulders, and each with an attendant genius. There is nothing.
that appears to be specially Christian in the painting of this
chamber. Other chambers contain the usual Scripture subjects,
such as the Good Shepherd, Moses, Daniel, Jonah, Adam and Eve.
Several of these are of later date. One, probably of the sixth cen-
tury, has the portrait of a young man in a medallion; he is in
a costume resembling that of a cardinal, and is supported by two
Apostles, one on either side, no doubt SS. Peter and Paul.
This catacomb is perhaps on the whole the finest and the best-
preserved of all in their present state. It was restored by John I.,
A.D. 523, as mentioned in our Chronological Table, and many of
the paintings are of that period.
The catacomb of S. Nicomedes, built by Boniface V., A.D. 619, is
mentioned by Panvinius as at the seventh mile on the Via Ardeatina.
2 The catacomb of Nereus and Achil-
leus is described by Panvinius as
'in
prædio S. Domitillæ, in crypta Harena-
ria (Arenaria), lapide ab urbe secundo,
restitutum a Papa Joanne." See also
Our Chronological Table, A.D. 523 and
705. SS. Marcus and Marcellinus, in the
same road, was also restored by John VII.
VIA APPIA.
"The eleventh is called the Appian gate and way. There lie S. Sebastian and
Quirinus, and originally the bodies of the Apostles rested there. A little nearer
Rome are the martyrs Januarius, Urbanus, Zeno, Quirinus, Agapetus, Felicis-
simus; and in another church, Tyburtius, Valerianus, Maximus. Not far distant
is the church of the martyr Cecilia, and there are buried Stephanus, Sixtus, Zeffe-
rinus, Eusebius, Melchiades, Marcellus, Eutychianus, Dionysius, Antheros, Ponci-
anus, Pope Lucius, Optacius, Julianus, Calocerus, Parthenius, Tharsicius, Polita-
nus, martyr. There, too, is the church and body of S. Cornelius, and in another
church, S. Sotheris. And not far off rest the martyrs Hyppolitus, Adrianus, Euse-
bius, Maria, Martha, Paulina, Valeria, Marcellus; and near, Pope Marcus in his
church. Between the Appian and Ostiensian way, is the Ardeatine way, where
are S. Marcus and Marcellianus. And there lies Pope Damasus in his church,
and near him S. Petronilla, and Nereus and Achilleus and many more."
THIS great high road to the south was celebrated for the number
of martyrs who were executed upon it, and buried in the catacombs
on either side of it. According to Bosio and Aringhi, four thou-
sand (?) were executed under Hadrian, A.D. 119, on this road alone,
amongst whom were Marcellus, the priest, and Decoratus, the
deacon, whose bodies were burnt; their day is kept on the 7th of
October, and the legend is given in the acts of S. Sophia. This
legend appears very improbable, and not consistent with the mild.
character of Hadrian, as given by his biographer: there was no per-
secution of the Christians in his time; on the contrary, he gave per-
fect toleration, and even favoured them, and ordered temples to be
built in every city of the Empire without images, in order that the
Christians might worship in them, as stated by Lampridius .
The next martyrs said to have been executed on this road are
Lucilla the virgin, and her father, Nemesius the deacon, who were
beheaded in front of the Temple of Mars, between the Via Appia
and the Via Latina, where there was a place of public execution.
Their bodies are said to have been first buried by S. Stephen on the
Via Latina, A.D. 257, and then translated into the cemetery of Calix-
tus by Sistus, Sustus, or Xystus II., A.D. 258.
We have, next, mention of thirty Christian soldiers and athletes
executed in the tenth persecution, under Diocletian, A.D. 284; then
of the virgins Felicula and Petronilla, whose bodies were interred by
* Will. Malmesb., ed. Hardy, vol. ii.
P. 425.
b Aringhi, Roma Subterranea novis-
sima, lib. ii. c. 19.
C
Lampridius, Alexander Severus,
See above, p. 23.
c. 45.
74
Catacombs.-S. Sebastian.
[SECT.
SS. Nereus and Achilleus, themselves afterwards martyrs; this is re-
corded in their Acta. Then, under Julian the Apostate, Sempronius
and Aurelianus, with several other soldiers, were beheaded, and
their bodies interred by the faithful in a certain square crypt (in
crypta quadrata) near the Catacombs. This square crypt is also
mentioned in the Acta of S. Urban; it is there likewise called
a cave (antrum quadratum).
S. SEBASTIAN ©.
The church of S. Sebastian stands in the centre of the district
called "The Catacombs," and near the Circus of Maxentius and the
tomb of his son Romulus, which are described as in "The Cata-
combs." It is quite possible that it was the original entrance to
all those in that district.
For this reason S. Sebastian's was long considered to have been
THE CATACOMB par éminence, the earliest of the Catacombs, and
was confused with the ancient cemetery of Calixtus, made by Ca-
lixtus I., A.D. 219, as recorded by Anastasius. Calixtus was himself
buried in the cemetery of Calepodius, three miles from Rome, on
the Via Aurelia, (where the church of S. Pancratius was afterwards.
erected), probably because his new burial-vault or chapel in this
cemetery was only begun and not ready for use at the time of his
death. The recent investigations of Signor de Rossi h have also
shewn that the catacomb of S. Calixtus is distinct from that of
S. Sebastian, and about a quarter of a mile nearer to Rome, occu-
pying another hillock. It is, however, probable that this catacomb,
although now divided into two, was originally connected, and that
a Bolland. Acta Sanctorum Maii, die
25, tom. v. p. 471–488.
e See the church of S. Sebastian in
the Section on "Churches connected
with the Catacombs."
f The word "Catacomb" may origi-
ginally have meant a hollow or valley,
or perhaps the particular valley in which
the Circus of Maxentius was made. It
might not have had originally anything
specially to do with a burial - place.
This agrees with the words of the
Catalogue of Roman Emperors pub-
lished by Jo. Georg. Eccard, "Max-
entius... Termas in Palatio fecit, et
Circum in Catecumpas." Corp. hist.
Med. Ævi, &c. Lipsiæ, 1723, folio,
vol. i. p. 31, col. 2.
The cemetery or catacomb of S.
Sebastian was restored by Pascal I.,
A.D. 772.
See de Rossi's Roma Sotterranca
Cristiana, folio, Roma, 1864—68, and
his Bullettino di Archeologia Cristiana,
4to., Roma, 1863-1870.
See also the great French work of
Perret, in which the plates are rather
theatrical for the English taste, being
too highly coloured; but in many in-
stances the outlines were traced from
the originals: the pencil lines over some
of the figures to strengthen the outlines,
made by the French artists, may be seen
in the Catacombs. A list of the sub-
jects engraved in these works will be
found in our Appendix.
VI.]
Via Appia.-S. Sebastian.
the entrance was at S. Sebastian's; but there must have been a cata-
comb here before the time of Calixtus, as Bishop Anacletus, A.D.
175, was buried at S. Sebastian's. According to the legend, the
bodies of SS. Peter and Paul the Apostles were deposited for
a time in the chapel at the entrance to this catacomb, called the
Platonia, because the walls were covered with marble plates. The
inscription of Damasus shews that this legend was believed in the
fourth century.
i
The present appearance of the catacomb of S. Sebastian, like most
of the others, is lamentable and desolate in the extreme; stripped of
every tombstone and of everything possessing the slightest interest, it
now consists only of a number of narrow passages cut out of the sand-
stone rock, with long narrow holes in the walls on each side, just
large enough to have served originally for bodies, but with nothing to
indicate that they had ever been applied to that use. A chapel said to
have contained the tombs of Popes is there, but with no sort of evidence
that such was its purpose. The visitor is obliged to put implicit faith in
the assurances of the guide that such and such a hole formerly
contained the tomb of such and such a pope, or saint, or martyr,
or all three combined. The indications of the tombs of martyrs
seem extremely doubtful and unsatisfactory, as every tomb has
been rifled alike. Whether its occupant was pope, bishop, saint, or
martyr, there is nothing whatever now to indicate; it must all be
taken on trust as an article of faith, and a very unnecessary trial
of faith. That all the persons buried here were saints or martyrs,
is a gratuitous assumption; that the relics of all the persons buried.
in a public cemetery for centuries worked miracles, is incredible;
and this too great claim upon faith does in effect only shake it, and
make stronger evidence necessary for belief. The popular story that
the bodies of 174,000 martyrs were found in this catacomb, throws
doubt upon the whole.
75
The following places of pilgrimage on this road are recorded.
in the Einsiedlen manuscript of the eighth century: Soter, Xystus,
Urbanus, Marcellianus and Marcus, Januarius, and the church
There are two inscriptions of Da-
masus from this catacomb, one of
which is given in the Einsiedlen manu-
script, and will be found in our Ap-
pendix, beginning "Hic habitare prius;"
the other is given by Gruter, p. MCLXXI.
No. 3-
SANCTORUM QUICUMQUE LEGIS VE-
NERARE SEPULCRUM,
M
NOMINA NEC NUMERUM POTUIT RE-
TINERE VETUSTAS.
ORNAVIT DAMASUS TUMULUM COG-
NOSCITE RECTOR,
PRO REDITU CLERI CHRISTO PRÆ-
STANTE TRIUMPHANS,
MARTYRIBUS SANCTIS REDDIT SUA
VOTA SACERDOS.
76
Catacombs.-S. Prætextatus.
[SECT.
where S. Xystus was beheaded, Sebastian. The inscription of Dama-
sus from this catacomb is preserved in that Chronicle *.
PRÆTEXTATUS, SOMETIMES CALLED S. URBAN’S.
According to the Bollandists', S. Calixtus was bishop five years
and two months, in the time of Macrinus and Heliogabalus, A.D. 218
to 222. S. Urban succeeded to him from 222 to 230; he was be-
headed on the 25th of May on the Via Appia, according to the
Martyrology of Bede. Many martyrs were executed on the Via No-
mentana in the persecution of Alexander, in the time of S. Urban,
and were buried in the cemetery of Prætextatus on the Via Appia.
S. Urban resided on the Via Appia near the catacombs of the mar-
tyrs, where a church was afterwards dedicated m in his honour, on the
side of a certain hill, near the fountain commonly called Caffarella.
On this road was also the house of Carpasius Vicarius, who had
ordered the execution of Urbanus and his companions near the
palace of Vespasian. Marmenia, the wife of Carpasius, was moved
by their sufferings and fortitude, and became converted to the faith.
She translated the bodies of S. Urban and his companions to her
own house; afterwards she herself was a martyr, with her daughter
Lucina; and twenty-two servants were added to the number of con-
The following inscription is in the
church of S. Sebastian, and is printed
in Aringhi, lib. iii. c. 11, § 20:-
HOC EST COEMETERIVM CALLISTI
PAPÆ ET MARTYRIS
INCLYTI. QVICVNQVE ILLVD
CONTRITVS ET CONFESSVS
INGRESSVS FVERIT, PLENAM
-REMISSIONEM OMNIVM PECCATORVM
SVORVM OBTINEBIT,
PER MERITA GLORIOSA CENTVM
SEPTVAGINTA QVATVOR MILLIVM
SANCTORVM MARTYRVM,
VNA CVM QVADRAGINTA SEX
SVMMIS PONTIFICIBVS,
QVORVM IBI CORPORA IN PACE
SEPVLTA SVNT,
QVI OMNES EX MAGNA TRIBVLATIONE
VENERVNT, ET VT HÆREDES
FIERENT IN DOMO DOMINI,
MORTIS SVPPLICIVM PRO CHRISTI
NOMINE PERTVLERVNT.
1 "De Sanctis Martyribus Romanis,
URBANO ROMANO PONTIFICE, Mami-
liano, Joanne, Chromatio, Dionysio,
Presh. Martiale, Eunuchio, Luciano,
Diaconis, Anolino Commentariensi,
Marmenia, matrona; Lucinia, virgine,
ejus filia; Aliis xxii, item xlii, item
quinque millibus; et Savino in carcere
extincto. ITEM ALIO SANCTO URBANO,
Roma Catalaunum in Gallias translato.
Commentarius prævius. § I. Varia
acta martyrii: aliqua hic edita, reliqua
omissa. Actorum Appendix. Anno ccxxx.
Quamplurima extant in pervetustis co-
dicibus MSS. Acta martyrii S. Urbani
Papæ quibus inseruntur præclara cer-
tamina aliorum athletarum, in titulo
præfixo nominatorum. Antonius Bosius
asserit se illa reperisse in tribus
antiquis egregiis manuscriptis exempla-
ribus bibliothecæ Vaticanæ . . . ea fu-
isse per Notarios Ecclesiæ Romanæ
conscripta." (Acta Sanctorum Maii,
die 25, tom. vi. p. 5.)
m This church was not built in his
honour, but dedicated only, and that
long afterwards.
It was an ancient
tomb of the first century. See the
Section on "Churches connected with
the Catacombs."
•
•
VI.]
Via Appia.-Prætextatus.
verts and martyrs, and their bodies were deposited in the same
vault.
77
The companions of S. Urban were four priests and their deacons,
the priests being Maximilianus, Joannes, Chromatius, and Dionysius;
the deacons were Martialis or Martimalis, Mutius or Eunuchius, and
Lucianus, who were all buried by Marmenia in a square cave
strongly built. Lucianus is also said to have been buried in the
cemetery of Prætextatus; S. Anolinus was the jailor, and was con-
verted by S. Urban during his captivity. According to the legend
of S. Cecilia, she told her husband Valerianus that if he would go
to the third mile on the Via Appia, he would see an angel of God
who would purify him. He there found S. Urban dwelling among
the sepulchres of the martyrs, surrounded by the poor; he was con-
verted and baptized, and afterwards brought his brother Tiburtius,
who was also baptized. S. Urban is said to have been seized in the
house of S. Cecilia by Almachius, the præfect, and put to death.
The catacomb of S. Prætextatus" is situated on a cross-road
from S. Sebastian's to S. Urban's, on the eastern side of the Via
Appia. This catacomb is also part of a very extensive series, and
has extended on both sides of the cross-road; there are entrances
through the cliffs on both sides of this subterranean road or foss-
way. There is great appearance of an original entrance to a cata-
comb through the building which is now the Church of S. Urban,
which must have been either that of Prætextatus, or one very
near to it, and probably connected with it by a sand-pit road.
The small chapel under the altar, called the confessio, is at a much
greater depth than a confessio usually is, and also has the ap-
pearance of having been originally one of the small chapels on
the staircase at a landing-place, similar to the one we have re-
maining at S. Sebastian on the staircase to the platonia, which
was the original entrance to the catacomb there alsoº. The
"A virgin martyr named Prætestata
was buried there A.D. 461. The in-
scription on her tomb is preserved in
the Lateran Museum, and was pub-
lished by Signor de Rossi in his Bullet-
tino, anno I, p. 74.
S. Prætextatus, bishop of Rome and
Martyr, is mentioned by Gregory of
Tours, writing about A. D. 580, and in
the Martyrologium. See also our Chro-
nological Table, a.D. 259.
Gregory of Tours mentions another
Prætextatus, Archbishop of Rouen under
Chilperic I. (A. D. 577). See D. Bou-
quet, Recueil des historiens des Gaules
et de la France, vol. ii. pp. 243-246,
&c. Prætextatus was a surname given
to a very clever boy of thẻ gens Pa-
piria. See Aul. Gell., Noct. Att., 1. i.
c. 23, and Macrob., Saturn., c. 6.
• But it is stated that excavations round
the church, made under the direction
of Signor de Rossi, have proved that
there is no communication from the
staircase to any catacomb, and that it
only descends to an ancient tomb. There
is, however, a sand-pit near this church,
with a subterranean road in the direc-
78
Catacombs.-Prætextatus.
[SECT.
painting in the small chapel or confessio is of the eighth century,
when this catacomb was restored for the pilgrims. It represents
Christ between two saints, S. Urban and S. Joannes. The paintings
on the two sides of the church or tomb (?) are also very much in
the style of some of those in the Catacombs, but not of the same
period as the one in the crypt before mentioned. These at the
two ends of the church have been restored, but the others have
Some say that this church was originally a Temple of Bac-
chus, on the authority of an altar found in it, and are of opinion that
it was one of the temples built by Hadrian without images, in order
that they might be used by the Christians, because there are no
niches for images; but the architectural character of the con-
struction is earlier than the time of Hadrian, and it seems more
probable that it was a hypogeum or sepulchre of some great family
of the first century.
not.
The present entrance to this catacomb is through a sand-pit, and
the covered road may have been originally a sand-pit road; but the
highly-finished brickwork on each side does not make this probable.
The two ends being both filled up with earth, nothing certain can
be ascertained at present (1869).
There are many instances of small Catacombs as family burying-
places under a tomb, or to which the entrance is through one,
as on the Via Latina in two or more instances. A tomb recently
excavated at Cento-Celle, and remaining open, approaches close to
this combination. In one of the large sepulchres full of columbaria,
on the Via Appia near the Porta di S. Sebastiano, there is a passage
leading to a catacomb, as if this tomb continued in use after the
fashion had changed, and the bodies were interred whole instead
of the burnt ashes only. In many instances these two modes of in-
terment have evidently been carried on simultaneously, and both
are provided for in the same burial-place.
The family or gens of Pretextatus P is said to have been one of the
tion of the catacomb of Prætextatus,
which extends to some distance, and
is then closed by a modern brick wall,
near to which are some loculi cut in the
rock on the sides of the road. This
was probably one of the entrances to
the great Catacomb.
This family is also said to have
had many magistrates among its mem-
bers, as we find in Macrobius's Sa-
turnalia: "Saturnalibus apud Vectium
Prætextatum Romanæ nobilitatis proce-
res doctique alii congregantur. . . . (Lib.
i. cap. 1.) Cum Servius ista dissereret,
Prætextatus Avienum Eustathio insussu-
rantem videns," &c. (Ibid., lib. vi. c. 7.)
There are also said to have been several
martyrs of this family, one in the time of
Anacletus, A.D. 78, the brother of the
Virgin Lucina, mentioned in the Acts
of S. Sophia. Another, the father of S.
Anastasia, is mentioned in the Martyr.
vi.]
Via Appia.-Prætextatus.
great and illustrious families of Rome in the time of the early Em-
perors, and is supposed to have become Christian at an early period.
Their catacomb or cemetery is repeatedly mentioned as the burial-
place of many martyrs. It is described by Onuphrius Panvinius as
to the left of the Via Appia, which agrees with the one here de-
scribed; but Bosio and Aringhi consider it the same as that of
S. Calixtus, which is to the right of the high road. It has been con-
jectured that all the catacombs or cœmeteria on this road were
connected together by the subterranean sand-pit roads, and none of
these cemeteries are more than half-a-mile from the high-road.
According to Aringhi, the earliest martyr recorded to have been
buried in the cemetery of Prætextatus was Quirinus the Tribune, ex-
ecuted under Aurelian on the 3rd of April, A.D. 272, one day before
his daughter, Balbina. After them, on the 18th of May, SS. Tiburtius,
Valerianus, Maximus, and subsequently S. Urbanus underwent the
same fate. These are said to have been buried in the upper corridor
(in superiore cœnaculo), A.D. 223-230, and his attendant clerks, SS.
Joannes, Chromatius, Dionysius, Martialis, Eunuchus, Lucianus, to
have been buried at the same time in the lower corridors. At a later
period, on August 8, S. Systus or Sixtus II.', with his attendant dea-
ologium Romanum. Another, in the
time of Gordianus II., A. D. 238, is men-
tioned by Julius Capitolinus, by Am-
mianus Marcellinus (lib. xxvii. c. 9), and
Jerome (ep. ad Pammach. 61); and
there was a statue of him in Rome,
mentioned also by Macrobius, of which
the base is in the garden of the Villa
Mattei, on the Coelian.
Ludwig Iahn has devoted a long note
to Prætextatus and his family in his
edition of Macrobius's Works (Quedlin-
burg and Leipzig, 1848, 8vo.), Prolego-
mena, pp. xxii. -xxiv.
A sarcophagus of the date of A. D.
273 was found in this catacomb. accord-
ing to Signor de Rossi; it seems pro-
bable from the coincidence of the dates
that this was the one in which these
martyrs were interred.
T
'The accounts given of S. Sixtus or
Xystus are very unsatisfactory, and in
some points contradictory. There were
two early bishops of Rome of the same
name, both reckoned as saints and
martyrs. There is no contemporary
history of either, and in the legends re-
specting them, it is evident that the
two are confused together. Sixtus the
Second, who lived in the third century,
is considered as the more important
79
saint; he is commemorated in the Ro-
man Martyrology on the 6th of August,
and the Bollandists have collected all
the legends that are extant, but they do
not solve the mystery and confusion.
The only original authority respecting
him, is S. Cyprian, who says in one
of his letters that he was beheaded;
but Prudentius, in one of his hymns
(Peristeph. hymn. ii. v. 22), says that
he was crucified. Among the legends
one account says that he was
was be-
headed in the catacombs of S. Calix-
tus, and this is the one adopted in the
modern Roman Martyrology. Another
version is that he was beheaded in the
catacomb of Prætextatus, with the at-
tendant deacons and sub-deacons, Feli-
cissimus, Agapitus, and others, who were
buried in that catacomb, according to
the inscription put up by Pope Dama-
sus in the fourth century. If we refer
to the Martyrology of Ado, this execu-
tion took place under Decius and Vale-
rian, A.D. 257, but in the Greek Martyr-
ology S. Sixtus is said to have been put
to death with S. Hippolytus on the 10th
of August. Usuardus relates that he was
beheaded on the Via Appia, and Euno-
dius, in one of his hymns (sixth century),
says that S. Laurence built a church in
80
[SECT.
Catacombs.-Prætextatus.
1
cons and sub-deacons, Felicissimus, Agapitus, Januarius, Magnus,
Vincentius, and Stephanus, beheaded by Valerian, A.D. 259, are re-
corded by an inscription of Damasus to have been also buried here.
Another tombstone, with the date of A.D. 291, was discovered on
the same spot. The invocations to some of these saints found by
De Rossi scratched on the plaster round a grave, identify this cata-
comb as that of Prætextatus, and one of the numerous inscriptions
of Damasus relating to S. Systus, printed by Baronius and reprinted
by Aringhi, as in this catacomb, agrees with this.
This cemetery, or a part of it, was also called after S. Balbina.
S. Marcus, the bishop, A.D. 337, is recorded to have built a church
to her honour, and to have been buried in it himself; but the ex-
pression used in the Acta Martyrum agrees with his having rebuilt or
enlarged the burial-vault or chapel only as these are sometimes
called Basilica, they may also have been called Ecclesia. One of
the verse inscriptions of Damasus relates to S. Marcus. The dis-
covery of Signor de Rossi in this catacomb, that the arch of an arco-
solium over a stone coffin of the first century had been turned into
the entrance to a burial-vault or chapel in the fourth, seems to ex-
plain the difficulty: such a vault, with an altar in it, would very
probably be afterwards called a church (ecclesia). His remains are
said to have been found in the cemetery of Balbina, in the time of
Pope Hildebrand, or Gregory VII., A.D. 1080, and translated to the
church of S. Mark of Venice, near the Capitol.
8
Signor de Rossi considers the three catacombs of S. Calixtus,
Prætextatus, and S. Sebastian, as quite distinct from each other,
and that S. Sebastian's was the only one to which the name of cata-
comb was originally applied. Whether these cemeteries were ori-
ginally connected by sand-pit roads or not, may fairly be left an open
question, to be decided only by further excavation; that they are at
present distinct is evident. That of Prætextatus we have men-
tioned as on a cross-road, which leaves the Via Appia on the hill
after passing the small church or chapel of Domine quo vadis, and
his honour. The most probable account
seems to be that he was executed on the
usual place of public executions, in front
of the temple of Mars, between the Via
Appia and the Via Latina, and that the
church now called S. Sisto Vecchio was
built on the spot. He is mentioned
both by S. Jerome and by S. Augustine.
In the Mirabilia (thirteenth century),
he is said to have been "beheaded out-
side of the Porta Appia, near the ‘Do-
mine quo vadis,' where was the temple
of Mars, hollowed out in front of S. Ne-
reus." In another passage of the Mira-
bilia, the palace of the Senate, near
S. Sixtus, is mentioned. This could not
apply to the catacombs at a distance
from the city.
ទ
9 ET DAMASUS TUMULUM CUM RED-
DIT HONOREM
HIC MARCUS MARCI VITA FIDE NO-
MINE CONSORS
ET MERITIS.
(Gruter, Inscr. Ant., p. MCLXXIII.
No. 12.)
VI.]
Via Appia.-Prætextatus.
leads to the Via Appia Nova, passing by the end of the Circus
of Maxentius and the church of S. Urban; it runs for some dis-
tance between two vineyards; in that on the right are the Jews'
catacomb and remains of a series of Pagan tombs, shewing that
this cross-road is an old one. In the vineyard on the left are
many fragments of sculpture, chiefly Christian; this is popularly
called casa dei pupazzi. Here also are the ruins of a large cir-
cular tomb, and another of rectangular form. Near these ruins is
a very ancient staircase, descending to a Christian catacomb, and in
excavations under them, in 1848, a figure of S. Sixtus was found
painted in a cubiculum, with his name inscribed in Latin letters, svstvs,
from which it was called the Catacomb of S. Sixtus. In 1850, another
painted chamber of early character was discovered near the foot of the
stairs. Six years afterwards, the principal entrance was found with two
churches open above, and below these are extensive subterranean
passages and crypts. One of the churches is believed to have been
the burial-place of SS. Tiburtius, Valerianus, and Maximus, com-
panions of S. Cecilia; the other, that of S. Zeno. In the crypts below
were buried S. Januarius, S. Felicissimus, and Agapitus, deacons of
S. Sixtus; Urbanus, Bishop of Rome; Quirinus, the Tribune, and
other martyrs.
This is therefore considered by Signor de Rossi
as identified with the cemetery of S. Prætextatus and Januarius. It
is described by Boldetti, under the name of S. Urban, being very
near the church called S. Urbano alla Caffarella, and supposed also
to be the place where he was concealed during a time of persecution.
This is also said to be the catacomb in which S. Sixtus II. was be-
headed. According to the legend, he was performing mass, and the
executioner waited until he had finished. This would be in the chapel
at the entrance to the catacomb, and the large square chamber at the
entrance to this catacomb seems a probable spot for this scene to
have taken place; but the legends on this subject are rather contra-
dictory. Some accounts state that S. Sixtus was beheaded at the
usual place of public execution in front of the Temple of Mars, and
was only buried in this catacomb.
81
The principal entrance" to this catacomb from the sand-pit road
has a crypto-porticus, or a space arched over on each side for the
convenience of funerals, when it was an open road to a sand-pit, as
at S. Domitilla; but there is no baptistery here. This crypto-porticus
is apparently from the construction of the third century, not of
the first.
Anastas., 25; Aringhi, lib. ii. c. 9.
" There is a wood-engraving of this
entrance in Signor de Rossi's Bullettino,
Ꮐ
anno I, p. 20, 4to. 1863; and another of
this chamber, p. 3.
82
[SECT.
Catacombs.-Prætextatus.
Signor de Rossi found in this catacomb, in 1857, a fine lofty
square chamber not excavated, but built with a luminary at the top.
The vault is painted with leaves and flowers, and birds, of earlier
character than any painting hitherto found in the Catacombs, agree-
ing in character with Pagan art of the second century. The foli-
age of the vine spreads over the whole vault, and on one part is
a vigneron or grape-gardener, either cultivating the vine or gathering
grapes. All the paintings are very small, and very elegant, quite in
the style of the best classical period, but with nothing distinctly
Christian about them, although an allegorical meaning may be
attached to them, the little birds being considered to represent
souls, which is a customary allegory. On one side is a corn-field,
with five reapers, one cutting, another gathering up the sheaves,
a third with a rake, a fourth with a flail, and the fifth with a sheaf
upon his shoulders. On the back wall, under the arch of an arco-
solium, is a figure cut through in the middle by an aperture for a grave,
said to be a Good Shepherd, but very indistinct, with an inscription.
on the margin
REFRIGERI. IANVARIVS. AGATOPVS. FELICISSIMVS. MARTYRES.
This inscription in later characters, of the end of the fourth cen-
tury, shews the desire to bury some one near those martyrs, who are
thus addressed in the name of the defunct. This, therefore, identifies
the crypta quadrata in which these martyrs were interred. The desire
to be buried near the body of a martyr prevalent at that period, is
well known, and is expressed by S. Ambrose in his hymn on the
burial of his brother Satyrus, on the left of the martyr Victor V.
This celebrated square crypt is described by ancient authors as
built, not merely excavated, and ornamented with marble plates, and
under a building called the house of Marmenia, near the palace of
Vespasian. It is known that this name was given in the Middle
Ages to the buildings adjoining the Circus of Maxentius, originally
called after his son Romulus, and now miscalled of Caracalla. The
crypt re-discovered and excavated by Signor de Rossi is very near
to these ruins, between them and the church of S. Urbanus, scarcely
more than a hundred yards from either. The materials excavated
were chiefly ruins of some ancient building thrown in from above,
VRANIO SATYRO SUPREMUM FRATER
HONOREM
MARTYRIS AD LÆVAM DETULIT AM-
BROSIUS.
HÆC MERITI MERCES EST SACRI SAN-
GUINIS HUMOR,
FINITIMAS PENETRANS ABLUAT EX-
UVIAS,
،،
S. Augustine also concludes his book
De cura pro mortuis gerenda, with these
words: Quod vero quisque apud me-
morias martyrum sepelitur, hoc tantum
mihi videtur prodesse defuncto, ut com-
mendans eum etiam martyrum patro-
cinio, affectus pro illo supplicationis
augeatur."
83
VI.]
Via Appia.-Prætextatus.
down the luminary or well for air and light; these ruins were, with-
out doubt, those of the house of Marmenia, in which was probably
one of the burial-chapels usual at the entrances to the Catacombs.
The family to which this great villa belonged was evidently one
of considerable wealth and importance; it seems probable that the
whole of this ground belonged to them, and that this crypt was origi-
nally their family burying-place. They may have become Christians at
an early period; but it is remarkable that there is nothing distinctly
Christian in the early paintings on the vault, and the Good Shepherd,
the head of which De Rossi believes that he found upon the wall, is
not necessarily Christian. There are no original arco-solia nor loculi
in the walls of this square chamber; the interments were in stone
sarcophagi, three of which were found in it by De Rossi: this does
not agree with the legend that the square crypt was built by Mar-
menia to receive the remains of S. Urbanus, and that six other
martyrs were interred in the upper part above him.
There are several other painted cubicula and arco-solia in this
catacomb, but of much later character. In a chamber near to
the principal entrance, a few yards farther along the road, is a
marble sarcophagus of excellent sculpture, agreeing with the same
period; it is mutilated, but some of the figures are perfect and dis-
tinctly Pagan. Nearly opposite to this second chamber, a little
further along the road, is another cubiculum, the entrance arch of
which is of still earlier character, and of finer brickwork than the
rest, being entirely of the character of the time of Nero, so well
known from his palace and his arches. In the chamber to which
this arch opens, Signor de Rossi found another sarcophagus, which
he considers as clearly one of a Christian martyr of the first century ;
he believes that it was originally built into the wall under the arch,
that, at a subsequent period, the chamber was made behind this
arch, and the sarcophagus was moved and placed in an arco-solium
at the back of the chamber, in order that other persons might be
buried in the chamber near the martyr, which was considered a great
honour and privilege. This particular cubiculum was, therefore, not
a family burial-vault like those in S. Priscilla. At a short distance
along the road, on the same side as the principal entrance, is a door-
way with a pediment of the same period over it; this has been
mutilated and restored, but carefully, the original part preserved
and replaced, and no attempt made to copy: therefore this is pro-
perly preservation rather than restoration, and is very creditable to
Signor de Rossi, under whose direction it was done.
In the time of Gregory III., A.D. 740, it was called the ceme-
G 2
84
Catacombs.-Prætextatus.
[SECT.
tery of S. Januarius and S. Urbanus. Under Hadrian I., A.D.
772, it was named after S. Urbanus and S. Tiburtius, S. Marcus,
and S. Balbina; each of these was probably buried in a distinct vault
or cubiculum.
Marcus I., A.D. 336, built a church or chapel over that part of
this catacomb which contained the body of S. Balbina, which was
endowed with land by Constantine". This church was restored
A.D. 73¹ and 857.
Thi catacomb, in the larger sense of the word, has only been
partially excavated; it is now divided into several parts, and
called by different names, after different martyrs who have been
buried in it. The corridor where the Gnostic paintings are, the
entrance to which is on the other side from the Via Appia, near
the Jews' catacomb, is also said to have originally formed part
of it. It is described by Bosio, on the authority of Cencius, the
chamberlain, as situated between the Porta Appia and the church
of S. Apollinaris, and to have been connected with those of
S. Sixtus and S. Cæcilia. It is called in another document the
cemetery of S. Sixtus or S. Prætextatus, outside of the Porta Appia,
on the Via Appia.
One of the galleries or corridors is simply an old sand-pit still,
out of which the Pozzolana sand has been dug and carried. In this
corridor there are no graves; it is merely a passage leading to the
earliest part of the catacomb, which is probably of the first century.
After the first gallery or corridor was filled to the limits of the hill
or of the prædium (?), another was made below it. Probably it
would take a century or more to fill each one of these corridors ;
and when all the cemeteria or side-chapels were sold, even if they
were not filled, the owners of the ground would make another cor-
ridor at a lower level, and in this the paintings would be naturally,
and are in this instance, of a later period. In a rough way, as
has been said, it may be reckoned that each corridor took about
a century to be filled, or occupied, or for the ground to be sold.
In this catacomb there are five corridors, one under the other. The
upper one is an old sand-pit; then two corridors for graves with
side-chapels; then, singularly enough, another old sand-pit, without
graves, forming the fourth corridor, the entrance to which, at a lower
level, is a quarter of a mile off; then a fifth corridor, of graves and
W
w Anastasius, in c. xxxv. 49, says this
was in the Via Ardeatina, that is, in the
catacomb now called after Domitilla;
in c. xcii. 202, he calls it in the Via
Appia, this was in A.D. 731.
* Of that church no remains are
known to exist. May not this be the
church now called S. Urban's?
y Codex Vaticanus, apud De Rossi.
85
vi.]
Via Appia.-Prætextatus.
chapels. But some of the paintings in the lower corridor and its
chapels are of the eighth century; they are not painted on a fresh
coat of plaster over old paintings, but are original. Surely some of
these chapels for family burying-places are the cemeteria which Pope
Paschal says he made²; the frescoes being of his time, A.D. 772ª.
In some excavations made under the direction of Signor de Rossi
in 1870 in this catacomb, another long corridor was found by the
side of the entrance, with loculi and a large chapel with a well and
an arco-solium, and a sarcophagus with a graffito of the name of
LVCENTIVS, and the salutation-
LVCENTI VIVAS
In another cubiculum there is a bas-relief in marble of Daniel
and the lions.
Another catacomb on the Via Appia, which now has a separate
entrance, but which had a communication with that of Prætextatus,
is usually called the catacomb of the Gnostics; but is now said to
be that of another sect, that of Mithras.
The paintings clearly shew that it was not a Christian burying-
place. An account of it has been published by Father Marchi ‘,
who discovered it in 1826, and distinctly proved that they are.
Pagan (although they had been published by Bottari as Christian).
In his work on the remains of Early Christian Art, Marchi describes
other Pagan catacombs also: a small one which was found on the
Via Latina, at a mile and a-half from Rome, in 1851, by Dom. Fran-
cesco Virili, in his vineyard, and was shewn to Father Marchi, and
recognised by him as Pagan; another, on the Via Salaria Vecchia,
at a mile from the Porta Pinciana, which had been described by
Seroux d'Agincourt as Christian; at length a third and larger one
in the Monte d'Oro, between the Porta Latina and the Porta Appia,
within the walls of Rome, and near the Columbaria in the Vigna
Codini. In 1852, Father Garrucci also published at Naples his
Dissertation on the Tombs of the Worshippers of the Persian god
Mithras, and of the Bacchus Sabazius. Their paintings were also
described by Signor de Rossi in 1853°.
z See Anastasius in the Life of Pas-
chal I.
For a more full account of the paint-
ings in this catacomb, see the Appendix
to this chapter, in the abstract of Perret,
vol. i., plates 35 to 85.
B
b See "La Civiltà Cattolica," anno
1853, pp. 462, 464. C. "Monumenti
delle Arti Christiane primitive," and
"Tre sepolcri con pitture ed iscrizioni
appartenenti alle superstitione pagane
del Bacco Sabazio e del Perso dio
Mitra, scoperti in un braccio del cimi-
tero di Pretestato in Roma," &c. Na-
poli, 1852.
Bullettino di Correspondenza Arch-
cologica, 1853, pp. 87, 93.
"Les
Father Garrucci also published an ac-
count in French, with the title,
Mystères du Syncrétisme phrygien dans
les catacombes de Prétextat." 8vo.
Paris, 1852.
86
[SECT.
Catacombs.-Prætextatus.
In the first tomb, or arco-solium, on the left hand under the arch,
is the figure of a woman, called Vibia, snatched up by Pluto, who is
represented in a quadriga, guided by Mercury, who leads his victim
to the shades below. Over the picture is the inscription ABREPTIO
VIBIES ET DESCENSIO.
In the second picture under the arch, Pluto, called DISPATER,
with his companion, abracvra, is seated on an elevated tribunal to
judge the rest. On the right, under his feet, are three figures, two
women and one man, and over their heads is the inscription FATA
DIVINA; on the other side Mercury, MERCVRIVS NVNTIVS, guides to
the judgment VIBIA, followed by ALCESTIS.
On the lunette at the back are two pictures in the one, VIBIA,
introduced to the dinner of the happy regions, INDVCTIO VIBIes, led
by the hand by ANGELVS BONVS. And in the other picture is the
dinner, with six persons, Vibia in the centre. Over the heads of
these persons is written, BONORVM IVDICIO IVDICATIO.
In another picture are represented the seven priests of the god
Mithras, their heads covered with the Phrygian cap. Over one is the
name VINCENTIVS, and over the whole SEPTE SACERDOTES.
On the wall outside of the arch is another inscription, in an imper-
fect state; the deficiencies have been supplied by Father Garrucci :
VINCENTI HOC ostius QVETES, QVOT VIDES. PLVRES me antecesserunt,
OMNES, EXPECTO
MANOVCAVIBELVOEE BENI ATME. CVM VIBES. BENE PAC.
HỌC. TECVM FERES.
NVMINIS. ANTISTES. SABAZIS. VINCENTIVS.
SACRA SANCTA
DEVM MENTE PIA.
P. M.
Opposite to this monument is another, with pictures, but without
inscriptions. There are figures in military costumes, a woman with
a crown of laurel, a man with a beard, who holds up on high in his
right hand a lamb, killed, and points to five stars which shine in the
sky with a Venus Cœlestis. Lastly, on a third tomb, with an arch,
one fragment of another inscription :-
•
Hic est VI
M. AVR.
S.D.S. I. M.
QVI BASIA. VOLUPTATES, IOCVM ALVMNIS. SVIS. DEDIT.
VT LOCV
E ET NATIS SVIS
EN LOCVS. CARICI.
•
ColIT.
SOPROLES.
VI.]
Via Appia.- S. Calixtus.
87
S. CALIXTUS ª.
This is one of the earliest of the catacombs; it is mentioned at
a very early period as a burying-place then in use, not as being
then just made. Michele de Rossi, in the course of his investiga-
tions in this catacomb, found a brick staircase and some brick loculi,
evidently an alteration of and addition to the original catacombs,
and the stamps on these bricks were those of Marcus Aurelius,
A.D. 161–180. This staircase is in the lower part of the catacomb,
made for the purpose of enlarging it, and seems to shew that the
ground had been used as a cemetery in the first century. The
original part was probably made before there were any Christians to
be buried. Although the staircase is later, and the bricks used again,
they were probably found on the spot.
Calixtus is said to have been entrusted with the government of
the clergy, and set over the cemetery by Zephyrinus his predecessor,
before he became bishop or pope'. This expression, over the cemetery,
seems to prove that the whole of the catacombs were considered as
one cemetery, and that he had the general superintendence of the
burial of the Christians.
This is the catacomb usually exhibited to strangers and now used
for pilgrimages; its present state is very uninteresting to the archæ-
ologist. The upper part of it nearest to the entrance has been so
much restored that it has lost all archæological importance. The paint-
ings in this part have all been renewed, and thereby of necessity
have lost all historical value. This portion of the catacomb is
illuminated on certain occasions, and is employed to excite the
devotion of the faithful. A low mass is said at an altar fitted up
in the cemetery chapel of S. Cæcilia, on the anniversary of her
martyrdom, and this part of the catacomb on that occasion is illu-
minated with candles.
The other parts are in the usual state, stripped of nearly every in-
scription, and the graves empty. The earliest inscription from this
catacomb, of ascertained date, is of A.D. 268 or 279; it is dated by
d For a full account of this catacomb,
see the great work of Signor de Rossi,
Roma Sotterranea, in two folio volumes,
mentioned and referred to several times
in this chapter. See also our Chrono-
logical Table, A. D. 233.
De Rossi found both Pagan sar-
cophagi and Pagan inscriptions in this
catacomb, in excavations made under
his own eyes. (Roma Sotterranca, vol.
ii. pp. 169, 281, 290.)
Santi Bartoli, in his Memorie, (ap.
Fea, Miscellanea, p. 245), relates that
in his time, in some excavations made
in this catacomb, several tombs or sar-
cophagi were found, among them one
that was gilt (un sepolcro tutto messo
ad oro).
88
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Calixtus.
the names of the consuls, which would apply to either of these two
dates. One important inscription of Bishop Damasus is preserved,
and is valuable in many ways; it shews that the cemetery chapel,
in which it was found, was made in his time, and the slab of
marble on which it is engraved has a Pagan inscription on the
back of it, evidently proving that it was used merely as a slab
of marble, without reference to that inscription. It shews for what
purpose some of the Pagan inscriptions found in the Catacombs
may have been brought there. Some of the original paintings"
remain in the lower part of this catacomb that have not been
restored', and these are of the usual subjects: Daniel and the
two lions, Moses striking the rock, the raising of Lazarus, &c.
Some of these are probably of the fourth century, and some
much later. Three figures of Popes, with their names to them
8 Two small and very curious tomb-
stones, consisting of mosaic pictures said
to have been taken from this catacomb,
are now preserved in the sacristy of the
church of S. Maria in Trastevere. They
were for some centuries in the nave,
built into one of the piers; but dur-
ing the restorations made in 1868-76,
they were removed and built into the
wall of the sacristy. One represents a
landscape, with buildings in the style
of the third century, and a harbour or
a lake with a vessel, and fishermen drag-
ging in a great net, evidently intended
for the miraculous draught of fishes. This
is an extremely curious mosaic picture,
the probable date of which is the begin-
ning of the fourth century. The other
small mosaic represents birds of vari-
ous kinds, and is much earlier than the
view of the harbour, perhaps as early as
the first century. Possibly the birds
were intended to be symbolical of the
souls of the faithful. These are engraved
by Ciampini in his work on Mosaics.
Bosio gives, on eight plates, en-
gravings of a number of vases and lamps
found in this catacomb, several views of
cubicula, and upwards of seventy paint-
ings. The same subjects have been re-
peated by Perret and Signor de Rossi.
(See Appendix.)
There are still persons, both in Eng-
land and on the Continent, who re-
commend and practise the restorations
of ancient buildings, paintings, and
sculptures. It is evident that a work
which has been restored becomes the
work of the hands that restored it.
However good the copy may be, it
is a copy still, and can never be the
same thing as the original. Archæ-
ologists require to see the works of
each generation of man, and learn to
distinguish one from the other by ex-
perience and careful observation. It
has long been very positively asserted by
persons supposed to be well informed
on the subject, that a great part of the
fresco paintings in this catacomb are
modern restorations. But those who
had the direction of the work for
the Pope, and who must know the
truth, assert positively that this was not
the case, that the paintings have not
been restored in their time, nor in that
of their predecessor, Padre Marchi; they
are not modern imitations, but are left
as they were found. That several of
them are works of the ninth century is
extremely probable, almost certain;
they are probably part of the numerous
restorations of the Popes after the siege
by the Lombards, when the catacombs
were so much damaged intentionally,
but there is no reason to suppose that
there is any pious fraud in this case. It
is singular that the figure of S. Cyprian,
an African bishop and martyr, is given
with others as if he had been buried
here, which is extremely improbable.
He was a friend and correspondent of
one of the bishops of Rome, who was
also a martyr, and this has probably led
to the mistake. On the subject of the
restoration of these paintings, see Mr.
St. John Tyrwhitt's Essay in the Appen-
dix to the Chapter on Tombs in this
work. The Tombs and the Catacombs
should always be taken together; every
catacomb was a tomb, though all tombs
had not catacombs under them.
VI.]
Via Appia.-S. Calixtus.
k
written vertically instead of horizontally, Cornelius, Sixtus, Marcus,
are part of the restorations of Leo III., A.D. 855; the character of
the drawing and painting, and of the inscription, agrees perfectly
with the mosaic pictures of the eighth and ninth centuries, in the
churches of S. Mark, A.D. 828, S. Maria in Domnica, S. Prassede,
and S. Cæcilia, all of which are dated examples of the ninth century.
According to the legends, the chapel in which S. Stephen was
beheaded by order of the Emperor Valerian was in the catacomb of
S. Calixtus if so, his seat must have been a moveable piece of fur-
niture, not cut out of the rock. The catacomb in which he had
preached, and baptized so many persons, must have been that on the
Via Ardeatina, where the well and the font may still be seen in
the sand-pit road, by the side of the entrance to the Catacombs.
There is another well, with steps down into it, for baptism by im-
mersion, in the catacomb of S. Pontianus, on the other side of the
Tiber, with a painting of the baptism of Christ over it; but that
painting is of the eighth century, made for the pilgrims, and is no
evidence that it was in use at this period, while the one on the Via
Ardeatina is of early date. The remains of this seat are said to have
been translated by Paul I., A.D. 757-768, along with those of S. Sil-
vester, to the new church of S. Silvestro in capite, Via Lata, in the
Campus Martius, which he had just built at the foot of the Pin-
cian Hill, and are said on an inscription there of 1596, when
Clement VII. restored the church, to have been still deposited under
the high altar. But the church of S. Martin and Silvester on the
Esquiline also lays claim to them.
This catacomb was sometimes called after S. Lucina, S. Zephyrinus,
S. Hippolytus, S. Xistus or Sixtus, S. Cæcilia, S. Soter, all of whom
are said to have been buried here in their different cubicula.
89
Part of the present cemetery of S. Calixtus was at one period
separate from it, and was called "the Crypt of Lucina near to the
cemetery of Calixtus." De Rossi has shewn by an inscription, that
this was the tomb of the Gens Cæcilia, with their family catacomb
under it. The frontage to the road was 100 ft., and the sides in the
field were 230 ft. There are ruins of the tomb, which he thinks was
probably Christian, and he cites Tertullian as evidence that the
Christians had tombs and mausoleums from the first'. The great apo-
logist here quotes Isaiah, (chap. xxvi. ver. 20,) "Come, my people,
enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide
See the Church of S. Stephen in
Section II. of this Chapter.
1 "... et quæ enim ab ira Dei cellari-
orum nos refugia servabunt?... Nam et
de cellariis non aliud effertur, quam quod
infertur ; et post Antichristi eradicatio-
nem agitabitur resurrectio." (Tertulliani
Liber de Resurrectione carnis, c. 27.)
90
Catacombs.-S. Calixtus.
[SECT.
thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over-
past." Tertullian applies this text to the cellars or crypts provided
for depositing the bodies, and he mentions also the embalming of the
bodies as a custom of his time m, the beginning of the third century.
Various inscriptions of the Gens Cæcilia have been found in this crypt,
and De Rossi says they were all Christian, although a distinctly Pagan
sarcophagus, which is engraved in his work, and copied by Dr. North-
cote (p. 232), was found in this crypt. The crypt of Saint Cecilia
is distinct from this, and adjoins the crypt of the Pope. The crypt
of S. Cornelius, re-discovered by Signor de Rossi, is also now part
of this great cemetery; it is between that of Lucina and that of
Calixtus. Fragments of two inscriptions were found here, which
are put together with much ingenuity, and shew that a staircase to
this crypt had been begun by Damasus when in his last illness, and
finished by his successor Siricius". The painting of S. Cornelius,
found at the same time, is part of the restoration of Leo III.
The crypt of S. Soter now also forms part of the catacomb of
S. Calixtus. She was buried in her own cemetery, cœmeterio suo (evi-
dently a burial-vault in this instance), A.D. 304, and the Itineraries.
mention a separate church (or chapel) erected in her honour in the
neighbourhood of S. Calixtus, yet distinct from it. The two ceme-
teries or crypts were distinct; but there was a passage from one to
the other, probably from the beginning. This crypt has not yet.
been fully excavated.
The cemetery or crypt of S. Balbina is in the same immediate
neighbourhood; it is placed by some of the Itineraries in the Via
Appia, by others on the Via Ardeatina; it is really between the two
roads, and was probably always connected with the others by the
subterranean roads.
S. Soter and S. Zephyrinus are reckoned by Panvinius as distinct
m
"Proinde enim et corpora medicata
condimentis sepultura mausoleis et mon-
#
umentis sequestrantur, processura inde
cum jusserit dominus.
""
"ASPICE, DESCENSU EXSTRUCTO TENEBRISQUE FUGATIS
CORNELI MONUMENTA VIDES TUMULUMque sacrATUM.
HOC OPUS ÆGROTI DAMASI PRÆSTANTIA FECIT,
ESSET UT ACCESSUS melior, POPULISQUE PARÁTUM
AUXILIUM SANCTI, ET VALEAS SI Fundere PURO
CORDE PRECES, DAMASUS MELIOR CONSURGERE POSSET,
QUEM NON LUCIS AMOR, TENUIT MAGE CURA LABORIS.
""
"Behold! a way down has been constructed, and the darkness dispelled; you
see the monuments of Cornelius, and his sacred tomb. This work the zeal of
Damasus has accomplished, sick as he is, in order that the approach might be
better, and the aid of the saint might be made convenient for the people; and that,
if you will pour forth your prayers from a pure heart, Damasus may rise up in
better health, though it has not been love of life, but care for work, that has kept
him [here below].'
""
VI.]
catacombs on the Via Appia; they are now considered part of
S. Calixtus.
Via Latina.-S. Calixtus.
91
VIA LATINA.
"The eighth is the gate of S. John, which by the ancients was called As-
senaria.
"The ninth gate is called Metrosa; and in front of both these runs the Latin
Way.
"The tenth is called the Latin gate and way. Near this, in one church, lie the
martyrs Gordianus and Epimachus, Sulpicius, Servilianus, Quintinus, Quartus,
Sophia, Triphenus. Near this, too, in another spot, Tertullinus, and not far dis-
tant, the church of S. Eugenia, in which she lies, and her mother Claudia, and
pope Stephen, with nineteen of his clergy, and Nemesius the deacon P."
These three roads meet, and become the Via Latina; this road
crosses the Via Appia Nova, and runs on the eastern side of the
Via Appia Antiqua, and not distant from it for the first mile or two
from Rome.
Fabretti, in his work on Inscriptions (c. viii.), mentions the dis-
covery of catacombs on the Via Latina, one of which he considers
to be that of Tertullinus, and gives a plan of it.
On the Via Appia Nova, at the fourth mile from Rome, the
Cavaliere Guidi found a Christian tomb, with a fine sarcophagus, on
which was a sculpture of Jonah cast into the sea; and in a coffin the
remains of a body wrapped in a dress of cloth of gold, and on the
mouth was a coin of Julian the Apostate. The sarcophagus he pre-
sented to the Lateran Museum.
The catacombs on the Via Latina can hardly be separated from
those on the Via Appia.
• For a detailed catalogue of the sub-
jects of the paintings in this catacomb,
see the Appendix to this chapter;
Bosio; Perret, plates 15 to 34; and
De Rossi.
P William of Malmesbury, p. 423.
VII. CATACOMBS ON THE VIA LABICANA.
"The seventh is called, at present, the Greater gate (Porta Maggiore), for-
merly the Sircurina (Esquilina ?); and the way the Lavicanian, which leads to
S. Helena. Near this are Peter, Marcellinus, Tyburtinus, Geminus, Gorgonius,
and the forty soldiers, and others without number; and a little farther the Four
Coronati "."
SS. PETER AND MARCELLINUS.
THE Mausoleum of S. Helena was built by herself, at the en-
trance to this catacomb, and was intended to be not only her own
burial-place, but the burial-chapel for the Catacombs. She died
in Palestine in her eightieth year, and her sarcophagus must have
been prepared for her by herself, or her daughter in her lifetime.
There is not the least probability that Constantine, who never resided
at Rome, would have gone to all this expense merely for a memorial
tomb, to which he did not send the body of his mother.
The principal entrance to the catacomb was by this chapel, pass-
ing through the sacristy, and then descending by forty steps to the
level of the first corridor. Over the entrance from the sacristy
is an inscription, recording that these steps were repaired by
Cardinal N. Corsini in 1769. Within is one of the effigies in
honour of the two martyrs after whom the catacomb is named.
This is placed in a chapel on the left-hand, rebuilt in 1779, but
shewing that there was a chapel at the entrance of the catacomb
before the time of S. Helena. A number of inscriptions found in
this catacomb have been preserved in various places, and printed
by Gruter and others; some are let into the wall at the en-
trance to the Mausoleum. From this it is evident that this was
The forty soldiers suffered martyr-
dom under Licinius, at Sebastia, in
Armenia.
* So called, because for a long time
after they had suffered martyrdom (mar-
tyrio coronali), their names were un-
known; and though afterwards their
real names were revealed to a certain
priest, yet they still continued to retain
their former designation. See Sharpe's
William of Malmesbury, p. 422.
* "... Augustus Constantinus fecit.
basilicam beatissimis martyribus Marcel-
lino presbytero et Petro exorcistæ inter
Duas Lauros, et mausoleum, ubi beatis-
sima mater ipsius sepulta est Helena Au-
S
>>
gusta, in sarcophago porphyretico, Via
Lavicana, milliario ab urbe Roma tertio.
In quo loco . . . posuit dona voti sui,
&c. (Anastasius Biblioth. in vita S. Sil-
vestri, xxxiv. 44.)
t
"Her body was honoured with
special tokens of respect, being escorted
in its way to the imperial city by a vast
train of guards, and there deposited in
a royal tomb.” (Eusebius, Life of Con-
stantine, iii. 47.) The imperial city in
the time of Constantine was Constan-
tinople if the body had been sent to
Rome, it would have been sent by sea;
and this tomb is not in the city, but
three miles from it.
SECT. VII.] Via Labicana.-SS. Peter and Marcellinus. 93
the burial-place of the foreign legion of the guard of the Emperors,
which they always had in their character of Pontifex Maximus,
a custom continued by the Popes to our own day".
This catacomb was formerly called after S. Helena, as it is in fact
the family burying-place under her tomb, and the entrance to it was
as usual through the tomb itself, as we have said. In it is a chapel
with an altar cut out of the tufa rock, the flat roof supported by four
detached columns, and at the opposite end an arm-chair cut out of
the rock, of which an engraving is given by Boldetti, and by Perret".
S. Gorgonius, S. Tiburtius, and S. Castulus, are also said to have
been buried in this catacomb.
It is very extensive, and four stories deep; being made in
a harder stone than usual, the corridors are more narrow. Some
of the original work is probably as early as the third century, but
nothing of that period of any definite character remains visible.
A tombstone dated A.D. 292, and another of A.D. 307, were found
in it. It has been much repaired and restored in the seventh and
eighth centuries by Honorius I., A.D. 626, and again by Hadrian I.,
A.D. 772. There are several brick walls and arches of those periods,
some round-headed, others triangular. All the paintings are of those
periods, chiefly the latter; some of them are fine of their kind and
well-preserved, others are inferior and mutilated; the subjects are
the usual ones "
•
In the first chapel described by Bosio, the paintings are much
decayed; but enough remains to shew the style and the subjects.
They are very rude, the heads coarse and vulgar-looking, but very
expressive; the costumes are those of the seventh century.
Second painting: a chapel with painted vault and arco-solium;
" One of these inscriptions is as fol-
lows, and serves as an example of the
others. The person interred was evi-
dently a Pagan.
D. M.
T. AVREL. SVMMVS. EQ.
SING. AVG. CLAVDIO.
VIRVNO. NAT. NORIC.
VIX. ANN. XXVII. MIL.
ANN. VIII. P. ÆLIVS.
SEVERVS. HERES.
AMIC. OPTIM. F. C.
Diis Manibus. Titus Aurelius Summus
eques singularis Augusti Claudio Vi-
runo natus Noricus. Vixit annos xxvii.
militavit annos viii. Publicus Ælius
Severus, heres, amico optimo fieri cu-
ravit.
-
▾ S. John III. is said to have re-
mained and dwelt in the catacomb of
SS. Tiburtius and Valerianus, which is
part of that of SS. Peter and Marcelli-
nus, and to have consecrated bishops
there. The probable explanation of
this is that he dwelt in the great tomb
of S. Helena, at the entrance to this
catacomb, and consecrated in the chapel
there. A modern church has been made
in a small part of the tomb, which has
no longer any roof; but the tomb itself
was originally used as a chapel also.
Bosio gives a plan of this catacomb,
and views of fourteen cubicula and three
arco - solia and a hundred paintings,
mostly repetitions of the same subjects.
Several of these have been repeated in
the great work of Perret, and by others.
See Appendix.
94
[SECT.
Catacombs.-Via Labicana.
the paintings are much mutilated, but can be made out. Under
the arch is an agape, or the marriage-feast of Cana, with the urns
or water-vases; on the vault, in the centre, is the Good Shepherd,
with goats and other animals; on the sides, the history of Jonah,
and orantes draped in surplice and stole, as usual; two of these are
females, one with a crown on her head and flowing locks. In one
corner is a seat, built of brick, plastered over.
Third painting: a burial-chapel or cubiculum, the paintings well pre-
served, but late. The subjects are the usual ones, from the history of
Jonah. Under the arch an orante, with a veil, and two other figures
addressing her, one on either side, with trees between. On the rest
of the arch, Noah in the ark, Moses striking the rock, Adam and
Eve, birds, and festoons of flowers; the panels separated by broad
red borders. On the vault, in the centre, the Good Shepherd; on
the sides, four subjects from the life of Jonah, four orantes.
Fourth painting a chapel or cubiculum, with an air-shaft or lumi-
nare. On the vault, a large figure of Christ, with the A and 2.
Over the tomb, four figures, with the names of SS. Peter and Mar-
cellinus, Claudius, Tiburtius.
Fifth painting a small cubiculum or burial-chapel, the paintings
:
fairly preserved, the usual subjects. On the vault, in the centre, the
Good Shepherd; on the sides, four subjects from Jonah, four orantes,
one has the name HAIO over her. The lines separating the panels
are the usual broad red lines, and some of them are engrailed at the
edges. Under the arch is a Madonna with the Child, and two Magi
with offerings. On the wall, Moses striking the rock, Noah in the
ark, four orantes.
Fabretti, in his work on Inscriptions (c. viii.), mentions the finding
of a catacomb on the Via Labicana, which he considers to be that
of Castulus, and gives the inscription found there.
About half-a-mile farther down this road than the monastery of
S. Helena, is another catacomb called after her name. It was dis-
covered only a few years since, and there is said to be a subterranean
passage from this to the great catacomb of SS. Peter and Marcelli-
nus. One end of a passage or corridor going in that direction is
visible, but how far it extends has not been ascertained. This cata-
comb differs from many others in having fine mosaic pavements,
and a gradual descent into it, ornamented in the same manner,
instead of stairs. It has evidently been the burial-place of some
family of importance and wealth, and not of the poor, as so many of
* For an account of this catacomb
of S. Castulus at the first mile on the
road, see our Chronological Table, A.D.
300.
VII.]
Via Nomentana.- S. Agnes.
the others have been. It is situated in the garden of a gentleman's
villa, and this has probably been always the case.
The present
modern villa only replaces one of the time of the early Empire.
Many fragments of fine sculpture and terra-cotta ornaments found on
the spot are now built into the walls of the modern buildings. The
ground on which it was called after S. Helena seems rather doubtful;
but it was so considered by the antiquaries of the day at the time it
was found, and the Pope gave it that name in accordance with their
opinion. The style of the pavements and the ornaments agree with
the second century rather than the time of Constantine. There are
several patterns in the mosaic pavements, and all of them good.
The approach by an incline, instead of stairs, is a very unusual fea-
ture, believed to be unique in the Catacombs. Whatever sarcophagi,
or tombstones with inscriptions, may have been there, have been all
carried away.
VIA NOMENTANA.-S. AGNES.
"The fifth is called the Numentan gate. There lies S. Nicomede, priest and
martyr; the way too is called by the same name. Near the road are the church
and body of S. Agnes; in another church, S. Ermerenciana, and the martyrs
Alexander, Folix, Papias; at the seventh stone on this road, rests the holy Pope
Alexander, with Eventius and Theodolus "."
S. Agnes is one of the great saints of the Church and the special
patroness of purity. She suffered martyrdom at the age of thirteen,
in the beginning of the great persecution of Diocletian, about
A.D. 303, and is described by Prudentius, in his hymn upon her
passion, as a model of courage and purity. He mentions her tomb
as within sight of Rome, and in her own house, that is, under the
church erected in her honour. This catacomb is just beyond the
church of the same name, about two miles from Rome; the ori-
ginal entrance to it was through the church, which for that reason
is partly subterranean, having been originally a cemetery chapel.
The earliest dated tombstone found in it is A.D. 291. Part of
this catacomb was made by Constantia, the daughter of Constan-
tine; it is one of the finest of Rome: the galleries are higher
and wider, and the chapels have more architectural character than
most of the others. The present entrance has been broken through
in comparatively modern times; and there was another entrance
through an arenarium or sand-pit, which remains, and in this is
Z
95
y William of Malmesbury, p. 422.
Agnes sepulchrum est Romulea in
domo,
(6
Fortis puellæ, martyris inclytæ.
Conspectu in ipso condita turriun
Servat salutem Virgo Quiritium :
Necnon et ipsos protegit advenas,
Puro ac fideli pectore supplices," &c.
(Aurel. Prudentii Peristeph. hymu. xiv.
"Passio Agnetis Virginis," v. 1.)
96
Catacombs.-S. Agnes.
[SECT.
a square opening down to the upper gallery of the catacomb
below, evidently for hoisting up the sand excavated in the sand-
pit, and over it is a recess, above the line of the vault, for the
pulley to work in. There is a great original flight of steps, or
staircase, cut in the tufa down from the sand-pit to the catacomb,
and there are two other flights of steps from one gallery to another.
The material is hard tufa, but with a thin bed of Pozzolana sand
at about 4 ft. from the ground of the corridors and cubicula, through-
out the whole catacomb, which is very extensive, and only partially
excavated. The present entrance is by a steep flight of steps, pro-
bably of the sixteenth century.
This catacomb was sometimes called Cemeterium majus, also Ostri-
anum, and "ad Nymphas S. Petri," "Fons S. Petri," and S. Nico-
medes. All these names probably belong to different cubicula in the
great cemetery. Bosio describes some parts which have not since
been discovered.
Signor de Rossi is of opinion that one of the two chairs of S. Peter
was placed in one of these chambers, and was an object of pilgrim-
age, as mentioned in the Mirabilia. Panvinius considers this as
the earliest of the Catacombs.
A part of this great catacomb was probably made during the per-
secution under Julian the Apostate, A.D. 360, 363. The remem-
brance of the great persecution at the end of the third century was
then fresh in the memory of the people, and they were anxious to
provide against the recurrence of another persecution of the same
kind. Such precautions as were here taken are just such as would
be dictated by experience and prudence. The present appearance
of this catacomb is just as early as any of the others; the corridors
are rather wider and higher, but that is the only difference.
It is in this catacomb that Bishop Liberius is said to have taken
refuge for a time on his return from exile, during the persecution of
Julian the Apostate. He resided with his relation Constantius, in
order that, by his intervention, he might be brought back to the city,
which was eventually done. The probability is that he resided with
the Emperor Constantius II. (a Christian) in the Imperial Villa, to
which the large building called the Hippodrome of Maxentius be-
longed. This is close to the church and catacomb of S. Agnes, and
he could be hidden there in case of need. It is possible that the
whole of this passage in Anastasius ª is one of the interpolations, but
a
a "Rediens autem Liberius de exsilio,
habitavit in cœmeterio sanctæ Agnetis
apud germanam Constantii, ut quasi
per ejus interventionem, aut rogatum
rediret Liberius in civitatem. Tunc
Constantia Augusta, quæ fidelis erat
VII.]
Via Nomentana.-S. Agnes.
not probable; the explanation proposed is consistent with the ac-
count given by Liberius himself, or his successor in this Pontifical
Register, supposing it to be genuine.
In the year 1870 the monks of the monastery attached to the
Church of S. Agnes excavated a small portion of this catacomb
where it joined on to the church; but they were not then able to
carry on the excavations far enough to shew the connection between
this portion and the great Catacomb, as the vault had there fallen
in between the recent excavations and the great Catacomb, the pre-
sent entrance to which is at some distance further down the road.
They had the good sense to leave everything exactly as they found
it, with the graves unopened. The face of each loculus (or grave
cut in the rock) is covered by either tiles or marble slabs, fragments
of earlier tombstones. The inscriptions are sometimes painted on
the tiles, sometimes scratched on them, and in the case of marble
generally rudely cut. One is in mosaic letters, the only one in the
Catacombs; the character of the letters is of the fourth century. In
this small branch of the Catacomb a tombstone, with a Pagan in-
scription, remained on the floor standing against the wall, the back
of the slab left rough with the plaster on the edges, evidently for
fixing it against the wall. According to the theory of the Roman
Church, this was merely brought down into the Catacomb for the
purpose of being there polished and engraved on the reverse, now
rough, then cut up and fixed across the openings of loculi. This
theory appears very improbable: the Catacombs were not likely to
be used as stonemasons' yards, even in the times of persecution, and
at other times there would be no need for it.
97
The excavations were continued to a much greater extent in 1871;
but the good monks soon arrived at a part of the Catacomb that had
been thoroughly rifled, as is usual in the other Catacombs, and here
they found the name of BOSIO written on the wall, which shews the
period when much of the rifling of the Catacombs took place. The
part first opened was just as it was left in the ninth century, after
the restoration by the Popes.
On the grand staircase leading down into the church of S. Agnes,
the walls are covered with the remains of old tombstones and frag-
ments of carved sarcophagi, some of which give the dates by the
names of the consuls, and some are of distinctly Pagan character.
Domino Jesu Christi, voluit rogare Con-
stantium Augustum germanum suum,
quia senserat consilium doli." -Anast.,
c. xxxvii. p. 30.
H
98
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Agnes.
One of the sculptures is of a fawn, with other figures, and one of
the inscriptions begins with the usual D. M. for Diis Manibus.
The six painted chambers described and published by Bosio, and by
others after him, remain unaltered; but the paintings are much da-
maged, and this has evidently been done wilfully in some cases.
Others are very black, probably from the use of torches to shew them
in former times, as at S. Priscilla and others; at present, in all cases,
wax tapers only are used. The paintings are chiefly of the fourth
and fifth centuries, and some appear to be by the same hand as
some of those in S. Priscilla.
1. The first cemetery chapel from the present entrance has evi-
dently been made for a school-room: there are two seats for the
teachers, resembling two plain arm-chairs, one on each side of the
door, and a bench for the children, all cut out of the tufo rock.
The chamber is about 8 ft. square, with a quadripartite groined
vault; and there are loculi for bodies, or graves in the walls, as usual.
It may have been painted; but if so, the plaster and painting has all
fallen off. Many parts of this catacomb are very damp, as is seen
by the stalactite upon the vault and walls, and this would account
for the falling off of the plaster.
2. The second cemetery chapel appears to be quite plain; it seems
to be small also, but is only excavated to a short distance from the
door. It is passed over by Bosio altogether; probably the door-
way to it had not been observed in his time.
3. The third chapel is painted; this is the first on the list of
Bosio, who calls the school-room "Cubiculum in aditu Cœmeterii."
This chapel is small, and has been richly painted, but the painting
is not early. The principal subject is an agape or marriage-feast,
or funeral-supper. Seven persons are seated round a semicircular
or lunette table, with the triclinium or cushion to lean upon between
them and the table; in front of the table, in the hollow space in
the centre, are seven water-pots, probably the vases for the water
turned into wine. This painting is now much mutilated, but the
design is given by Bosio. On the vault is the Good Shepherd, and
on the side Daniel and the lions. The panels are divided by broad
bands, with festooned edges like ingrailed work of later times, and
there are remains of four orantes on the angles of the groined vault,
draped in white surplices with black stoles or borders.
4. The fourth cemetery chapel is small, and also richly painted
with the usual subjects, but late, with festoons of flowers and baskets
of fruit, birds, and other ornaments.
VII.]
Via Nomentana.-S. Agnes.
5. The fifth cemetery chapel (the third of Bosio ") is also richly
painted with many of the usual subjects: the ten Virgins with
their lamps; the three Children in the furnace, in a remarkable cos-
tume, in trousers, with stripes, continued over the shoulders.
99
In the work of Father Garrucci (plate ix. fig. 6) is the foot of a glass
vase from this catacomb, with three figures and two scrolls or rolls of
parchment between them. Over the head of the central figure,
a female, is the name MARIA, by the side of the right-hand figure
PETRVS, and on the left PAVLVS. The costumes, the attitudes, the
style of art, and the form of the letters, seem to agree with the fifth
century. Maria is holding out her hands to the two Apostles, who
are addressing her; but neither of these three figures is in the atti-
tude of prayer or adoration. On another vase on the same plate,
Maria is represented more decidedly in the attitude of prayer, be-
tween the same two Apostles; and in this they are also addressing
her, but not praying to her, and each has his roll or volume of
Epistles in his hand. On several other vases Maria is standing
alone in the attitude of prayer; in one between two trees, with
tongues of flame; in another with a bird speaking in each ear; in
another two rolls or volumes (the Old and New Testaments?), and
in each case she stands between two trees. In each case Maria
has the well-known badge of servitude over her shoulders, in other
respects the costumes are different, but all agreeing with the period
after the fourth century rather than before it, as does the style of
drawing. Maria seems to be symbolical of the Christian Church.
Another vase from this catacomb is engraved in Garrucci's work
(plate xlii. fig. 2); it was found here in 1698, and engraved in the
work of Buonarroti (p. 216). It represents the usual personifi-
cations of the earth and water, or Neptune in the arms of Amphi-
trite, with the usual genii and other attributes; the legend round the
margin of the picture is RIS. VIVAS. VALEAS. VINCAS, and round the
border of a crown, carried by one of the genii, is the Greek word
КАПЕО. This seems to admit of no other interpretation than a
Pagan one. The character of the art is of the third century. Another
vase, said to have been found in this catacomb, and engraved in
Aringhi, vol. i. p. 508, and in Garrucci, plate xli. fig. 2, is of Pagan
character, but this is pronounced by Garrucci to be spurious.
For more full particulars of the
paintings in this catacomb, sec the
Appendix to this chapter, in the con-
tents of Bosio, Roma Sotterranea, p.
441 to 475, and Perret, Catacombes
de Rome, vol. ii., p. 1 to 54.
H 2
Vorm
100
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Cyriaca.
•
S. ALEXANDER “.
The catacomb of S. Alexander was discovered in 1855 by ac-
cident, and excavated by Ch. Guidi. It is situated on the Via
Nomentana, at seven miles from Rome, by the side of the ruins
of the church through which is the entrance to it.
S. Alexander is said by Oldoini the Jesuit, in his additions to
Ciaconius, to have been the son of Victoria, and a pupil of Pliny
the Younger and Plutarch, and to have received martyrdom by
being chained to the ground. His relics were translated from this
catacomb to Lucca by Alexander II., in 1070, and deposited under
the high altar there, together with the chair with which he was
buried, as stated on an inscription. The possession of his relics
is however claimed also by several other churches. They are said
to have been given by Leo III. to Charlemagne, and deposited at
Saint-Denis, near Paris. The churches of S. Sabina on the Aventine,
and S. Lorenzo in Lucina, also lay claim to them, and have inscrip-
tions to that effect, the latter dated in 1196.
Three letters of this saint are extant, besides his decrees, which
are considered important. According to some modern authors, he
took refuge in the Catacombs during the persecution, but there
is no early evidence of this.
SS. PRIMUS, FELICIANUS, AND MAXIMIANUS",
The catacomb of SS. Primus, Felicianus, and Maximianus (who
were martyrs in the great persecution under Diocletian, A.D. 303),
is situated on the Via Nomentana at the fourteenth mile from Rome,
in the district called Ad Arcus Nomentanos. There is a small church
over the entrance to it about a mile from Mentana, on the field of
battle in 1867 between the Garibaldians on one side, and the Pon-
tifical army supported by the French on the other. These saints
and martyrs are commemorated on the fifth of June in the Roman
Martyrology. This catacomb was originally a sand-pit, and the
bodies of the martyrs, or the relics of them, were carried by Pope
See the Church of S. Alexander in rante nobili viro Joanne Arnolphinio
(Inscription.)
section xii.
œdi."
"Corpus beatissimi Alexandri primi
Pont. Max. martyrio coronati una cum
catena qua vinctus custodiebatur, ab
Alexandro secundo in ara hujus templi
subterranca conditum debita cum reve-
rentia fuit in hoc altare translatum cu-
• F. Gori (Dal Ponte Salario di Roma
a Fidene, &c., Roma, 1863, 12mo., pp.
74, 75) says that the catacomb of S.
Restitutus is also visible near Monte Ro-
tondo, at the sixteenth mile on the Via
Nomentana. See Aringhi, lib. iii. cap. 19.
VII.]
Via Tiburtina.-S. Cyriaca.
Theodorus I., A.D. 686, to the church of S. Stefano Rotondo on the
Cœlian.
VIA TIBURTINA.
"The sixth is the Tiburtine gate and way, which is now called S. Lawrence's ;
near this way lies S. Lawrence in his church, and Habundius the martyr; and
near this, in another church, rest these martyrs, Ciriaca, Romanus, Justinus, Cres-
centianus; and not far from hence the church of S. Hippolytus, where he himself
rests, and his family, eighteen in number; there too repose S. Trifonia, the wife
And in another
of Decius, and his daughter Cirilla, and her nurse Concordia.
part of this way, is the church of Agapitus the martyr."
101
S. CYRIACA AND S. LORENZO,
In the Pontifical Register of S. Silvester, A.D. 320, given in An-
astasius, it is recorded that the church of S. Laurentius, martyr
(S. Lorenzo, f.m.), was built upon the sand-pit crypt, with steps to
descend into it, and ascend from it. As the apse is mentioned im-
mediately afterwards, there can be no doubt that the high altar was
placed over this sand-pit, which must also have been the burial-place
of the martyr. The custom of having under the altar a crypt called
a confessio, with descending and ascending steps, which was so gene-
rally followed in the Middle Ages, probably had its origin in this
manner, by building the altar over the sand-pit crypt in which the
martyr had been buried.
S. Cyriaca is said to have been a lady of noble family and high
rank, and to have been made a martyr under the Emperor Valerian ".
She is said to have lived on the Cœlian, and the church of S. Maria
Domnica to have been originally in the hall of her house. Her cata-
comb (which was probably made on one of her farms) is adjoining
to the church and monastery and burial-ground of S. Lorenzo fuori
delle mura, and was one of the most celebrated catacombs or ceme-
teries. It was discovered, or rather re-discovered, by Bosio, in 1593,
and he has published a number of inscriptions from tombstones found
in it, but no paintings. Of these inscriptions some have the dates.
of A.D. 295, 296, 297, 298, 301, and one is dated by the name of
the consul Phocas, as late as A.D. 604.
f Will, Malmesb. Gesta Angl., vol. ii.
p. 541. The catacomb of S. Cyriaca
is called by Panvinius also Crypta Ti-
burtina.
g "Eodem tempore Constantinus
Augustus fecit basilicam beato Lau-
rentio martyri, via Tiburtina in agrum
Veranum supra Arenarium cryptæ et us-
que ad corpus B. Laurentii martyris, in
qua fecit gradum ascensionis et descen-
sionis. In quo loco construxit absi-
dam." (Anastasius, 43.)
Her legend is given in the Roman
Martyrology, on the 12th of September,
and in the Acta Martyrum.
102
Catacombs.-S. Cyriaca.
[SECT.
S. Laurentius, or Lorenzo, is one of the great saints of the Church,
whose praise has been recounted in all ages. He is said to have
been a Spaniard, and to have been a martyr in the persecution.
under Valerian, A.D. 258. Prudentius has a hymn on his passion',
which relates all that is really known about him, the acts of his
martyrdom being of late compilation and of no authority. He was
ordained deacon by S. Xystus, and called his archdeacon, though
very young. He is mentioned by nearly all the fathers of the fourth
century, and the great church over his tomb was originally built in
the time of Constantine, although it has been rebuilt. It was one
of the five great Basilicas or Cathedrals of Rome endowed by
that emperor, who established the first Deans and Chapters in these
cathedrals, and divided the Imperial estates in the Campagna of Rome
among them. He is said to have been buried in this catacomb by
S. Justin the priest, with other martyrs, Claudius, a sub-deacon, Seve-
rus, a priest, Crescentius, a reader (lector), and Romanus, a porter.
The bodies of S. Irenæus and Abundius are also reported to have been
saved from the cloaca into which they had been thrown, and buried
in this catacomb also by Justin, near to the body of S. Laurence.
The remains of S. Triphonia, wife of the Emperor Decius, and her
daughter Cyrilla, who were made martyrs on the fifth of November,
were also buried here by Justin, with those of several other saints
and martyrs. S. Justin himself was sacrificed on the first of August,
and deposited in this catacomb. Three bishops or popes were also
interred here, Zosimus, Sixtus III., and Hilary K.
The entrance to this catacomb was originally from the church of
S. Lorenzo fuori delle mura, which had been built over the original
small chapel at the entrance, and the memory of this was preserved
by a chapel in the aisle to the left of the altar, or north side, called
the "Chapel of the Souls of the Saints" (Cappella delle anime sante),
as recorded by an inscription in gold on the screen¹. On the side
of the steps, are sculptures to represent the taking of souls out of
purgatory. The altar of the chapel is placed under a baldachino or
canopy, supported by two separate shafts, and on it is a sculpture
of the body of Christ as dead. These belong to the decorations in
1 Prudentii Peristeph. hymn. ii
The construction and present state
of this catacomb has been partly de-
scribed in the third section of this
chapter.
HAEC EST TVMBA ILLA TOTO ORBE
TERRARVM CELEBERRIMA
EX COEMETERIO S². CIRIACAE MA-
TRONAE
VBI SACRVM SI QVIS FECERIT PRO
DEFVNCTIS
EORVM ANIMAS E PVRGATORIS POENIS
DIVI LAVRENTII MERITIS EVOCABIT,
VII.]
Via Tiburtina.-S. Cyriaca.
marble, executed by the Canons in 1677. The door has been walled
up since 1821, and a grating is placed to look into the catacomb,
or rather from the catacomb into the church. At the foot of the
steps is another semi-circular chapel, in which are an altar of white
marble and three antique busts in alto-relievo, with the names of
S. STEPH. S. LAVRENT. S. PETR.
This catacomb is very extensive, but very plain, and not very
interesting. The corridors are about half-a-mile long, and there are
three stories but only partially excavated and quite plain, no paintings
and no cubicula being in the parts that are accessible. In some of the
corridors the loculi or graves cut in the rock have not been opened ;
the bones remain in them, and the tiles with which the mouth of
each grave is closed have not been moved. The rock is unusually
hard for the purpose: consequently the corridors or passages, or
streets as they are sometimes called, are very narrow, and not lofty,
some being not more than 5 ft. high at the present time; but this is
probably because the earth has not been entirely cleared away in
the foot-paths. There is one doorway with the arch closed with
a piece of marble, in which is the monogram of Christ, with the
A and º, marking the fourth century; but this is probably an altera-
tion or filling up of the doorway at the end of one of the passages.
The work itself appears to be early. It is entirely cut out of the
hard rock as tunnels; in one place only, as far as could be seen, is
there any repair with bricks. The entrance is about a quarter of
a mile from the church, and at the other end of the corridor is
the grating opening into the church. There were cubicula or painted
vaults on one side, until about the year 1860, when they were cut
away with a part of the rock itself and some of the corridors, to
enlarge the great public cemetery of S. Lorenzo. At the present
time one side of several of the corridors, and two of the cubicula,
have been cut away so that we have an actual section of this cata-
comb, not merely an imaginary one made by an artist. We see
how the passages go up and down, and in various directions, ac-
cording to the hardness or softness of the rock in which the fossores
or grave-diggers had to work.
Three inscriptions, given by Bosio and Aringhi, shew that this
catacomb was in use in the fourth, fifth, and seventh centuries, by
the names of the consuls " upon them. The relics of S. Cyriaca (or
m
m
A BENEMERITO
POMPEIO QVI VINIT
MENSIBVS XI D VI
DEPOSITVS IN PACE
103
DIE XVI KAL. SEPT.
AVSONIO ET
OLYBRIO CONSS.
(A.D. 369.)
104
Catacombs.-S. Hippolytus.
[SECT.
Domnica), the holy widow, who had been originally the proprietor
of this cemetery, and interred here, were translated from the cata-
comb to the church of S. Martino in Monte, by Sergius II., A.D. 844.
S. HIPPOLYTUS AD NYMPHAS.
The catacomb of S. Hippolytus is distinct from that of S. Cyriaca",
although it has often been treated as part of the same.
It is very
large, the entrance is in the vineyard of Monsignor Gori on the left
of the Via Tiburtina, near the church of S. Lorenzo fuori delle mura.
There S. Hippolytus was buried by S. Justin the priest; a tombstone
of A.D. 290 was found in it; and at the entrance are remains of the
church of S. Stephen, a Roman martyrº. In this catacomb was
this inscription: REFR[I]GERI TIBI DOMNVS IPOLITVS SID.
S. Hippolytus is said to have been a martyr in the persecution of
Gallus, A.D. 252, and to have been torn to pieces by wild horses at
Ostia. Prudentius has a hymn on his passion, which contains an
FL. STELLICONE VC
SVB DIE X KAL SEPTEN
BRES EMIT SOTERES
SE VIVA ET MARITO
SVO VERNACOLO CON
PARI SVO EMIT A CELERINO FOS
QVI VIXIT ANNIS PLVS MINVS
LXIII BENEMERENTI IN PACE.
" F. Gori, della Porta e Basilica di
S. Lorenzo, delle Catacombe di S. Ci-
riaca, della Basilica di S. Stefano mar-
tire Romano, delle Catacombe di S.
(A.D. 400.) Ippolito soldato e ad Nymphas, e del
Camposanto di Roma. Roma, 1862.
"Talibus Hippolyti corpus mandatur
OCAE III COS
CARI AMICI
This fragment relates to the third con-
sulate of Phocas, A. D. 610.
Another inscription on a tombstone
begins thus: IN CRYPTA NOBA, or nova,
a 'new' crypt.
IN CRYPTA NOBA RETRO SAN
CTVS EMERVM SE VIVAS BALER
RAE T. SABINAMERVM LOC
VBISONI A BAPRONE ET A
BIATORE.
•
In the Kircherian Museum a palim-
psest inscription is preserved, mentioned
by Ficoroni as found in this catacomb.
One side is Pagan, the other Christian,
evidently one of the instances of an old
marble plate being used again.
D. M.
Q. MEDICVS AVG LIB.
A SOLO SIBI FECIT
HOC CENOTATIV QVI
NTA VITALIS FILIA MEA
POSSIDEBET SINE CONTRO
VERSIA.
CONSTANTIV DISCOLIO
FRATRI SVO BENEMERENTI
opertis
Propter ubi apposita est ara dicata
Deo.
Illa Sacramenti donatrix mensa, eadem-
que
Custos fida sui Martyris apposita.
Servat ad æterni spem judicis ossa
sepulchro ;
Pascit item sanctis Tibricolas da-
pibus."
(Aurel. Prudentius, Peristeph. hymn.
xi. v. 169.)
For more full particulars of the paint-
ings in the catacomb of S. Cyriaca, see
the Appendix to this chapter, Bosio,
lib. iii. c. 41, p. 405 to 413; and Perret,
37 to 48.
0
"(Adrianus Papa I.) simul et
cœmeterium beati Hippolyti juxta sanc-
tum Laurentium, quæ a priscis mar-
cuerant temporibus, a novo renovavit :
pari modo et ecclesiam beati Christi
martyris Stephani, sitam juxta prædic-
tum cœmeterium sancti Hippolyti, si-
militer restauravit." (Anastas. Biblioth.
in S. Adr., 97.)
VII.] Via Tiburtina.-S. Hippolytus ad Nymphas.
admirable description of a catacomb; it has been thus translated by
Dr. Northcote :-
105
"Not far from the city walls, among the well-trimmed orchards, there lies
a crypt buried in darksome pits. Into its secret recesses a steep path with
winding stairs directs one, even though the turnings shut out the light. The
light of day, indeed, comes in through the doorway as far as the surface of the
opening, and illuminates the threshold of the portico; and when, as you advance
further, the darkness as of night seems to get more and more obscure throughout
the mazes of the cavern, there occur at intervals apertures cut in the roof which
convey the bright rays of the sun upon the cave. Although the recesses, twisting
at random this way and that, form narrow chambers with darksome galleries, yet
a considerable quantity of light finds its way through the pierced vaulting down
into the hollow bowels of the mountain. And thus throughout the subterranean
crypt it is possible to perceive the brightness and enjoy the light of the absent
sun. To such secret places is the body of Hippolytus conveyed, near to the spot
where now stands the altar dedicated to God. That same altar-slab (mensa) gives
the sacrament, and is the faithful guardian of its martyr's bones, which it keeps
laid up there in expectation of the eternal Judge, while it feeds the dwellers of
the Tiber with holy food. Wondrous is the sanctity of the place! the altar is at
hand for those who pray, and it assists the hopes of men by mercifully granting
what they need. Here have I, when sick with ills both of soul and body, often-
times prostrated myself in prayer and found relief. Yes, O glorious priest! I will
tell with what joy I return to enjoy the privilege of embracing thee, and that I
know that I owe all this to Hippolytus, to whom Christ, our God, has granted
power to obtain what any one asks of him. That little chapel (adicula) which
contains the cast-off garments of his soul [his relics] is bright with solid silver.
Wealthy hands have put up tablets glistening with a smooth surface [of silver],
bright as a concave mirror; and, not content with overlaying the entrance with
Parian marble, they have lavished large sums of money on the ornamentation of
the work."
He goes on to describe the pilgrimages to the shrine, and with
somewhat of poetic licence continues :—
"Early in the morning they come to salute [the saint]; all the youth of the
place worship there, they come and go until the setting of the sun. Love of reli-
gion collects together into one dense crowd both Latins and foreigners; they
imprint their kisses on the shining silver; they pour out their sweet balsams; they
bedew their faces with tears.'
His description of the scene on the festa of this martyr, his dies
natalis, reminds one forcibly of the way in which the modern
Romans stream out to San Lorenzo, or to San Paolo fuori delle mura,
or to any other of the old churches, when a festival or a station is
held there:
"The imperial city vomits forth her stream of Romans, and the plebeian crowd,
animated by one and the same desire, jostle on equal terms their patrician neigh-
bours, faith hurrying them forward to the shrine. Albano's gates, too, send forth
400
106
[SECT.
Catacombs. Via Tiburtina.
their white-robed hosts in a long-drawn line. The noise on the various roads on
all sides waxes loud; the native of the Abruzzi and the Etruscan peasant come,
the fierce Samnite, the countryman of lofty Capua and of Nola is there; each
with his wife and children delights to hasten on his road. The broad fields
scarcely suffice to contain the joyful people, and even where the space is wide, the
crowd is so great as to cause delay. No doubt, then, that that cavern, wide
though its mouth be stretched, is too narrow for such crowds; but hard by is
another church (templum), enriched with royal magnificence, which this great
gathering may visit "."
The church of S. Lorenzo seems to be the one described. This
is very near to the catacomb of S. Hippolytus, and the expression
used is, " near to this is another church so much frequented." There
are remains of another church or chapel over the entrance to S. Hip-
polytus, but it could not have been of the rich character of the one
here described, with columns and rich ceilings, and steps up to the
front. These steps are indication that the deep foss-way in front of
S. Lorenzo has been filled up.
There is considerable doubt or confusion respecting the history of
this saint and martyr; it appears certain that there were two or three
persons of the same name, who are not well distinguished one from
the other by early authors: consequently it is doubtful of what country
he was a native, and of what place he was bishop. Still he is men-
tioned by S. Jerome, and several of his writings are extant, if this is
the same S. Hippolytus. The most probable account is that he was
a Greek, and was Bishop of Porto; but some say he was a native of
Gaul, and Bishop of Ostia. S. Jerome says that he was a bishop,
but that he did not know of what city. There is a very curious early
Christian statue of this author, who probably was also the martyr,
which is now placed in the museum of Christian Antiquities at the
Lateran. The head is that of a modern ecclesiastic, but the figure
is ancient. The saint is seated on a marble chair, and on the
back of it are two Greek inscriptions incised, one a catalogue of
his works, but incomplete, as it was made in his lifetime; the other
a calendar and cycle, which shews that it was made in the time of
the Emperor Alexander Severus. This statue was found in 1551,
"outside of the walls of Rome, near the church of S. Lorenzo,
therefore probably on the site of, or in his catacomb. It has given
rise to much discussion, and several works or essays have been written
upon it. This statue is conjectured, with some probability, to have
P The description of the crowd of
people might apply almost equally well
at the present day, when the catacomb
of S. Calixtus is lighted up for the
modern pilgrims.
""
S. Hippolyti, episcopi et martyris,
Opera, &c., cur. Jo. Alb. Fabricio.
Hamburgi, 1716-18, 2 vols. fol.
Kimmel de Hippolyti vita et Scriptis.
8vo. Jenæ, 1839.
VII.]
Via Tiburtina.-S. Hippolytus ad Nymphas.
been made at the expense of the wife of Alexander Severus,
Mammea, who was a Christian.
The body of S. Stephen ', the first martyr, is also said to have been
translated from Constantinople to this catacomb, on the seventh of
May, A.D. 557.
It was also called after S. Maximus; and there was a church at
the entrance to it dedicated to S. Hilary. The crypts of S. Chrys-
anthus and S. Daria are also mentioned as in this cemetery, which
was also called the cemetery of Novella; at least this was on the
same road, whether the same cemetery or not is uncertain.
In the Index Oleorum, the catacomb of S. Syxtus, or Systus, is
also placed on this road. In the Saltzburg Itinerary, it is Agapetus,
m. and deacon of S. Syxtus, as already given from William of Malmes-
bury. This latter is probably correct; that of S. Systus was on the
Via Appia.
Bianchini, de Calendario et Cyclo
Cæsareo ac de paschale canone S. Hip-
polyti Martyris, etc. Folio. Romæ,
1703.
Vignolii, de Anno primo imperii Se-
veri Alexandrini Aug. quem præferit
cathedra marmorea S. Hippolyti. 4to.
Romæ, 1712.
Notes historiques, biographiques,
archéologiques et littéraires concer-
nant les premiers siècles chrétiens par
J. G. H. Greppo. 8vo. Lyon, 1841.
(These Notes were written for the
Euvres choisies de S. Jérome. 8 vols.
8vo. Lyon, 1841. Only a few copies
of the Notes were printed separately;
they contain a great deal of valuable
matter,
Ch. Car. Josias Bunsen, Hippolytus
and his Age; or the Doctrine and Prac-
tice of the Church of Rome under Com-
modus and Alexander Severus, &c.
London, 1852, 4 vols. 12mo. A second
edition, enlarged, appeared in 1854,
7 vols. 12mo.; and a German translation
of the first edition was printed at Leip-
zig in 1852-3, 2 vols. 8vo.
Persons not acquainted with the
legends of the Roman martyrs have
frequently never heard of any other
S. Stephen than the Proto-martyr; but
the name of Stephen was always a
common one, and it is perfectly clear
that the S. Stephen of the Roman
Church was S. Stephen the Deacon,
one of the martyrs in the Persecution
under the Emperors Valerian and Gal-
lienus, towards the end of the third
107
century, along with S. Sixtus, who
was called Bishop of Rome at that
time, and Pope. The words of the
Pontifical Registers of Sixtus II., used
by Anastasius, the Pontifical librarian,
in the ninth century, are quite conclusive
on this point:-"Eodem tempore hic
[Sixtus II., A. D. 259] comprehensus a Va-
Ïeriano, et ductus ut sacrificaret dæmo-
niis, quia contempsit præcepta Valeri-
ani, capite truncatus est, et cum eo alii
sex diaconi, Felicissimus et Agapitus,
Januarius et Magnus, Vincentius et Ste-
phanus, sub die sexto Idus Augusti.
(Anast. Bibl., 25.) In the Register of
Bishop Simplicius [A. D. 480] it is also
stated that he dedicated a church to this
S. Stephen, near that of S. Lorenzo or
Laurentius, which is no doubt the one
of which we have the remains, "Hic
dedicavit aliam basilicam sancti Stephani
juxta basilicam sancti Laurentii.
>>
S. Stephen, Abbot of Rieti, in Italy,
is also commemorated in the Roman
Martyrology on Feb. 13, and he is
mentioned by S. Gregory.
In the trial of S. Cyprian by the Pro-
consul Paternus, that magistrate re-
ferred to the above precepts in these
"Præceperunt etiam (Valeri-
anus et Gallienus) ne in aliquibus
locis conciliabula fiant, nec cœmeteria
ingrediantur. Si quis itaque hoc tam
salubre præceptum non observaverit,
capite plectetur." (Acta Proconsularia,
ap. Bolland. Acta Sanctorum Septem-
bris, tom. iv. p. 332, col. 2, F.)
terms :-
S
}}
VIII. CATACOMBS ON THE VIA SALARIA
VECCHIA S.
"The second is the Flaminian gate, which is now called the gate of S. Valen-
tine, and the Flaminian way, and when it arrives at the Milvian bridge, it takes
the name of the Ravennanian way, because it leads to Ravenna; and there, at the
first stone without the gate, S. Valentine rests in his church "."
"The fourth is the Salarian gate and way, now called S. Silvester's. Here,
near the road, lie S. Hermes and S. Vasella, and Prothus and Jacinctus, Maxi-
lian, Herculanus, Crispus; and in another place, hard by, rest the holy martyrs
Pamphilus and Quirinus, seventy steps beneath the surface. Next is the church
of S. Felicitas, where she rests, and Silanus, her son; and not far distant, Boni-
face the martyr. In another church there are Crisantus and Daria, and Saturninus
and Maurus, and Jason, and their mother Hilaria, and others innumerable. And
in another church, S. Alexander, Vitalis, Martialis, sons of S. Felicitas; and
seven holy virgins, Saturnina, Hilarina, Duranda, Rogantina, Serotina, Paulina,
Donata. Next the church of S. Silvester, where he lies under a marble tomb;
and the martyrs, Celestinus, Philippus, and Foelix; and there, too, the three hun-
dred and sixty-five martyrs rest in one sepulchre; and, near them lie Paulus and
Crescentianus, Prisca and Semetrius, Praxides, Potentiana "."
On the Via Flaminia, at a little more than a mile from the gate,
are the catacombs of S. Valentine. They are on the right of the
road in going from the Porta del Popolo towards the Ponte Mallo,
in a vineyard belonging to the Monastery of S. Augustine.
This is mentioned in the Saltzburg Itinerary, with a notice also
of a large church or chapel, repaired by Honorius; and other martyrs
were buried there. In the Wurtzburg Epitome it is also mentioned,
and the church is said to be marvellously ornamented; but neither
the catacomb nor the church are mentioned by Anastasius.
This road is noted as having been made illustrious by the number
of glorious martyrdoms that have taken place upon it. Many of their
bodies were thrown into the Tiber, and their names do not appear
to be those of any very celebrated persons. Getulius, and his com-
8 This old road turns off to the left
from the Via Pinciana, which is outside
of the Porta Pinciana, at the Clivus del
Leoncino, and again to the left at the
Tre Madonne. The Via Salaria Nova
is considerably to the right of this.
t William of Malmesbury, p. 421.
u See Will. Malmesb., quarta porta,
in the Appendix to this chapter.
<l
X
"Ubi S. Valentinus martyr quiescit
via Flaminia in basilica quam Honorius
reparavit, et alii martyres in aquilino
plaga sub terra. (Itin. Salisb., ap. De
Rossi, vol. i. p. 176.)
""
""
y "Juxta viam Flaminiam apparet ec-
clesia mirifice ornata S. Valentini m..."
Epitome Wirtzburg. (Ibid.)
SECT. VIII.] Via Salaria Vecchia.-S. Hermes.
panions Cerealis, Amantius and Primitivus, are commemorated in
the Roman Martyrology in the month of June. Getulius is said to
have been burnt on this road, thirteen miles from the city, and his
remains collected by his widow, Symphorosa, who buried them in
a sand-pit on her property". This is related to have been under the
Emperor Valerian (A.D. 253). The road is called Via Pincia in the
Einsiedlen Itinerary, and the following places of pilgrimage on
this road in the eighth century are recorded,-SS. Pamphilus, Ba-
silissa, Protus, Hyacinthus, Hermes, "where the Lord gave sight
to the blind."
109
Both the Via Salaria Vecchia and the Via Salaria Nova, are a little
to the east of the Via Flaminia, and of the Tiber, before arriving at
the junction with the river Anio.
S. HERMES.
The catacomb of S. Hermes is situated at about half-a-mile from
the Porta del Popolo on the Via Salaria Vecchia, high up on the
hill called Monti Parioli. At the entrance to this catacomb is
a large and lofty chapel, called the Chapel of Basilla, with a lumi-
nare at the top, in front of the apse; the nave, or body of the
chapel, is of three bays, with arches rebuilt, and the apse of the fourth
century. From this we descend into the catacomb, made in a very
bad soil, much worse than any of the others, a soft dark-coloured
tufa; it is in a very bad state of repair, and bears all the marks
of having always been used by the poor chiefly. The vaults of the
tufa rock are supported in many places by brick walls of very bad
construction, some of the fourth century, others of the fifth. In
one place is a very wide low arch of the fourth, by the side of
a corridor, with a transverse wall carried across the middle of it,
supporting the entrance to another corridor, and this is covered for
a short distance, a few feet only, with a triangular vault formed of
two tiles meeting at the angular point. On one of them is a stamp,
the letters of which may be distinguished, "Offic[ium] Domus.. ibus."
This work looks like the sixth century.
There are no crypts or burial chapels (cubicula) in this catacomb,
and only a few arco-solia, or tombs with recessed arches over them, on
which the paintings are usually found. There, are, however, a few
of these, and one very remarkable one, with remains of a mosaic
picture, the only one now remaining in the Catacombs. Many of the
7 CC
Cujus corpus colligens Sympho-
rosa, uxor ejus, honorifice sepelivit in
arenario prædii sui." (Aringhi, Roma
Subterranea, lib. iii. c. 32.)
IIO
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Hermes.
tombs have straight horizontal brick arches over them of the fourth
and fifth centuries; but in the lowest corridor in which there are
three, the rock is harder, and the brick walls and arches were not
required and not used. The lowest corridor is in the best state and
the most interesting; the upper one is almost dangerous, and the
corridor is often not more than five feet high, in a few places even
less. In the lowest corridor several of the tombs have the impres-
sion of a round seal or stamp on the plaster, and some have a dif-
ferent rude mark, as the mark of the fossores, or grave-diggers. Some
have the impression of an ivory ring, one has a fragment of one of
the rings left in the plaster, another a fragment of a small round
ivory tetotum or counter, and another the impression of an egg,
with a part of the egg-shell still attached to the plaster. In the
church and in the upper corridor are several marble slabs with Pagan
inscriptions, with the plaster on the edges and at the back, shewing
that they have not been used a second time, but intended to be
placed against the wall in this catacomb.
An arco-solium, or arched tomb, in the second corridor, has some
small and curious paintings of very rude character, probably of the
sixth or seventh century; round the edge of the arch are very small
figures of Christ and the twelve Apostles, all seated in chairs, the
faces without beards and without the nimbus, and some of the faces
very ugly. On the soffit of the arch are trees with birds on the
branches and houses under them, two red and two black, one of
each on either side; those on the left continuous, those on the right
dividing at a brook which proceeds from a cascade. On the wall
of the tomb is the Good Shepherd, but much mutilated; the head,
however, is preserved. On another arco-solium are three figures on
the wall at the back: the central one is Christ seated on a throne,
with steps to ascend to it, holding out each hand to an Apostle, who
holds a scroll or book; all three are dressed in surplices with the
black border, and have the nimbus over their heads. On the soffit
of the arch on the right are the three Children in the furnace, on
the left Daniel and the lions.
The most remarkable feature in this catacomb is the mosaic
picture, or rather the fragment of one, for a portion only remains of
one which has been of considerable size. The work is of very rude
character in drawing, and barbarous execution, not very early, pro-
bably of the sixth century. It is on the soffit of the arch of an arco-
solium, with the wall behind it. On the right is Daniel and the lions,
in a small square panel, under one arm of a jewelled cross, with
a picture in each of the panels. The outline of the cross is a broad
Via Salaria.-S. Hermes.
VIII.]
red line, with a gold ground, and jewels upon it. The mosaic cubes
are entirely of glass enamel, not marble; the gold is laid on one side
of the glass, but not glazed over; as to the ground of the picture, it is
alternately blue and yellow. On the soffit of the arch are two
figures, much mutilated: one, from the attitude and costume, seems
to be one of the Magi; the one on the other side was probably an-
other; the central figure is wanting, but must in this case have been
the Madonna. On the wall under the arch are fragments of three
figures: one of the heads is tolerably perfect, and fine of its kind,
with the peculiar expression of the eyes so often observed in mosaic
pictures of the seventh and eighth centuries; the upper part of the
other two heads is all that remains of the other figures, but this is
enough to shew that none had the nimbus.
It is difficult to distinguish between the catacombs on the Via
Salaria; and as they have all been much damaged and imperfectly
excavated, the opinion of Aringhi that they were originally all one
is probably correct. This of S. Hermes was often called by other
names, from other martyrs interred in it along with him, SS. Basilla,
Protus, and Hyacinthus. S. Hermes is said to have been one of the
martyrs in the third persecution under the Emperor Hadrian (?),
along with Bishop Alexander and others, A.D. 119; S. Basilla in the
eighth persecution, under the Emperors Valerianus and Gallienus,
A.D. 259; Protus and Hyacinthus at the same period; they were
eunuchs and slaves of S. Eugenia. The earliest dated inscription
from this catacomb that is known is of A.D.234; another tomb-
stone is dated 298.
III
b
In the time of Constantine, Bishop Silvester is said to have spent
a large sum in the ornamentation of this catacomb or cemetery, and
reducing it to a better form. We are probably indebted to him for
the subterranean church at the entrance. Some fragments of a marble
sarcophagus ↳ and sculptured foliage of that period are lying about in
it. The cemetery was repaired and restored by Hadrian I., A.D. 772,
and again by Nicholas I., A.D. 860, along with that of Priscilla and
others. The relics of Hermes, Protus, and Hyacinthus appear to
have been translated into Gaul by Gregory IV., A.D. 827, in the time
of Charlemagne, as related by Eginhard; but William of Malmes-
bury states that those of Hermes were carried to the church of
For further particulars respecting
the paintings in the Catacomb of S.
Hermes, see the Appendix, Bosio,
p. 561 to 571. Hermes is not men-
tioned in Anastasius as one of the
martyrs who suffered with S. Alex-
ander; but Eventius and Theodorus
only. The restoration by Hadrian I.
is mentioned (345).
b
Perhaps this was the marble tomb
or sarcophagus of Bishop Silvester
spoken of by William of Malmesbury.
II2
Catacombs.-SS. Saturninus and Thrason.
[SECT.
S. Marcus, in Rome, by the same Pontiff, where they are said still
to remain. Those of Protus and Hyacinthus are also said to have
been translated, by Clement VIII., from the church of S. Salvator
in Rome to the church of S. John Baptist de' Fiorentini in Rome,
and those of S. Basilla to the church of S. Praxedes by Paschal I.
SEPVLCHRVM PROTI M. .
Notwithstanding these distinct statements that the relics of these
martyrs had been translated to various churches centuries ago, in
the year 1845 Father Marchi found distinct proof that at least one
of them had not been moved at all. On a stone enclosing a grave,
unopened, he found the inscription-D P. III. IDVS SEPTEMBR.
YACINTVS. MARTIR., and near it, in moving the earth then just ex-
cavated, he found the fragment of another inscription with the words
In the church of S. Salvatore there is
an inscription on a stone of the pavement stating that the relics of
S. Protus and S. Hyacinthus repose under that stone.
They also
have half of an inscription of Damasus recording the names of Protus
and Hyacinthus, the other half of which is in the church of the Santi
Quattro Coronati, where parts of these relics were placed by Leo IV.
The relics were divided between the two churches, and the stone
was broken in two, half being given to each; but it appears now evi-
dent that no reliance can be placed on the authenticity of the relics
of these martyrs. Here the remains were found in their original place
after, apparently, the most distinct evidence that they had been
removed. De Rossi explains this away in a very clever and ingenious
manner; but the facts remain, and are not very satisfactory to those
who have faith in relics ª.
C
.....
•
The inscription of Damasus, pre-
served in the Einsiedlen Itinerary, re-
cords that SS. Protus and Hyacinthus
were buried here. This catacomb was
then called after S. Stephen the Proto-
martyr, and the road called Via Pincia.
The Chronicle also records that Leo-
pardus presbyter ornamented this cata-
•
SS. SATURNINUS AND THRASON.
The construction of this catacomb has been already described.
(Sect. IV. p. 39.) The chapels or cubicula are mostly small, pro-
bably on account of the hardness of the stone. The paintings are
of the fourth century and later, and the subjects the usual ones:—
the raising of Lazarus, Noah in the ark with two doves, Daniel and
the lions, Moses striking the rock, Tobit and the angel with the fish,
comb, but does not mention the date
of Leopardus; it is probable that he
was of the time of the writer, and
that it is to him we are indebted for
some of the paintings of the eighth
century.
d See De Rossi, and Northcote, pp.
379 to 383.
VIII.]
Via Salaria.-SS. Saturninus and Thrason. 113
the three Children in "the burning fiery furnace." On one of the
tombs in the second corridor are two orantes perfect, female figures
in long robes of a light red colour, with black stripes or borders
resembling stoles, and crowns on their heads; one of these dresses
is very richly ornamented, the other plain. These figures are at each
end of the tomb,-(with Scripture subjects, Jonah under the ivy-bush,
and Moses striking the rock-between them); they are supposed to
be portraits of the persons interred. The drawing of the figures on
this fresco painting, and the costumes of the ladies, clearly indicate
the time of the restoration by Hadrian, A.D. 772. On another tomb,
one of the figures of the same period holds the scroll of an inscrip-
tion, also painted with the words, "Dormitio Silvestri." Some frag-
ments of incised marble inscriptions remain, and pieces of some
terra-cotta lamps, with the recess and shelf for many others and for
the small phials called lachrymatories. There are also in some places
concha shells, one of which has the inside gilt, probably as a re-
flector to a lamp.
S. Thrason is said to have been one of the martyrs in the time of
Diocletian, along with two others, Pontianus and Prætextatus, all
of them Christian labourers in the therma and other works, put to
death by order of Maximianus, c. A.D. 300º. They were all interred
in separate catacombs; and after "the peace of the Church," A.D.
314, chapels were erected in their honour, which were afterwards.
painted and decorated by pious pilgrims. Many of these paintings
remain, though generally much damaged and decayed. It was con-
sidered an honour to be interred near to the remains of a martyr,
as has been stated. This honour was much sought after in the fourth
and fifth centuries, and the families of persons so interred were
naturally willing and anxious to decorate their burial-places. Thrason
is said to have been baptized by Bishop Caius, A.D. 283—296, and
to have been the friend of S. Maximus, a senator and a man in
"Romæ passio S. Thrasonis, qui
cum Christianos laborantes in Thermis
aliisque operibus haberet, jubente Maxi-
miano tentus, cum aliis duobus, Pontiano
et Prætextato, martyrio coronatus est.
(Martyrol. Rom. 11 Dec., ap. Petr. de
Nat., lib. x. cap. 58.)
">
"Eodem die dedit eis capitalem
sententiam subire. Et depositi de
Esquileo ducti sunt Via Nomentana,
milliario secundo; et ibi capite sunt
truncati. Quorum corpora collegit Thra-
son cum Joanne Presbytero, et sepeli-
vit in prædio suo, Via Salaria, sub die
quarto Kalendarum Decembris." (Cod.
e
S. Cæcil.)
f "Maximus autem omnia noctu ve-
nundabat facultatem suam per quendam
amicum suum, Thrasonem, Christianissi-
mum togatum, qui occulte adsidebat,
publice habens in corde suo cum reve-
rentia Religionem Christianam, quem
ante multos annos Caius Episcopus bap-
tizaverat, qui magis gesta Martyrum
Sanctorum colligens ornabat, et omnia
nocturnis temporibus Christianis eroga-
bat, circumiens per vicos et carceres
et custodias." (Cod. S. Cæcil. ap. Petr.
Natal., lib. vii. c. 49.)
I
114
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Priscilla.
power, and of high character. He also supported the Christians, and
helped to feed with his own hands the martyrs Sisinius, Ciriacus,
Smaragdus, and Largus ; and when two other martyrs, SS. Satur-
ninus and Sisinius, were led from the court on the Esquiline, and
beheaded at the second mile on the Via Salaria, he, with John the
priest, collected their remains, and buried them in his meadow in
the same neighbourhood. A church was afterwards erected in honour
of S. Saturninus, over the place where he was buried. This chapel
was also ornamented by Damasus, and the inscription he placed
there is preserved. Tombstones dated A.D. 269 and 279 have been
found in this catacomb. This church of S. Saturninus was restored
by Felix IV., and again by Hadrian I. and Gregory IV.
In a bull of Nicholas IV., preserved in the Vatican archives, cer-
tain indulgences are granted to it, which is then described as in
the cemetery of Priscilla and Basilla: which shews that this of Thra-
son was part of the same extensive Catacomb.
This building being destroyed during the calamitous period, the
body of S. Saturninus was translated to the Titulus of Pammachus,
now called the church of S. John and S. Paul, and his head to the
Titulus of Eudoxia, now known as of S. Peter ad vincula. The
bodies of S. Sisinius and S. Thrason were translated by Sergius II. to
the Titulus of Equitius, now S. Martino ai Monti".
S. PRISCILLA.
The construction of this catacomb has been partly described in our
chapter on that subject. One entrance to it, not now used, is through
an ancient arenarium or sand-pit gallery, with the catacomb made
under it in some parts, and corridors on the same level in other parts.
In some places the passages or corridors are cut in the rock, leading
from the sand-pit to the catacomb, but have no tombs cut in them,
though evidently prepared for this purpose. Some of the tombs are
unopened, and two of them have names painted in red on the tiles
g "In ipso itaque tempore erat vir
Christianissimus, nomine Thrason, vir
potens, et facultatibus locuples, et vita
fidelis. Hic cum vidisset affligi Chris-
tianos in fatigatione et labore, cœpit
de sua facultate sanctis Martyribus
alimoniam et victum ministrare per
manus virorum Christianorum Sisinii,
Ciriaci, et Smaragdi, et Largi." (Cod.
S. Cæcil.)
For further information respecting
this catacomb, see the Appendix tö
Marangoni, de Cemeterio Sanctorum
Thrasonis et Saturnini; also his Disser-
tazioni, &c. Faenza, 1785, 4to. 2 vols.
i See Sect. IV.
The old specus of an aqueduct passes
through the sand-pit, near the en-
trance, as previously mentioned; it is a
tunnel cut out of the rock, of the usual
dimensions, 6 ft. deep and nearly 3 ſt.
wide, but filled up to more than half
its depth with a bed of fine clay, evi-
dently a deposit from the muddy water
passing through it.
VIII.]
that cover the aperture. There is nothing to indicate any very early
date for the catacomb, none of the paintings appearing to be earlier
than the time of the restoration by John I., A.D. 523. Most of those
published by Bosio and others after him remain, but generally in
a bad state, much damaged in various ways, and often very black.
According to the Roman legends, Priscilla is said to have been the
mother of Pudens; and as this catacomb is named after her, and
the chapel in which the paintings are found is the first after descend-
ing the steps into the catacomb, after a passage only, it would seem
probable that this was the burial-place of the person after whom the
catacomb is named. It is, however, stated in Anastasius that
this cemetery was made by S. Marcellus, A.D. 307. The whole
legendary history of this cemetery and chapel is of very doubtful
authority; there is no evidence that it was the burying-place of the
Pudens family, or that the paintings relate to them.
k
These are on the walls on either side and over the doorway;
on the right hand, they represent a lady coming out of a wooden
house or cottage, with a curtain over the door, she then appears in
the centre of the picture standing as an orante, with her arms raised
in the attitude of prayer. This figure is called a Madonna, without
any apparent reason. She is next represented in conversation with
two men, their hands extended horizontally as addressing her; on
the opposite side, she is again placed in the centre of the picture
as an orante; on her left hand are two figures, one of whom appears
to be leading her forward. On the left, she comes again between
two male figures, apparently two Apostles, leading her into heaven,
a well-known subject in the catacombs both in the paintings and in
the figures on the glasses. The drawing of the figures is extremely
rude, not at all like the beautiful works of art in the Pagan tombs
of the first or second century in Rome, such as those in the Pyramid
of Cestius or in the tombs on the Via Latina. The costume is singu-
larly plain; the male figures wear the tunic only, without any border
or stole, and the tunic is so short that the bare legs are shewn.
The female figures are attired in long plain robes covering the feet;
all the dresses are tinged with a pale red colour', but there is no
other colouring.
Via Salaria Nova.-S. Priscilla.
k "Marcellus fuit autem tem-
poribus Constantii et Galerii et Maxentii,
e consulatu Maxentii quarto et Maximi
usque ad consulatum.
Hic rogavit
quamdam matronam nomine Priscillam,
et fecit cœemeteria Via Salaria. . . . Cujus
corpus collegit beata Lucina, et sepe-
•
115
livit in cœmeterio Priscilla, Via Sala-
ria," &c. (Anastas., xxxi. 31.)
It may be well to mention that,
according to a statute of Pope Euty-
chianus (A.D. 275-283), no martyr
should be buried without a purple dal-
matic or tunic. See Anastas., xxviii. 28.
I 2
116
[SECT.
Catacombs.-S. Priscilla.
Another entrance was at some distance from the present one,
by a flight of steps, which remain, though the upper part is blocked
up with a wall and earth, and it can only be seen from below, near
the chapel called the Cappella Greca, said to be that of the Pudens
family. In the wall by the side of the steps is a brick arch of the
third century, with later alterations; and in the catacomb itself, near
the chapel, a wall of the third century can be seen behind later
work attributed to Bishop Damasus. Many of the decorations of
the chapels appear to be of his time, or later, probably of the
time of John I., A.D. 523, who renewed it, as we have shewn in
our Chronological Table.
Upon the end wall, on a low arch, are the three Children in "the
burning fiery furnace." The arch is ornamented with stucco patterns
of rude, shallow, clumsy work, of the third or fourth century. On
the floor of this are the fragments of a small sarcophagus, also of the
fourth century, with shallow carvings, among which is Jonah under
the gourd, and on another the whale or dolphin, of the usual type.
The lines of ornament dividing the panels on the wall are broad and
flat, some hollow in the stucco, others painted red, quite different
from the thin lines, or the double lines of the first century. On
the floor of the chapel are many fragments of the large tiles of the
Empire, some of which bear stamps upon them.
One chapel near that of the Pudens family has the remains of
an altar in it, sufficient to shew the old arrangement; it is about
thirteen feet square, with the altar in an apse projecting from it;
a sarcophagus has been used for this purpose. There is an opening
at one end of this for the priest to pass, and just room enough for
him to stand in the apse behind it; he must have officiated behind
the altar, as was the custom in all the early churches before the
fourth century. The chapel is very plain, but has been a platonia,
that is, had the walls covered entirely with slabs or plates of marble.
Some portions of them remain, and the plaster has evidently had
marble plates fixed up against it, both from the appearance of
the plaster and from the nails, many of which remain projecting
from it; unless in this, as in the adjoining chapel, plates of hard
stucco were used instead of marble. The fact of their having
been all carried away to be used elsewhere, indicates however that
in this chapel rich marble was used; in the other, where the imita-
tion was used, it was suffered to remain. It may probably be of the
end of the third century or the beginning of the fourth. It is full of
graves in all parts, even behind the altar, which was itself probably
the tomb of a martyr; and as the chapel of the Pudens family opens
Via Salaria Nova.-S. Priscilla.
VIII.]
out of this, S. Priscilla may very probably have been interred here,
if the legendary history can be relied on.
117
This chapel is oblong, and forms a passage between the one
where the altar remains, and another larger one, called a basilica,
with three apses, one at the end, and one on each side, forming the
head and arms of a cross; these may have been merely arched
tombs, or may have had altars in them (of which, however, there
are no traces). On the vault of one of these are two inscriptions,
painted in Greek characters. The left hand transept is square, and
not rounded at the end, as the other two are.
The paintings on the vault are the Good Shepherd; on the walls
or sides of the vault are four orantes, and the same number of birds,
perhaps doves. The lines dividing the panels are here thinner, and
some of them in dots; this is of earlier character than the others.
In another chapel is a painting representing three barrels of wine,
two on the ground, the third being carried by seven men to shew its
large size; this painting is probably of the sixth century. In an-
other chapel, with the Good Shepherd in the centre of the vault,
as usual, is a Madonna seated with the Child in her arms, and one
of the Magi; the rest of the painting is mutilated. This painting
appears to be of the same period.
Part of this catacomb seems to have been used as a sand-pit
gallery again, after it had been deserted as a catacomb, and the
graves have been cut away to widen the passage to admit carts.
Although this catacomb is very extensive, it is all nearly on a level;
but in one part, near the chapel of the Pudens family, there is
a lower gallery of earlier character, in a very bad state, not altered
or restored as the upper part is. There is, indeed, a fine staircase
made to it, with a balustrade of pierced marble, in imitation™ of
the work of the early Emperors; but this grand approach is only
for theatrical effect in a picture of it, and leads to nothing but the
ruined old catacomb.
An inscription of the year 204, from the gravestone of a loculus in
this catacomb, was published by Signor de Rossi. In the excava-
tions made by him in 1870 in the catacomb of Priscilla, many other
inscriptions were found, some of them in Greek, others in Latin,
sometimes painted with vermillion on the tiles with which the graves
m Allegorical meanings are attached
to this subject by one party, while an-
other considers it only as the burial-
place of a wine-merchant.
For more
full particulars of the paintings in the
catacomb of S. Priscilla, see the Ap-
pendix, Bosio, Roma Sotterranea, p. 489
to 557, and Perret, les Catacombes de
Rome, vol. iii. p. 1 to 13.
n An engraving of this imitation is
given by Signor de Rossi in his Roma
Sotterranea.
118
[SECT. VIII.
Catacombs.-S. Felicitas.
or loculi are closed. A mixture of Greek and Latin inscriptions
has often been seen before º, and such remain in the Jews' catacomb.
They indicate a late date rather than an early one, probably the
fourth century.
Panvinius calls the catacomb "Sa Priscilla alias S. Marcelli papæ,
Via Salaria veteri," also "Novella," at the third mile on the Via
Salaria. These two ancient roads-the Via Salaria Vetus and Nova-
are in parts near together and the catacombs between them, so that
it is impossible to say to which road each belongs.
S. FELICITAS.
The catacomb of S. Felicitas is about half-a-mile outside of the
Porta Salaria on the Via Salaria Nova, to the right hand in going
from Rome. It was restored in 419 by S. Boniface, in 523 by John I.,
and in 772 by Hadrian I.
The Via Salaria Vetus appears to be the road called by William of
Malmesbury Porciniana, (evidently an error for Pinciana,) of which
he gives the following account :—
"The third is called the Porcinian gate, and the way the same; but where it
joins to the Salarian, it loses its name, and there, nearly in the spot which is called
Cucumeris, lie the martyrs Festus, Johannes, Liberalis, Diogenes, Blastus, Lucina,
and in one sepulchre, the two hundred and sixty", in another, the thirty 9."
• The number of Greek inhabitants
and Greek soldiers in Rome in the third
century, just before the transfer of the
seat of Empire to Byzantium, is in-
dicated in many ways, such as the
graffiti or names scratched in the plas-
ter of the walls of the barracks of the
guards. Of course many of these must
have died in Rome, and the Catacombs
were then the usual place of burial.
It does not follow that they were Chris-
tians; they may or may not have been
so; there is abundant evidence that
many Christian martyrs and other Chris-
tians were interred there, without any
necessity for proving that all who were
buried there were martyrs, or even
Christians.
P The two hundred and sixty are
said to have been shot with arrows in
the amphitheatre, by order of Claudius.
See our Chronological Table, A. D. 290.
The thirty suffered under Diocle-
tian. (William of Malmesbury, p. 421.)
IX. CATACOMBS OF THE JEWS.
JEWS' CATACOMB, VIA APPIA.
On the opposite side of the road to the catacomb of S. Sebastian,
and a little nearer to Rome, is the catacomb of the Jews, discovered
or re-opened only in 1860. It is more perfect than most of the
others, more things being left in their original places; and it contains
two painted chapels of early character, as good as any that have been
found in the other catacombs. Nearly all the inscriptions have the
seven-branched candlestick, the distinctive mark of the Jews, and many
more of these tombstones also are left in their places than in any
of the others. There are several sarcophagi, one of which appears to
be distinctly Pagan, having among the sculptures a figure holding
the inverted torch; another appears to be Christian, with a figure
of Christ in the act of benediction. The paintings in one of the
painted chapels are of the second century; there is nothing in
them that is distinctly Jewish, and some of the emblems are
those usually considered as Christian, such as the peacock, two
birds with a vase between them, and others. Several of the in-
scriptions have the palm-branch, usually said to be the mark of
a martyr, but also one of the characteristics of a Jew. One of the
family chapels (cubicula) in this catacomb has a palm-tree painted
on each of the four corners, and many of the slabs have the palm-
branch incised upon them, sometimes on the same slab as the seven-
branched candlestick, or candelabrum. Most of the inscriptions are
rudely cut in Greek letters; but the words of some are Latin, of
others Hebrew, and some are Hebrew in the Latin characters.
r The Jews' catacomb described by
Bosio and Aringhi (cap. 18), is the one
on the Via Portuensis, on the other side
of the Tiber; and they do not mention
another on this road, where two have
since been found.
8 This well-known emblem of a Jew,
which is seen in sculpture on the Arch
of Titus as a characteristic of the nation,
has its origin in Scripture, according
to the description in the Book of Ex-
odus, xxv. 31, 32, and in Zechariah,
chap. iv. ver. 2, 3. The two olive-trees
mentioned in that chapter as on each
side of the candlestick, are also some-
times represented both on the incised
tombstones and on the gilt patterns on
glass vases found in the Jews' cata-
comb. There is an engraving of one
in the pamphlet of Padre Garrucci, pub-
lished at Rome soon after the discovery.
The inscriptions on the tombstones, and
other emblems incised upon them, are
given in the same work, entitled “Ci-
mitero degli antichi Ebrei scoperto re-
centemente in Vigna Randanini, illus-
trato per Raffaele Garrucci, D. C. D. G.”
Roma, Svo., 1862.
On a coin of Vespasian is a figure
of Judea weeping under a palm-tree.
See Fr. W. Madden, History of Jewish
Coinage, &c., pp. 183–196.
I 20
[SECT.
Catacombs.
At the principal entrance" is a chamber, now uncovered, but ori-
ginally vaulted, with a good mosaic pavement, in which are drains.
for letting water run off. This appears to have been the place for
washing the bodies, and in the adjoining chamber was a lavatory
for ablution, now destroyed. The greater part of the catacomb is,
as usual, merely dug out of the soft rock, and of course has nothing.
to indicate a date, nor are there any dates to the inscriptions; but
what architectural character there is in the upper part belongs to
the first century, as well as the brickwork of the recesses round the
washing-chamber, with a wall of reticulated masonry, and several
doorways of ashlar. Here also each successive corridor one under
the other is of a later date, and considerably later. In this cata-
comb the same system of family burying-places is employed as in
the others; and it appears that in cases of intermarriages it was
considered that the right of sepulture in the family burying-place
was not forfeited. Respecting the Pagan sarcophagi in some of the
chapels, it has been suggested that these may have been used again,
as the remains of many Christian bishops of the twelfth and thir-
teenth centuries are found in rich Pagan sarcophagi, for instance
at Salerno; but this implies that the catacomb was used at a much
later period than is probable. Another suggestion is that the sarco-
phagi were an article of manufacture kept ready made, and that one
may have been bought in a hurry without considering the Pagan
emblems upon it; but it does not seem likely that any Jew would
be so careless in such a matter. At another entrance, now used as
the exit, is a wall of the fourth century, so that it appears to have
continued in use for the first four centuries, and not to have been
exclusively, though chiefly, confined to the Jews.
In some parts of the catacomb, the loculi or holes for bodies are
arranged in such a manner that one end is towards the passage,
as in the catacomb of the Scipios, instead of the side, as usual
in the Christian catacombs; sometimes both plans are adopted within
a few yards of each other. Ledges are cut or built for placing three
or four coffins, one over the other, in the same vault; and in some
places bodies are buried in the floor of the passages.
In most parts
there are indications of great poverty, and a crowding of the bodies
to save expense. The same may be observed in most of the Chris-
tian catacombs also.
"Near the entrance to this catacomb,
and in the same vineyard, is a square
tomb of the first century of the Chris-
tian era, of excellent brickwork, with
scarcely any mortar between the joints.
Within are niches for figures, some
round-headed, others square.
IX.]
The Jews' Catacomb on the Via Portuensis.
THE JEWS' CATACOMB ON THE VIA PORTUENSIS.
The hill in which this catacomb is situated is part of the Monte
Verde, or Janiculum, outside of the Porta Portuensis, or Portese, in
the Trastevere, near the quarter formerly occupied by the Jews,
where the hired house of S. Paul is said by some authorities to
have been situated. This catacomb is described by Bosio (lib. i.
c. 18), but is now covered up again.
During his researches he found, in 1602, another catacomb on
this road, in a hill on the bank of the Tiber, called Rosato, with
several inscriptions or tombstones of the Jews, and the seven-
branched candlestick both on the tombstones and on lamps. It
was of very rude and early construction, and the inscriptions were
also rude, in Greek characters, but not always Greek words; the name
of the Synagoga occurs.
121
Philo Judæus mentions that in his time the Jews of Rome resided
in the Trastevere, and the situation of this catacomb was therefore
convenient for them. It is mentioned in the Itinerary of Benjamin
of Tudela ", who says that ten martyrs were interred in it, but does
not mention their names, or whether they were Jews or Christians,
and nothing more is known about them.
Holstein, a canon of the Vatican, who was one of the most
learned men of his day, c. A.D. 1650, and who had studied the sub-
ject, considered that they were Jews put to death under Hadrian ;
but no persecution in his time is recorded by Eusebius, or any other
Christian historian, as far as has been observed. Holstein, however,
said that he found them mentioned, with their names, in a Jewish
service-book or martyrology, called Manzor.
In 1866, another catacomb for the Jews was partially excavated in
the Vigna Cimarra, on the Via Appia, just beyond S. Sebastiano. The
،،
Magnam partem urbis Romæ
trans Tiberim, non ignoravit teneri et
habitari à Judæis, quorum plerique
erant libertini," &c. (Philonis Judæi,
de Virtutibus, Opera ed. Mangey, vol.
ii. p. 568, 1. 27. Fol. Lond. 1742.)
Est etiam crypta altera juxta
Tiberis fluvii ripam, in qua sepulti sunt
decem justi occisi regni (delendi caussa)."
(Benjamini Tudelensis Itinerarium ex
versione Aria Montani, &c. Lipsix,
MDCCLXIV., 8vo. p. 21.)
W "C
We quote this translation, although
we are aware that it is very bad. (See
E. Carmoly, Notice historique sur Ben-
jamin de Tudèle, &c., p. 18. Bruxelles,
1858, Svo. The Peregrinations of Ben-
jamin the Sonne of Jonas, a Jew, written
in Hebrew, translated into English from
the Latin version of Arias Montanus,
had appeared in Harris's Collection of
Voyages and Travels, vol. i. pp. 546--
555 (fol., London, 1744-48); they were
again translated into English and edited
by A. Asher at Berlin in 1840, 2 vols.
8vo.
122
Catacombs.
[SECT.
seven-branched candlestick and other emblems and inscriptions found
there leave no room for doubt that it was for Jews, but it appears to have
been of small extent and extremely poor. The soil is clay, which is not.
well suited for a catacomb, and it has more the appearance of having
been the burial-place of a particular family than a general one.
The glass vases represented in the fifth plate of the work of
Father Garrucci are evidently taken from the Jews' catacomb *, from
the subjects represented on them. They all have the candlestick
of seven branches, and the arch or tabernacle guarded by two lions,
with wine-pots, drinking-horns, and scrolls. One of the best of these
is now preserved in the Museum of Borgia, at the Propaganda; in
this the lions are under curtains, in festoons.
Under the upper
picture are large candelabra, with lamps burning at the top of each
branch; in the centre, between the two candelabra, is a palm-branch.
On each of the outer sides of the stem of the candelabra is a wine-
pot, and between them a drinking-horn and a cedar-tree (?). This
picture is enclosed in a square border ornamented with a series of
round studs, alternately large, coloured red, and small, coloured blue.
These colours are repeated on the candelabra; the ground of the
panel is light red. Over the picture are the words in Roman
capitals, PIE. ZESES. ELARES, that is to say, pie zeses hilaris, the
aspirated / being omitted, and the i being changed into e, according
to the vulgar pronunciation in Rome.
X. CATACOMBS WITHIN THE WALLS OF ROME.
In addition to the catacombs or subterranean cemeteries in the
environs of Rome, mentioned in the Pontifical Registers, several of
the crypts or vaults under the churches, within the walls of Rome,
are also called Catacombs; but these were only the places to which
the bones and relics of the persons interred in the Catacombs, pro-
perly so called, were brought for safety, at the time of the invasion
of the Lombards in the eighth century. At that period, the Cata-
combs had been discontinued as places of interment; for two or three
centuries, it had become customary to bury the dead in and under
the churches within the walls, at least persons of importance, and the
× Vetri ornati di figure in oro trovati
nei cimiteri dei Cristiani primitivi di
Roma, &c. Fol. Roma, 1858, pp. 14–
19. See also Buonarotti, Osservazioni
sopra alcuni frammenti di vasi antichi
di vetro, &c. Fol. min. Firenze, 1716,
tav. iii., and Perret, les Calacombes de
Rome, xxiv. 23.
Catacombs within the Walls.
x.]
monks in their own cloisters. The great burial-ground of S. Lorenzo,
called the Campo Santo, is modern; the pits are of the years 1836
and 1837, but they are no longer used. At one period it was usual
to consider all the persons buried in the Catacombs as saints or
martyrs; their relics were eagerly sought for, and for that reason per-
haps the Lombards rifled and destroyed the Catacombs at the time
of their siege of Rome. Great efforts were made by the bishops and
clergy to preserve what were left, and large numbers were brought to
Rome and re-interred in vaults or crypts built for the purpose. Altars
and chapels were made at the entrances of those crypts, and richly
decorated. It was expected that the pilgrimages would have been
transferred from the original vaults in which the saints had been
interred, to these new vaults in Rome itself; but this appears to
have been only partially the case. The original Catacombs were also
restored and re-painted for the benefit of the pilgrims, as soon as
peace was restored, and these are for the most part the paintings in
the Catacombs now visible. They are larger and finer than the
original frescoes of the fourth and fifth centuries, which are always.
small, and very poor as works of art. Those of the eighth and ninth
centuries are not copies of the old ones, but are in the style of
their own period, corresponding with the mosaic pictures in the
churches in Rome, and executed by the same persons.
The catacombs in Rome had, however, a certain celebrity, and
were objects for pilgrimages at a time when the original Catacombs
had been forgotten and were no longer accessible. One of the
largest of these so-called Roman catacombs is under the altar and
presbytery of the church of S. Praxedes, now called S. Prassede;
the long passage which formed the vestibule of this great crypt
is still open, and has an altar with rich decorations renewed in the
thirteenth century, as shewn by the ornamentations in Cosmati mo-
saic work, in bands round the altar frontal, and on the edges of the
sarcophagi of the saints, placed on either side of this passage. The
walls and flat roof of the passage are built of slabs of stone and
marble brought from the old Catacombs, some with the inscrip-
tions visible, others with the inscriptions turned inwards, and there-
fore hidden. These slabs have been used merely as old building
materials, and were covered over with stucco ornament, some of
which remains.
123
The monastery and church of S. Prassede were entirely built or
rebuilt in the time of Paschal I., probably, among other objects, in
order to receive these relics. It was an offshoot from, and closely
connected with, the monastery and church of S. Pudentiana, the
124
[SECT.
Catacombs.
sister of S. Praxedes, and in the crypt of that church also a large
number of relics from the Catacombs were re-interred. It is probable
that the whole of those which then remained in the catacomb of S.
Priscilla, were removed for safety to these two churches. Inscriptions.
in one church state that 3,000 martyrs are interred under the altar,
and 2,300 in the other. Bosio and Aringhi have a chapter on this
subject, and give the inscriptions. The well in the church of S.
Pudentiana probably represents the original well in the catacomb, as
in other instances the Miracle Play repeated every year gradually
led the representation to be mistaken for the original, without any
intention to deceive in the first instance; and then, after ages of
ignorance, it is difficult to make people see the real meaning.
Under the choir and presbytery of the church of S. Maria in
Cosmedin, is another large crypt of this description, with a series of
arched recesses or niches in each side, and shelves for the caskets
which contained the relics. These were afterwards removed to some
cupboards in the wall of the presbytery, behind the altar, in the upper
church; but once a year, on the festival day, they are still exhibited,
and the crypt is lighted up for the occasion.
It is hardly necessary to mention that by the law of the Twelve
Tables any interment within the city of Rome was strictly prohibited,
and this law was rigidly enforced until after the time of Constantine ;
but under the government of the Church this was relaxed, and some
churches, especially that of Ara Cœli, became fashionable burying-
places. The earliest persons permitted to be buried within the city,
are said to have been the martyrs John and Paul, who were executed
by order of Julian the Apostate. They had been officers of the Im-
perial household, and resided in a part of the Claudium. Their
bodies were allowed to be buried in their own house, and a church
was built on the site where the present church stands.
It appears that in the fifth and sixth centuries, when the extra-
mural catacombs were going out of use, a large burial-ground was
formed in the locality where the church of S. Bibiana was built, and
this was another place to which large quantities of the bones from
the Catacombs were transferred. It is mentioned by Camerarius
and Manlius, and is thus described: "Cometerium ad Ursum
Pileatum, ad Sanctam Bibianam "." The bones of the martyrs in the
Julian persecution, Flavianus and Fabianus, are said to have been
Aringhi, Roma Subterranea, lib.
iii. c. 38.
z This must, however, have been a
mistake, as the "Ursum Pileatum" is
known to have been on the Via Portu-
ensis, at the entrance to the catacomb
of Pontianus, as is mentioned in Anas-
tasius, cvii. 601.
Catacombs within the Walls.
x.]
interred here; this is mentioned in the acts of the martyrdom of
S. Bibiana, who was herself buried here, with her mother, Dafrosa,
and her sister, Demetria, all martyrs in the same persecution. In-
scriptions in the church record that their bodies were found here in
the time of Simplicius, and re-interred by Honorius III. and Urban
VIII. Their relics were put into a sarcophagus under the high
altar in 1626, and statues made by Bernini. Another inscription
states that 5,266 bodies of martyrs were interred here, exclusive of
women and children. These were translated from the catacomb of
SS. Peter and Marcellinus. It is stated on another inscription that
the holy martyrs, Simplicius, Faustina, and Beatrix, are also interred
here, with 4,257 bodies of saints, besides women and children.
The martyrs Abdon and Sennen are said to have been buried in
a leaden coffin by Quirinus, the sub-deacon, in his own house, near
the amphitheatre, in the time of Claudius, and to have been removed,
in that of Constantine, to the catacomb of S. Pontianus, where the
paintings of them now remain; but these are of the eighth century.
Other instances of second interments of martyrs within the city are
mentioned, but all on very doubtful authority, as to the identifica-
tion of these relics, or the proofs of their being those of martyrs.
XI. CATACOMBS OF NAPLES.
125
Ch
THE catacombs of Naples help to throw considerable light on those
of Rome: we can see that they are much finer than those at Rome,
although only a comparatively small portion of them is visible.
They are made in a harder kind of tufa: consequently the corri-
dors are wider and higher, the chapels larger, and they are not so
dirty as most of those at Rome. There is no appearance of any
concealment in the matter, each being a hall of considerable size
supported on columns cut in the tufa.
a Aringhi, Roma Subterranea novis-
sima, lib. iii. c. 37.
This is now called S. Gennaro de'
Poveri, the monastery adjoining having
long been converted into a poorhouse.
The building is late medieval with a
b
The original entrance was through the church of S. Gennaro ;
but the connection has long been cut off, and at present it is
through the broken cliff of the ancient stone-quarry, and has a
rather rough appearance; it is seen at once that the corridors
double cloister, one over the other, and
the plan is long and narrow, not square
as was usual; it is a very picturesque
building. These catacombs were also
called extra mania, because they were
outside the walls of the town.
126
Catacombs.
[SECT.
are far more lofty and spacious than those of Rome, though the
arco-solia and the paintings are of much the same character. There
are remains of paintings on what is now the external wall, which
has originally been covered over; the general effect of the present
entrance is striking, and immediately attracts interest, and a desire
to explore further º.
The present vestibule is also of a good size, and has a vault
painted in the style of Pompeii, evidently of the same period, the
first half-century of the Christian era, some of the paintings being
distinctly Pagan. This has been plastered over, and a second set.
of the eighth century painted over it; but this second coat of plaster
has not adhered well, and has fallen off over nearly the whole ex-
tent, leaving the original painting fresh and nearly perfect. The
corridors themselves are not painted, but a few tombs in them are
so, as well as many family chapels. These also have columns at
the entrance, on each side of the door, better worked and more
distinct than those in Rome, arising probably from the material
being better. One corridor is called the Tombs of the Nobles,
and the loculi are finer and better worked than the rest. Amongst
these is a painted tomb of the time of Constantine, with pictures.
of that prince and his mother, S. Helena, which appear contem-
poraneous, with his badge, the labarum, and an inscription, ITALIA
IN PACE. In the next corridor is the chapel of S. Gennaro, or
Januarius, who was martyred under Diocletian in the tenth per-
secution at the end of the third century, and was interred with
pomp under Constantine; the paintings in the chapel of this cor-
ridor are possibly soon after his time, and this was probably his
burying-place. A church was afterwards erected in his honour at the
entrance of the catacomb. Other chapels in another corridor have
paintings of the eighth century, among which is a Holy Family and
SS. Peter and Paul; another has figures of saints, with the names
of Desiderius and Agatius. There is also a good painting of a pea-
cock, with vases and flowers, of earlier character.
In the upper chapel, near the entrance, is a seat cut out of the
tufa rock, like what is called the bishops' seat in one of the cata-
combs at Rome; this is called the chair of S. Severus.
d
These catacombs at Naples are said by tradition to be the work
с
Signor de Gennaro Galante, of
Naples, has long had a work in hand
on the Christian antiquities of that city.
It is expected to throw new light on the
subject, which has hitherto been much
neglected.
d A description of these Catacombs,
and a dissertation upon them in Ger-
man, was published in 1839, by Ch. Fr.
Bellermann, with this title: "Ueber
die ältesten christlichen Begräbnissstät-
ten und besonders die Katakomben zu
XI.]
Catacombs of Naples.
of Greek settlers. This kind of burial is an Oriental custom brought
to Europe by the Jews and the Byzantine Greeks.
There is a series of family burying-places or cubicula or cœmeteria,
down each side of the corridors, always said to be burying-places
of families, and in several instances the names of the families are
mentioned by the guide, on pure tradition. The paintings of these
shew that they belong to several distinct periods, from the first
century down to the ninth. Several are of the eighth and ninth,
and original, that is, not painted over others, but on the original
and only coat of plaster. One of the arco-solia, near the entrance, is
inscribed ossVARIO, and has the arch enriched with mosaics in pat-
terns only, a star within a circle, just like one at Pompeii. This
Neapel," &c. Hamburg, 1839, 4to.,
with 12 coloured plates and two plans.
The following is a list of the plates,
which are important, because the greater
part of the paintings there given are no
longer visible :-
P
I. View of the entrance hall or
chapel (?), called the vestibule.
2. A partition-wall in the lower story
with loculi, and an arco-solium with a
painting of the peacock.
3. Vault of the vestibule of the lower
story, with an early pattern upon it of
circles, &c., and with birds and animals
on the side walls.
4. Drawings of birds, vases, and ani-
mals (lions, stags, panthers, &c.), on
a partition-wall of the upper story.
5. i. Adam and Eve. ii. An un-
finished tower of medieval character,
with battlements, and with three female
figures in the act of building it, possibly
alluding to the third vision in the Pastor
of Hermas. See Galland, Biblioth. Vet.
Patr., t. i. p. 63, seq.
6. A cubiculum in the upper story,
painted with an anchor, a dove, two
dolphins, and a goat, with a shepherd's
staff and a drinking-mug hanging to it.
7. Figures of S. Paul with a scroll,
and S. Laurence with his crown of mar-
tyrdom in his hand. These figures have
not the nimbus, and the inscriptions are
of an early character. This painting is
probably of the fifth century.
8. An arco-solium, with figures of
three persons buried in it; a man, and
two children, one aged fourteen, the
other two.
i. ILARIVS. VIX. AN. XIV. . .
ii. ELINVS. MARCELLINVS (?) VIX.
iii. NONNOSA. VIX(it) AN(nos) 11.
....
M(enses) X.
127
9. Figures in two pictures.
1. HIC REQVIESC. PROCVLVS. The
head, with hands uplifted, stand-
ing between two candlesticks.
2. A group of three figures. In the
centre a tall figure with the in-
scription,-
SANCTO MARTYRI JANVARIO.
:
10. A painting in the chapel of the
martyrs three figures much mutilated.
In the centre a bishop with his pall;
he has the nimbus, and was probably
a martyr. On either side is a female
figure addressing him.
II. Two figures. i. A bishop with
his pall. ii. A deacon.
The costumes of these figures in 10,
11, and 12, belong rather to the Greek
than the Roman Church. The paint-
ings are probably of the eighth century.
12. A head of Christ in the attitude
of benediction, and two lamps of the
fourth century, such as are common in
all the catacombs. Lights to be burnt
before the dead, were forbidden by the
Council of Illiberis in A.D. 305, but
recommended by Athanasius in A. D.
373.
There is also a good description of
the Catacombs of Naples in Keyss-
ler's Travels (Reisebeschreibungen, th. ii.
p. 796, ff.), translated from the second
edition of the German, and published
in London in four quarto volumes in
1756.
See also Notizie sulle cripte mor-
tuarie dell Catacombe di S. Gennaro
de' Poveri, del Can. Andrea di Jorio,
in a periodical, Progresso delle scienze,
lettere ed arti, 1833, fasc. 7, and pub-
lished separately.
128
[SECT. XI.
Catacombs.
is in the earlier part, near the entrance, and in that part some of
the family tombs are distinctly Pagan. Others are as evidently
Christian, of various periods down to the ninth century.
In 1866, a cubiculum was found dug out of the chalk-rock in
a sort of side chapel of the church of S. Severus, which is supposed
to have had a communication with the great catacomb of S. Gen-
naro. It was painted with figures of saints of the usual style of the
Catacombs, with the names inscribed of SANCTVS EVTYC(hes) and
SANCTVS PROTASIVS. An account of this discovery was given in
the Bullettino of De Rossi for 1867. The paintings are attributed
to the fourth century, but appear far more like the restoration of
the time of Pope Hadrian in the eighth.
The Commendatore de Rossi, who has been well acquainted with
the Catacombs of Rome from his boyhood, and has now for several
years had charge of them for the Pontifical Government, also takes
a natural interest in those of other countries, and his Bullettino is
full of information on the subject. When anything fresh is ob-
served, it is sure to be found there; but the subject is obviously too
wide to be entered upon here. In the neighbourhood of Rome, he
has accounts of them at Ostia and at Porto, in his fourth volume,
and at Albano, Aricia, and Bovilla, in his seventh. He has also
notice of others in Egypt, at Catana, Cesarea in Mauritania, Chiusi
in Etruria, Cumena in Phrygia, and Milan, besides these in Naples,
which are only equalled by those in the ancient latomia of Syracusa,
hewn out in hard and compact calcareous stone, which had supplied
materials for so many fine edifices.
è Bullettino di Archeologia Cristiana, 1867, pp. 73, 74.
XII. CHURCHES OUTSIDE THE WALLS CONNECTED
WITH THE CATACOMBS.
VIA OSTIENSIS. CHURCH OF S. PAUL OUTSIDE THE WALLS.
THIS celebrated church is one of the great Patriarchal Basilicas
of Rome, or what we should call Metropolitical Cathedrals, which
were so largely endowed by Constantine out of the imperial estates
in the Campagna and elsewhere. It is also a parochial church,
and has a monastery of Benedictines attached to it, governed by
an abbot, and therefore called an abbey. The church is said in
the Martyrologies to have been originally founded in A.D. 254, under
Pope Cornelius, on the occasion of the finding of the bodies of SS.
Peter and Paul by the Roman lady, Lucina, on her farm, or in
her family catacomb near this spot. Independent writers consider all
this story as a fable, a pious fraud invented by the priests, asserting
that this and some other passages were inserted in the Pontifical
Records by Anastasius, who was the most skilful forger of manu-
scripts of his day. Another of these passages of apocryphal character
is that relating to Pope Silvester and the Emperor Constantine,
A.D. 314. In this it is stated that S. Paul's was one of the eight
churches which Constantine made in Rome.
At the same time he is said to have made churches at Ostia, Albano,
Capua, and Naples. It has been usually supposed that this expression,
fecit basilicas istas, means that he built churches at all those places; but
as no work of his time has been observed in any of them (excepting
at S. Croce in the Sessorium, where his mother resided), it seems more
probable that he only endowed them by attaching a grand cathedral
establishment to each, leaving the canons to build the churches and
houses for themselves out of the handsome income with which he
had endowed them. As he gave to each some square miles of the
then rich and fertile land of the Campagna, they had ample funds.
to build all that they required for many years after his death. He
could not anticipate that in time all those fertile lands would be
f Constantine is also said to have
enclosed the relics of the Apostle in
a bronze sarcophagus, three hundred
years after his martyrdom: "Eodem
tempore fecit Augustus Constantinus
K
basilicam beato Paulo apostolo ex sug-
gestione Silvestri episcopi. Cujus corpus
sanctum ita recondidit in ære et con-
clusit, sicut et B. Petri," &c. (Anas-
tasius, xxxiv. 40.)
130
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
[SECT.
converted into a desert, or at best pasture-land for sheep and cattle
during part of the year only. By neglecting to repair the aqueducts
and the drains, the whole of the admirable system of irrigation and
drainage established under the Empire has been destroyed, and by
the malaria, or poisonous smells of decaying vegetable and putrifying
matter, this splendid establishment has been rendered uninhabitable
during the greater part of the year. The great cathedral is only
used publicly three times in each winter season; the Benedictine
monks use one of the small chapels for their daily services.
The bodies of S. Peter and S. Paul are said to have been interred
under the high altar of this church; and their heads were translated,
the one to S. Peter's Church, and the other to the Lateran. An in-
scription records that the bodies were re-interred there by Silvester
when the church was built or rebuilt, that is, made into a church
from a mere burial chapel.
The bones of several martyrs are also said to lie in this church,
and their memory is recorded on inscriptions :-SS. Bridgetta, Timo-
theus, Julianus, Basilissa, Celsus, and Martianilla, under one altar;
the date of their martyrdom does not appear. Others have the names
of the consuls, which thus are dated, Mandrosa, Anicius Faustus,
cons. A.D. 298. There are several inscriptions on tombs, with the
names of consuls of the fifth century; but these are after the time of
the persecutions. Two fine sarcophagi of the fourth century found
here, were engraved by Bosio and Aringhi. One, with the sculptured
heads of S. Peter and S. Paul, was formerly under the high altar
here, but was translated by Sixtus V., in 1586, to the church of
S. Maria Maggiore; the other, with rich sculptures of Christ and
some of His principal miracles, was carried to the church of S. Mary
on the Aventine.
Among the celebrated persons interred in this church is Paul I.,
who retired from his bishopric to this monastery, and was buried
here A.D. 767; but his remains were translated to S. Peter's.
John XIII. was buried by his own directions in the middle of the
nave of this church, A.D. 972, and Petrus Leo, better known by his
8 The blocking-up of the port of
Ostia, by order of the Pontifical go-
vernors of the period, in order to keep
out the Saracens and the Normans, has
caused a large district to become only an
unhealthy swamp. The cutting down of
the forests, also by order of the Ponti-
fical Government, for the benefit of the
pockets of the priests for the time,
has greatly increased the malaria which
is now the curse of Rome. It is well
known that the leaves of trees and of
other plants help very much to purify
the air, as all plants live on nitrogen,
which they absorb largely, and give out
oxygen in exchange; and as oxygen is
essential to human life, and nitrogen
fatal to it, cutting down miles of forest
in a hot climate, previously to some
extent affected with malaria, was a
great mistake.
XII.]
Via Ostiensis.—S. Paul fuori delle Mura.
Italian name Pier Leone, Count of the Aventine, a celebrated
Roman noble and warrior, A.D. 1144. The splendid sarcophagus.
made use of for the burial of his remains in the twelfth century
is still to be seen under the portico of the church, and represents
the fable of Marsyas. There is a long inscription to his honour,
recording, among other things, the building of his castle in the
Trastevere.
Such is the account given by Bosio and Aringhi; others of
doubtful authority, say that the catacomb of S. Paul was made
about A.D. 70, in her meadow, by the lady Ciriaca, or Domnica,
niece of the Emperor Vitellius, who also allowed the Christians to
assemble in her house on the Cœlian for worship, and thus origi-
nated the church of S. Maria in Domnica, which was the basilica
or hall of her house.
THEODOSIVS CŒPIT, PERFECIT HONORIVS AVLAM DOCTORIS MVNDI
SACRATAM CORPORE PAVLI,
There is no building of the time of Constantine remaining at
S. Paul's. The only vestige of that period which has been observed
is an inscription in the confessio, PAVLO APOSTOLO MA[rtyri], which
seems to shew that the relics were deposited there at that period.
On the arch across the transept is the inscription :-
131
PLACIDIA PIA MEMO OPERIS DECVS OMNE PATERNI
GAVDET PONTIFICIS STVDIO SPLENDERE LEONIS.
h
thus recording that it was built in the last twenty years of the
fourth century, between 380 and 400.
The next notice of this church is that it was repaired or restored
by Pope Leo, A.D. 440³, under Galla Placidia, according to the in-
scription on the arch of the transept :—
h It was engraved in the work en-
titled Della Basilica di S. Paolo, opera
di Nicola Maria Nicolai, &c., con (18)
piante, e disegni incisi. Folio maj.
Roma, 1815, tav. x., and described
The mosaic picture on this arch with the fine head of Christ
was probably of the same period.
In the time of King Theodoric and Pope Symmachus, A.D. 498—
514, a considerable amount of building was done here: the apse
was rebuilt, the confessio adorned with pictures, a chamber appro-
priated for the canons, and another for the matrons (matronium);
and steps were made before the doors of the church in the court, or
quadri-porticus. A sacristy was also erected behind the apse, and
PP. 273-286.
This was restored by Hadrian I.,
A. D. 772.
j Anastasius, xlvii. 67.
* Ibid., liii. 79.
K 2
132
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
[SECT.
water brought in by an aqueduct. In 701, there were repairs
under Sergius I.; in 714, the roof was restored under Gregory II. ',
and a new altar made, with a silver ciborium or canopy over it.
The church was damaged by the Lombards, under Liutprand, in
730, and repaired by Gregory III. in 732; it was again damaged
forty years afterwards under Desiderius. Hadrian I. gave hand-
some donations, and Charles the Great, about A.D. 800, presented
a silver altar and vases to it. The same Pope inclosed the body
of S. Paul in plates of the same metal; and one of his successors,
Leo III., gave to this basilica a gold figure of Christ and the twelve
Apostles, weighing seventy-five pounds, probably the frontal of an
altar. All these treasures were carried off by the Saracens in 846.
In 946, Leo IV. restored the church after it had been damaged by
them. Benedict IV. gave a gold corona of two pounds weight, and
seven silver crosses of fifty pounds.
The fine mosaic picture on the apse or tribune, as it is called,
was erected under Innocent IV. (A.D. 1243—1250), when Gaetano
Orsini was abbot, the same who became pope by the name of
Nicholas III., in 1277. This picture was damaged by the great fire,
but has been restored.
In 1285, the handsome ciborium, or canopy, was made under
Abbot Bartolomeo. In 1338, the church was much damaged by
a violent storm and an earthquake; it was restored in 1350, and
a gothic campanile was added. This is shewn in Nicolai's view,
and was only replaced by the hideous modern structure after the
fire in 1823.
Sixtus V. made various repairs and changes in the church, ac-
cording to the ideas of his time, of which an exact account is given
by Ugonius.
The ancient quadri-porticus was destroyed in 1725 by Bene-
dict XIV., to make way for a new portico. The mosaic pictures.
of Honorius III. were restored at the same time. The three bronze
doors were made in Constantinople in the eleventh century, at the
expense of Pantaleon the Consul, and presented to the church in
1070, under Alexander II. The subjects engraved on the brass or
bronze plates were a series of prophets and apostles ascribed to
Pantaleon himself, and drawn according to the fashion of his day,
in
very rude outlines. They were enamelled, and the enamel
varnish was melted in the great fire in 1823, in which the wood-
work also was destroyed; but the bronze plates are preserved m.
¹ Anastasius, xci. 178.
They were engraved in Della Basilica di S. Paolo, &c., tav. xi.—xvi.
XII.]
Via Ostiensis.-S. Paul fuori delle Mura.
133
The plan of the church is a Latin cross, 354 ft. long by 202 wide,
with double aisles. There are forty columns in the nave, and forty
more in the aisles. The whole style and character of the work as
rebuilt is that of a grand Pagan temple, very handsome, but very cold
looking, and not conveying to the mind the idea of a Christian
church. Signor Poletti, the architect of this new building, prided
himself on having strictly followed the rules of Vitruvius in every-
thing, and on the consequently substantial character of the fabric.
The old church was almost entirely destroyed in the great confla-
gration in 1823, the apse excepted. The mosaic picture in the vault
was much damaged, although not destroyed, and it has since been
restored; but a large series of tombs and figures in marble and
bronze were entirely lost. This fire made a great sensation all over
Europe, and a large fund was raised by public subscription to re-
build the church; all the Catholic bishops were called upon to
appeal to their flocks, and did so with great success, many contribu-
tions in kind being sent as well as money. The Emperor of Russia
gave malachite and even the Pasha of Egypt granite columns, which
are used in the church with Corinthian capitals of Carrara marble.
The old altar was preserved with its very beautiful canopy or
ciborium of the fourteenth century, a remarkably elegant piece of
work, with trefoil arches and most elaborate details, of which an ex-
cellent series of engravings have been published"; but this elegant
Gothic structure did not harmonize with the Grecian temple in which
it now stands: it is therefore covered over by a small circular
Grecian temple to hide it. The monastery, although damaged by the
fire, was not destroyed; a great part of the walls of the thirteenth
century remain, and the very beautiful cloisters are of that period.
These are almost identical with those of S. John Lateran, and both
are richly ornamented; being one of the best examples of the
beautiful ribbon mosaic, the work of the celebrated family of the
Cosmati.
This Benedictine monastery was connected with that on Monte
Casino in 1421, and the connection is still continued.
n See Della Basilica di S. Paolo, &c., tav. iii.—ix.
134
[SECT.
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
TRE FONTANE.
SS. VINCENTIUS AND ANASTASIUS.
This establishment is situated about three miles from Rome, on
the road to Ostia, and beyond the church of S. Paul fuori delle Mura.
The church and monastery are said to have been built by Hono-
rius I. in 626, enlarged and repaired by Leo III. in 796, with the
help of Charlemagne, who endowed it with lands at Siena; but it
was almost entirely rebuilt, as we now see it, in the twelfth century.
The rebuilding was begun by Innocent II. in 1128, and given to
S. Bernard and his Cistercian monks of Clervaux; the Pontiff sent for
the first abbot Pietro Bernardo of Pisa, who became Pope under the
name of Eugenius III. in 1145, and completed this, the first Cister-
cian monastery in Italy. The church is distinguished by its remark-
able simplicity and plain massive character, the arches being carried
on solid brick piers, over which is the clerestory, with the original
windows of thin slabs of marble, pierced with small round holes for
the glass, the original plate-tracery of which remains unaltered. The
church must have been built expressly for S. Bernard after his own
heart, as bare and as plain as it was possible to make it, without the
slightest attempt at ornament of any kind, and with the plain open
timber roof. He had preached vehemently against the rich orna-
mentation of churches, and this church should be compared with that
of S. Maria in Cosmedin, which had been built about twenty years
before; it was named from its extreme richness, and therefore was
probably one of those which excited the especial ire of S. Bernard.
One was as rich as possible, the other as plain as could be.
The outer walls of the aisles, and part of those of the transepts,
belong to the earlier church of the eighth century, as do part of the
walls of the monastery on the north side of it, which has a cloister
of the twelfth century inserted in the earlier walls. The gatehouse
is chiefly of the twelfth century, and the vault entirely so; but part
of the side walls are of the older work.
The church has a square east end. In the sixteenth century, figures
of the Apostles were painted on the square piers by the pupils of
Raphael, and from his designs; these have been re-painted under
• The donation is recorded on this
inscription over the porch :-
INNOCENTIVS II. PONT. MAX. EX
FAMILIA ANICIA, PAPIA ET PAPARESCA,
NVNC MATHAEIA.
S. BERNARDI OPERA SVBLATO ANA-
CLETI SCHISMATE, EIDEM AC SVIS CIS-
TERCIENSIBVS
HOC A SE RESTAVRATVM MONASTE-
RIVM DONO DEDIT ANNO DOM. M. C. XL.
XII.]
Tre Fontane.-SS. Vincentius and Anastasius.
Pio IX., at the expense of the Pontifical government, by one of the
worst painters of modern Rome. The exterior has the usual cornice
of the twelfth century, flat buttresses, and marble gurgoyles. The
chapter-house, of the time of S. Bernard, remains among the buildings
of the monastery on the north side.
The church was dedicated to SS. Vincentius and Anastasius by
Pope Clement III, 1187-1191, when the works were completed.
It was called in 1145, "S. Anastasius ad Aquas Salvias." An altar
was dedicated in 1221, but that can have nothing to do with the
date of the building.
The vault of the gatehouse has paintings of the twelfth or thir-
teenth century; in the centre, the figure of Christ surrounded by the
four emblems of the Evangelists, and angels, on a white ground,
ornamented with griffins, parrots, dragons, lions, &c. On the walls
are paintings representing the donations made to the monks, with
perspective views of the farms given to them at the close of the
twelfth century, and amongst them is the figure of Honorius III.,
A.D. 1216—1227.
135
S. PAOLO ALLE TRE FONTANE.
Within the walls of the monastery of S. Vincentius and Anastasius,
two other small churches have also been built. One is called
"S. Paolo alle Tre Fontane," supposed to be on the site of a very
early chapel, built over the spot on which S. Paul was beheaded,
where after his head was cut off it rebounded three times, and
at each place as it touched the ground a fountain sprang up. The
whole history of the martyrdom of S. Paul is, however, an apo-
cryphal legend; and all that we really know about this church is
that the present building was erected from the ground by Cardinal
Aldobrandini, A.D. 1599, in the usual bad taste of that age, by
Giacomo della Porta P.
The altars are ornamented with columns of green porphyry and
paintings of the crucifixions of S. Peter and S. Paul; that of S. Peter
being a copy from Guido, that of S. Paul an original by Bernardino
Passerolo, a Bolognese artist. This church contains also three
statues by Niccolò Cordieri, and, enclosed in an iron grating, the
short marble pillar on which the Apostle is said to have been be-
headed, a singularly ill-suited block for the purpose.
The following inscription records
the history of the church :-
PETRVS, DIACONVS CARD. ALDOBRAN-
DINVS, S. R. E. CAMERARIVS, LOCVM S.
PAVLI APOSTOLI MARTYRIO, ET TRIVM
FONTIVM, QVI EX TVNC RECISI CAPITIS
SALTV EMANARANT, MIRACVLO IN-
SIGNEM, VETVSTATE DEFORMATVM,
AEDE EXSTRVCTA MAGNIFICENTIVS
RESTITVIT ET ORNAVIT, AN. M DIC.
CLEMENTIS PAPAE VIII., PATRVI svi,
AN. VIII.
C
136
[SECT.
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
S. MARIA SCALA COLI.
The other church is called "S. Maria Scala Coeli," and is built
over the cemetery or catacomb of S. Zeno, in which, according to the
legend, the 12,000 Christians who had been employed in building
the baths of Diocletian were buried. The church derives its name
from a vision of S. Bernard, in which, while celebrating mass for
certain souls, they appeared to him ascending by a ladder to heaven.
The church was rebuilt by Cardinal Farnese from the designs of
Vignola, and completed by Giacomo della Porta; it is an octagonal
building, with a central cupola, on which are the arms and name
of the Cardinal, and the date 1584. It has a mosaic pavement
of the twelfth or thirteenth century, and the altar in the crypt is
enriched with mosaics. It has also one of the ancient stone weights
called martyrs' weights, from their having been commonly used for
drowning the martyrs.
On the vault of the apse is a fine mosaic picture by Francesco
Zucca, from the cartoons of Giovanni de' Vecchi. It represents
the legend or vision above stated, with the figure of Clement VIII.
and Cardinal Farnese. The mosaics are so finely executed as to
have quite the effect of an oil-painting, and it is necessary to look
at them with some care to be satisfied that it is not a painting.
This is considered the perfection of modern mosaics; the old ones
were far more coarsely executed, for effect at a distance, and it may
be added that there is the same difference between an old mosaic
and a modern one, as between an old painted glass window and a
window of the Munich school of the present day. In the confessional
under the apse is the altar at which S. Bernard is said to have had
the vision; and partly behind it is a small cell, in which S. Paul is
supposed to have been confined previous to his execution.
On the road to the Tre Fontane is a small modern chapel, erected
in 1558, on the spot where S. Peter and S. Paul are said to have
embraced and parted on their way to martyrdom. There is a cross
of travertine on the gable, and, under a marble arch of the thirteenth
century, by the side of the door, a modern bas-relief of the sixteenth,
representing the two Apostles as embracing, and an inscription from
the apocryphal Epistle of Dionysius to Timothy ª.
૧
9 IN QUESTO LVOCO SI SEPARARONO
S. PIETRO
E S. PAOLO, ANDANDO AL MARTIRIO;
E DISSE
PAOLO A PIETRO :
LA PACE SIA CON TECO, FVNDAMENTO
DI
DELLA CHIESA, E PASTORE
TVTTI LI AGNELLI DI CHRISTO ;
E PIETRO A PAOLO :
VA IN PACE, PREDICATORE,
COLLE BVONI, E GVIDA
DE LA SALVTE DE GIVSTI.
XII.]
Via Appia.-S. Sebastianus ad Catacumbas. 137
VIA APPIA.
S. SEBASTIANUS AD CATACUMBAS.
CHURCH OF S. SEBASTIAN OUTSIDE THE WALLS.
This church has the title of a basilica, and it is both monastic
and parochial. Its origin is involved in obscurity, and has been
much disputed; it is certainly very early, probably on the site of
one of the earliest of the Christian chapels erected outside the walls
at the entrances to the Catacombs, of which we have so many. An
inscription in the church attributes the foundation of it to Innocent I.,
A.D. 401—417, a probable date for the first church, built after the
reign of Constantine on the site of an earlier cemetery chapel.
In the time of Bishop Cornelius, A.D. 254, the heads of S. Peter
and S. Paul are said in the legends' to have been buried in this
catacomb by the matron Lucina. The body of S. Paul she depo-
sited in her residence on the Via Ostiensis, over which the great
basilica of S. Paul was afterwards built, this being near the place
where he was beheaded. The body of S. Peter Cornelius she took,
and put it under the spot where he was crucified, among the bodies
of holy bishops, in the temple of Apollo, in the Vatican palace.
The heads of S. Peter and S. Paul are said to have remained here
for several months before they were removed to their final desti-
nation, and to have been deposited in the crypt. The small classical
confessio of white marble, with two small square openings to see the
relics, is an imitation of the original one, when the heads were placed
here. The character of the present one is of the twelfth century; it
has small twisted marble shafts and ribbon mosaics.
The walls of the apse, and a considerable part of those of the
nave, are of the fifth century; but those of the crypt, or chapel of
the relics by the side of it, are at least as early as the third, if not
earlier. This crypt is covered by a vault of the fifth, which is an
evident alteration, resting on the outer edge of the ancient thick
wall, in which are the recesses for the bodies. This chapel has all
the appearance, from its size and form, of having been the crypt
under the apse of an earlier church, which originally stood by the
side of the present one, as at S. Crisogono and several other in-
stances, where the old church has been left standing until the new
one was built, and portions of it used for a sacristy or for other pur-
Anastasius, xxii. 22, mentions the bodies only, and says nothing about the
heads separate from the bodies.
138
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
[SECT.
poses. The recesses or arco-solia in the walls of the ancient crypt
are exactly the same as those in the Catacombs, to which it was
the entrance; they are ranged in the wall all round the apse. This
chapel was called the Platonia, probably from the plates of marble
(platonia) on which inscriptions were placed, and with which the
walls of this chapel were covered “.
8
On the staircase leading to the crypt is a small chapel of the
thirteenth century, with the original paintings on the walls, also of
that period, and a tall marble altar after the Pagan fashion. The
subjects of the paintings are:-Christ in an aureole, or vesica, sup-
ported by two angels; S. Peter and S. Paul to the left, the massacre
of the Innocents to the right; the Madonna on a throne, with two
angels and four prophets, and under them S. Sebastian, S. Fabian,
two angels, and the Crucifixion. On the vault there are various
patterns interspersed with birds, and other older frescoes under them
are visible in places.
In the gardens of the monastery are ruins of other small early
8 Most of these inscriptions have been
removed, and dispersed in museums,
cloisters, porticoes, and other places,
as usual with all the inscriptions from
the Catacombs; but one relating to
S. Bridget has been preserved, and is
worth printing :
EX. CAP. CVIII. LIB. IV. REVEL. S. BRI-
GITTAE.
FRATER ISTE MIRATVR QVARE APOS-
TOLI MEI
PETRVS ET PAVLVS IN ISTO LOCO CA-
THACVMBAS
TANTO TEMPORE IACVERVNT ET QVASI
NEGLECTI
RESPONDEO TIBI SCRIPTVRA AVREA
DICIT
QVOD ISRAEL DIV STETIT IN HEREMO
QVIA
MALITIA GENTIVM
QVARVM TERRAS POSSESSVRI ERANT
NONDVM COMPLETA FVIT SIC ETIAM
ERAT DE
APOSTOLIS MEIS
NONDVM ERAT TEMPVS GRATIAE
QVO CORPORA APOSTOLORVM MEORVM
EXALTANDA ERANT
QVIA PRIVS DEBVIT ESSE TEMPVS PRO-
BATIONIS
ET POSTEA CORONATIONIS
ET QVIA NONDVM ERANT ILLI NATI
QVIBVS HONOR ILLE EXALTATIONIS
DEBEBATVR
NVNC AVTEM POTES QVAERERE SI ALI-
QVEM
HONOREM CORPORA EORVM HABE-
BANT
EO TEMPORE QVO IN PVTEO IACVE-
RVNT
RESPONDEO TIBI QVOD ANGELI MEI
CVSTODIEBANT ET HONORABANT COR-
PORA
-
ILLA BEATA
QVIA SICVT LOCVS ILLE DILIGENTER
EXCOLITVR
SIC
-
VBI ROSAE ET PLANTAE SEMINANDAE
SVNT
ISTE LOCVS
LOCVS CATHACVMBAS
ANTEA
RVNT
DIV
PRAEPARABATVR ET HONORABATVR
DE QVO HOMINES ET ANGELI LAETA-
RENTVR
IDEO DICO TIBI QVOD IN MVNDO MVLTA
LOCA
SVNT
VBI CORPORA SANCTORVM REQVIESCVNT
SED NON SIMILIA HVIC LOCO
NAM SI SANCTI NVMERARENTVR
QVORVM CORPORA REPOSITA HIC FVE-
VIX CREDERETVR IDEO SICVT HOMO
INFIRMVS
EX BONO ODORE ET CIBO REFICITVR
SIC HOMINES VENIENTES AD HVNC
LOCVM
MENTE SINCERA RECREANTVR SPIRI-
TVALITER
ET RECIPIVNT VERAM PECCATORVM
REMISSIONEM
VNVSQVISQVE SECVNDVM VITAM SVAM
ET FIDEM.
XII.]
Via Appia.-S. Sebastianus ad Catacumbas.
t
chapels, of which the walls only remain, and these in a ruinous state.
One is a small round chapel of the third century, with niches, and
with a square recess for the altar. This may have been built over
the sand-pit of Lucina, now the Catacomb, as described by Anas-
tasius. It is situated between the road and the buildings of the
Monastery. A wall of the eighth or ninth century cuts off part
of the apse of this old chapel, shewing that it was out of use at that
period. This wall itself belongs to another chapel, which was ob-
long, with an apse at each end. Around the entrance to each of the
catacombs there were usually several burial-chapels. A few of these
were earlier than the time of Constantine; but the existing ruins of
these chapels are generally of the fourth or fifth century. Those
at the entrance to the recently discovered catacomb of S. Alexander
have been better preserved than usual, with three rude mosaic pave-
ments and altars, and are very interesting.
S. Sebastian's was in a great degree rebuilt by Cardinal Scipio
Borghese" in 1612, as recorded on an inscription, and the present
appearance of the church is of that period. It stands back from the
road, with a square court in front, as if intended for a quadri-
porticus; but there is only a portico of three arches, with six granite.
columns. There are no aisles, but several side chapels; one called
the chapel of S. Sebastian was built by Cardinal Barberini, and the
body of the saint is said to rest under the altar. There are other
chapels with modern paintings, some of which are in good esti-
mation.
139
In the present church, there is a subterranean chapel or crypt of
S. Sebastian under the altar, with sculpture of 1672. The relics are
usually exhibited and made much of; they consist of the column
to which S. Sebastian was tied, and one of the iron arrows with
which he was shot. There is also a plate of marble, on which
are said to be the impressions of the feet of Christ; but it can be
seen to be evidently worked with the chisel.
A marble slab with one of the many inscriptions of Pope Damasus,
A.D. 367, is preserved here; it is in honour of Eutychius, pope and
martyr. Damasus also placed an inscription on a plate of marble
This may be part of the work re-
corded as erected by Nicholas I., A.D.
858-867. (Anastas. in Vita Nic. I.
cvii. 601.)
" This cardinal also rebuilt the church
of S. Crisogono.
* EVTYCHIVS. MARTYR. CRVDELIA.
IVSSA. TYRANNI.
CARNIFICVMQ. VIAS. PARITER . TVNC.
MILLE. NOCENDI.
VINCERE. QVOD. POTVIT. MONSTRA-
VIT. GLORIA. CHRISTI.
CARCERIS. INI.VVIEM. SEQVITVR, NO-
VA. POENA. PER. ARTVS .
TESTARVM. FRAGMENTA .
PARANT.
NE. SOMNVS. ADIRET.
140
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
[SECT.
(platoniamy) in the catacomb where the bodies of S. Peter and S. Paul
were found, and which certain Greeks had endeavoured to steal and
carry off to their own country. There are also inscriptions relating
to the history of the fabric, recording that it was built by Proclinus
and Ursus, priests of the Titulus (afterwards called cardinals), in the
time of Pope Innocent I., A.D. 411—417ª.
A modern inscription states that 74,000 martyrs were interred in
this church and catacomb.
In the catacomb are an inscription testifying to the site of the tomb
of S. Cecilia, by William archbishop of Bourges, A.D. 1409; a figure
in stucco of Pope Urban; a chapel of S. Maximus, with the column
on which he was beheaded; a chapel of Lucina, with a mosaic pave-
ment of the twelfth century, and a carved image of the fifteenth.
The church of S. Sebastian is situated on the Via Appia, about
two miles from Rome. This road is still in many parts between
this church and the town at its original level, at the bottom of a foss ;
the earth on both sides is nearly as high as the top of the high walls,
and these banks are occupied by a series of tombs and catacombs.
Many of the tombs are now merely masses of rough brick, or tufa,
entirely stripped of all their ornamental work, and some of them
have been turned into houses, or have had cottages built upon
them,—some at an early period, as there are the stone corbels for
carrying a hourd for defence on one near the catacomb of the Jews'.
BISSENI. TRANSIERE. DIES. ALIMEN-
TA. NEGANTVR.
MITTITVR. IN. BARATRVM. SANCTVS.
LAVAT. OMNIA. SANGVIS.
VVLNERA. QVAE. INTVLERAT. MOR-
TIS. METVENDA. POTESTAS.
NOCTE. SOPORIFERA. TVRBANT. IN-
SOMNIA. MENTEM .
OSTENDIT. LATEBRA. INSONTIS. QVAE
J
MEMBRA. TENERET.
QVAERITVR. INVENTVS . COLITVR.
FOVET. OMNIA. PRAESTAT.
EXPRESSIT. DAMASVS. MERITVM. VE-
NERARE. SEPVLCHRVM.
y Anastasius, xxxix. 54.
The original of this inscription is
not in existence; the present one is a
copy of the thirteenth century, in Gothic
characters:-
HIC HABITASSE PRIUS SANCTOS COG-
NOSCERE DEBES,
NOMINA QUISQUE PETRI, PARITER PAU-
LIQUE REQUIRIS.
DISCIPULOS ORIENS MISIT, QUOD SPON-
TE FATEMUR,
SANGUINIS OB MERITUM
PER ASTRA SEQUTI
AETHEREOS PETIERE SINUS, REGNAQUE
PIORUM ;
ROMA SUOS POTIUS. MERUIT DEFEN-
DERE CIVES.
CHRISTUM
a
-
HAEC DAMASUS VESTRAS REFERAT NO-
VA SIDERA LAUDES.
TEMPORIBVS INNOCENTII EPISCO-
PI, PROCLINVS ET VRSVS, PRÆSBYTERI
TITVLI BYZANTIS, S. MARTYRI SEBAS-
TIANO EX VITA FECERVNT,
SANCTORVM QVICVMQVE LEGIS VE-
NERARE SEPVLCHR VM
NOMINA NEC NVMERVM POTVIT RETI-
NERE VETVSTAS,
ORNAVIT DAMASVS TVMVLVM, COG-
NOSCITE, RECTOR,
PRO REDITV CLERI CHRISTO PRAE-
STANTE TRIVMPHANS,
MARTYRIBVS SANCTIS REDDIT SVA
VOTA SACERDOS.
↳ See the Section on Tombs.
20
XII.]
Via Appia.-S. Urbano.
141
CHURCH OF S. URBANO A LA CAFFARELLA ©.
This temple is of the time of the Antonines, or about A.D. 150, if
not earlier; it is nearly complete, though in a decayed and neglected
state. It consists of a square cella with its vault complete, panelled
in sunk caissons, and a portico of four Corinthian columns, the in-
tervals between which have been walled up to make a habitation
for the priest or hermit. It stands on the brow of a cliff in a solitary
place, near the tomb of Cæcilia Metella, and what is called the
Grotto of Egeria, an antique fountain in a cave in the cliff below,
and is about two miles beyond the gate of S. Sebastian.
S. Urban I., who was Pope A.D. 223—230, is said to have used
the crypt under it as a hermitage and place of concealment during
the time of the persecution under Septimius Severus; it is far
more probable that this was in the catacomb adjoining. There is
also another tradition that the same Pontiff here instructed in the
Christian faith Valerianus, Tiburtius and Maximus, all of whom
were martyrs, whom he buried in the chapel of S. Cecilia, in the
catacomb of S. Calixtus, and that he was himself buried by their
side. This old temple is supposed to have been dedicated as a
church in his honour by Paschal I. in the ninth century, and re-
stored by Urban VIII. in 1694; but neither Anastasius nor any
other ecclesiastical historian mentioning this dedication, there seems
reason to doubt whether it was ever consecrated as a church at all
before the time of Urban IV. in 1694. It had previously been
considered as a hermitage, and a place of pilgrimage, like the
chapels in the Catacombs, and it was decorated with paintings.
on the walls in frescoes, in the same manner, and at the same
periods. Accordingly the walls are covered with a series of paint-
ings of the eleventh century, in a very decayed state; they are sub-
jects from the Evangelical history, and from the lives of S. Cecilia
and S. Urban, and the work of a hermit called Bonizzo, who resided
here in 1001. These frescoes are extremely curious and interest-
ing, in spite of their bad state; as works of art, they are of very
early character. There is a long series of them, in two tiers along
both sides and both ends; those at the ends have been partly re-
stored, those at the sides have not. In the crypt or confessio,
which is very small and early, and unusually deep, is, over the small
altar, another painting, which entirely fills up the end of it. This
• This is called by some a Temple of
Bacchus, from an altar found there,
and now preserved in the porch. It is
called by others the Tomb of Herodes
Atticus, but without any authority.
142
[SECT.
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
fresco represents the Madonna, with the Christ clothed as a little
man, not as a child; S. Urban on her right, and S. John on her
left, with their names inscribed vertically. The figures are well
drawn, and correspond nearly with others of the time of Paschal I.,
A.D. 817—824, as in the mosaics and the paintings in the chapel
of S. Agnes, in the church of S. Prassede. There was no persecution
of the Christians going on at the time of the death of S. Urban, and
there is no evidence that he was a martyr.
The real construction of the walls is, as usual, a mass of concrete
faced on the exterior with the most admirable brickwork; the vault,
the cornice, and the mouldings are of terra-cotta ª.
The same
brickwork and the same details of terra-cotta occur in the doorway
and portico at the entrance to the catacomb, in the bank by
the side of the paved via or cross-road between S. Urbano and
S. Sebastiano, now underground in consequence of the filling up
of the via in fossa, as in so many other places in Rome and the
neighbourhood.
Since this was written, I have been favoured by Mr. J. C. Hemans
with the following notice of the Church of S. Urbano, and the curious.
paintings on the walls.
"We must pass to the eleventh century in order to consider a more
interesting series of wall-paintings-the date, 1011, being fortunately
preserved, though but in a copy-in the antique edifice above the
valley of the Almo, popularly called 'Temple of Bacchus,' and con-
verted into a church dedicated to S. Urban I., by Pope Paschal I.,
about A.D. 820; modernized by Urban VIII., as we now see it, in
1634. The antique brickwork and terra-cotta mouldings are of
almost the finest description. This picturesque building was not in
fact a Pagan temple in any strict sense of that term, but one of that
class of patrician Mausolea called horreum, that might be described ast
chapel-tombs, where the altar and occasional religious rites had their
place in the home of the dead. Around its interior walls is carried
a double file of frescoes, representing the evangelic history from the
Annunciation to the Descent into Limbo (or Hades), the story of
d There is some doubt whether it ever
was a temple at all. No notice of it has
been found in any ancient author, and
some good antiquaries think that it was
only one of the chapels built at the en-
trance to the Catacombs; but we have
no other instance of a portico to one of
them, and the second century is rather
too early a date to make this probable.
The construction may be rather earlier
than the time of the Antonines, men-
tioned in the text as the period to which
it is usually assigned. The moulded
brickwork is remarkably good, and the
marble columns belong to the best
period of art.
A good set of engravings of a re-
storation of this temple has been pub-
lished by Canina.
XII.]
Via Appia.-S. Urbano.
143
Pope S. Urban (martyred A.D. 233), and that of S. Cecilia and her
affianced, Valerian, with his brother Tiburtius; also, quite distinct
from these, the martyrdom of S. Laurence. The introduction of
this last subject may be accounted for when we refer to the inscrip-
tion under the Crucifixion-scene, BONIZZO FECIT ANNO CHRISTI MXI,
a person of that name, Bonizzo, having been abbot of the S. Lorenzo
monastery, where his epitaph has been found, with the date of his
death, 1022; and we may conclude that the church of S. Urbano had
passed under his jurisdiction before these pictures were ordered by
him, with especial desire to honour the saint to whom his own
monastery was dedicated. Before observing the frescoes here in
detail, we might examine two sets of coloured drawings from them
in the Barberini library, one executed before, the other after, the ori-
ginals had been repainted by order of a cardinal of the Barberini
family. We cannot certainly commend for correctness or scrupu-
losity the artist, who did not hesitate to alter, in several instances,
costumes, attitude, symbolism, and even the character of counte-
nances. In the Crucifixion-scene, and in that opposite, of the Savi-
our between SS. Peter and Paul and two archangels, this alteration
has been so unreservedly carried out, that we cannot regard the ex-
isting pictures as in any degree identical with the antique. To the
figure of S. Peter has been given the keys, to that of S. Paul the
sword, though both attributes are wanting in the original; but the
other scenes from the New Testament, and from the legend of saints,
are fortunately in better condition, generally free from alteration, or
rather (as we may infer) exempt from the destroying touch of that
ill-counselled artist. The epigraph with dates (under the Crucifixion)
is also a restoration; but in the original a part of it is seen, to which
we may suppose the date was added, according to a tradition as to
what had once been read after the name of Bonizzo. At least it seems
incredible that the learned Cardinal should have allowed the artist
to follow his own fancy in a matter so important.
"Most beautiful among the external features of S. Urbano is the
classic Corinthian colonnade of the peristyle, the intercolumniations
of which have been built up, probably in the works ordered by
Urban VIII. Below the altar is a crypt, into which we descend
by steps, containing a rude altar, and some Christian paintings of
the most barbaric description-a Madonna and child, with Pope
S. Urban and S. John the Evangelist; the title of Mary is inscribed
above her head in Greek.”
144
[SECT.
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
TOMB OF S. HELENA, AND CHURCH OF SS. MARCELLINUS AND
PETER THE EXORCIST.
A church was made by Constantine under this dedication, and
this has been supposed to have been in the mausoleum where his
mother, S. Helena, was buried in a sarcophagus of porphyry, at the
third mile from Rome on the Via Lavicana, or Labicana.
The interior of the mausoleum was used as a burial-chapel, with
a series of niches or recesses formed in the thickness of the wall,
both outside and inside, which remain, and one of these in the
inside is fitted up with an altar. A small modern church has been
made within the walls since the vault was destroyed; but it was
originally a circular church, or burial-chapel, with the sarcophagus
in the middle and the recesses round, and the vault above, which
was built of earthenware pots or vases, like many others of the
same period, portions of which may be seen at the springing of
the vault.
To this church and mausoleum Constantine gave a number of
gifts, altar furniture, images, &c., of gold and silver, similar to those
presented to S. Peter's; they are enumerated by Anastasius f, but it is
sufficient here to refer to them.
The magnificent sarcophagus, of red Egyptian porphyry", was found
in the mausoleum in the time of Anastasius IV., and was removed by
him for his own sepulture to Saint John of Lateran, from which it
• Eusebius mentions this royal tomb,
and the honours paid by Constantine to
his mother. See De Vita Constantini,
lib. iii. cap. 47.
f c Augustus Constantinus fecit
basilicam BB. MM. Marcellino pres-
bytero, et Petro exorcistæ, inter duas
Lauras, et mausoleum, ubi beatissima
mater ipsius sepulta est Helena Augusta,
in sarcophago porphyretico, Via Lavi-
cana, milliario ab urbe Roma tertio....
posuit dona voti sui." (Anastasius in
Silvestro, A. D. 314, xxxiv. 44.)
There is some doubt whether the
construction and dedication of a mo-
dern church to SS. Peter and Mar-
cellinus, within the tomb of S. Helena,
is not altogether a mistake. The tomb
itself was originally a church or chapel
dedicated to S. Helena herself, as was
natural with her tomb in the middle of
it. The church of S. Marcellinus and
S. Peter the exorcist was inter duas Lau-
•
ras, that is, between the two great mo-
nasteries of S. Maria Maggiore and
S. John of Lateran, where a small church
under this vocable has existed ever
since the time of Constantine, and has
been rebuilt. It is not probable that
Constantine built and dedicated two
churches to the same saints in the
same year. Vide Ducange, Glossarium
med. et inf. latin., sub voce Laura,
vol. iv. p. 46, col. 2.
g It was considered by the antiquaries
of the last century that this urn of por-
phyry, with its sculptures in basso re-
lievo, was a monument of antique and
profane work. See Bottari, Sculture
e pitture sagre estratte dai cimiterj di
Roma, &c., vol. iii. tav. clxcvi. But
the great resemblance between this sar-
cophagus and that of Constantia, the
grand-daughter of S. Helena, is now
considered to render it probable that
both are of the time of Constantine.
XII.]
Via Labicana.-Tomb of S. Helena.
was transferred to the museum of the Vatican by Pio VI. It is
covered with sculpture in basso relievo, representing a battle, with
portraits of Constantine and Helena, and the cross is ornamented
with figures of Victory, and festoons of flowers and fruit. The
sculpture is very fine; but it was unfortunately so much damaged in
the removal, that it had to be very much restored, and a great deal
of the actual work is consequently modern, of the old design.
This mausoleum stands over the entrance to the catacomb now
called that of SS. Pietro e Marcellino, which is of considerable ex-
tent, but is in the same melancholy desecrated state as the other
catacombs, the inscriptions on the slabs which closed the graves
having, as usual, been removed to be put into museums or cloisters,
and the bones to be sold as relics ".
h
Constantine had near this spot a country palace, which has been
entirely destroyed, having been used as a quarry by the neighbouring
farmers; but a branch aqueduct to supply it with water still remains,
sufficiently perfect to indicate the site. This palace and the large
estate belonging to it formed part of the donation of Constantine to
the Chapter of the Lateran, and the estate still continues to be their
property. The present state of the mausoleum, the catacombs, and
the palace, is lamentable; and the whole estate is almost a desert.
Whether really owing to the alleged causes, the devastations of the
Goths, who destroyed the aqueduct, which has not been restored,
and the increase of malaria, or simply to neglect, and the want of
irrigation, may be doubtful. The admirable system of irrigation and
drainage which was in use under the Empire, and of which remains
or traces are found every day, must have made the Campagna around
Rome some of the most fertile land in the world.
¹ See an account of that catacomb in
Sect. vii.
The want of vegetation in the sum-
mer months, caused by the want of
water, and especially the want of trees,
is believed by some well-informed per-
sons to be the principal cause of the
malaria. The disease existed from a
very early period, and one of the ob-
jects in making the great aqueducts in
the first century of the Christian era
was to remove it, as is mentioned by
Frontinus in his account of them.
When Anselm, Archbishop of Canter-
bury, paid a visit to Rome, he was
taken out of town, on account of the
malaria, chiefly dangerous to the pil-
145
L
··
grims: "Verum quia calor æstatis in
partibus illis cuncta urebat, et habitatio
Urbis nimium insalubris, sed præcipue
peregrinis hominibus erat, Johannes
Abbas cœnobii Sancti Salvatoris Tele-
sim. . . eduxit (eum) in suam villam
Schlaviam nomine, quæ in montis ver-
tice sita sano jugiter aere atque tepenti,
conversantibus illic habilis erat." (Ead-
merus, de Vita S. Anselmi, ad calcem
ejus Operum, ed. Bened. Lut. Paris.,
1721, fol., p. 20, col. 2, A.
(Johannes)... deprecatus est, quate-
nus ad se veniret. . . ad evitandas Ro-
manæ Urbis ægritudines," &c. (Id.
Hist. Novorum, lib. ii. ibid., p. 51,
col. I, D.)
"Hic
146
[SECT.
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
S. AGNES OUTSIDE THE WALLS.
The basilica of S. Agnes beyond the Walls is one of those founded
by Constantine, A.D. 314; it retains nothing of his time, except
the antique columns, which may be earlier.
The church was probably repaired or enlarged about fifty years
after the time of Constantine, by Pope Damasus, as two of his in-
scriptions are placed in it, one of which has been removed; but the
words are preserved by Gruter. The other is still in the church.
It was entirely rebuilt by Pope Honorius, A.D. 626-638; the
words of Anastasius' are quite distinct on this point :
K
"At the same time he made the church of the blessed Agnes the
Martyr, at the third mile from Rome, on the Numentana road, from
3
"Eodem tempore fecit basilicam
sanctæ martyris Agnetis ex rogatu Con-
stantiæ filiæ suæ, et baptisterium in
eodem loco, ubi et baptizata est soror
ejus Constantia cum filia Augusti a Sil-
vestro episcopo, ubi donum constituit
hoc.... Via Salaria sub Pavetinas usque
omnem agrum S. Agnes, præstantem
solidos centum et quinque; agrum Muci,
præstantem solidos octuaginta; posses-
sio Vicopisonis, præstans solidos ducen-
tos et quinquaginta; agrum Caculas,
præstantem solidos centum. (Anasta-
sius, xxxiv. 42.)
It would be curious to see whether
these lands can be identified as still be-
longing to this monastery.
CONSTANTINA. DEVM . VENERANS.
CHRISTOQVE. DICATA
OMNIBVS. IMPENSIS. DEVOTA. MENTE.
k
PARATIS.
})
NVMINE. DIVINO. MVLTVM. CHRIS-
TOQVE. IVVANTE
SACRAVIT. TEMPLVM. VICTRICIS. VIR-
GINIS. AGNES
TEMPLORVM. QVAE. VICIT. OPVS. TER-
RENAQVE. CVNCTA
AVREA. QVAE. RVTILAT. SVMMI. FAS-
TIGIA. TECTI
NOMEN. ENIM. CHRISTI. CELEBRA-
TVR. SEDIBVS. ISTIS.
TARTAREAM. SOLVS. POTVIT. QVI.
VINCERE. MORTEM
INVECTVS. CELO. SOLVSQVE. INFERRE.
TRIVMPHVM
NOMEN. ADHVC. REFERENS. ET. COR-
PVS. ET. OMNIA. MEMBRA
A. MORTIS. TENEBRIS. ET. CAECA.
NOCTE. LEVATA.
DIGNVM. IGITVR. MVNVS. MARTYR.
DEVOTAQVE. CHRISTO
EX. OPIBVS. NOSTRIS. PER, SAECVLA.
LONGA. TENEBIS
O. FELIX. VIRGO. MEMORANDI. NO-
MINIS. AGNES.
(Gruter, Inscr. Ant., p. M CLXI. n. 9.)
On a marble slab, in a chapel on the
left-hand side of the nave, is the other
inscription in verse in honour of S.
Agnes, written by Pope Damasus, and
engraved in the beautiful letters of his
period, A. D. 365-385:·
FAMA REFERT SANCTOS DVDVM RETV-
LISSE PARENTES,
AGNEN, CVM LVGVBRES CANTVS TVBA
CONCREPVISSET,
NVTRICIS GREMIVM SVBITO LIQVISSE
PVELLAM,
SPONTE TRVCIS CALCASSE MINAS RA-
BIEMQVE TYRANNI,
VRERE CVM FLAMMIS VOLVISSET NO-
BILE CORPVS;
VIRIBVS IMMENSVM PARVIS SVPERASSE
TIMOREM,
NVDAQVE PROFVSVM
SVM CRINEM PER
MEMBRA Dedisse,
NE DOMINI TEMPLVM FACIES PERI-
TVRA VIDERET :
O VENERANDA MIHI SANCTVM DECVS
ALMA PVDORIS,
VT DAMASI PRECIBVS FAVEAS PRECOR,
INCLYTA MARTYR.
1
(Honorius) . . . fecit ecclesiam
beatæ Agnetis martyris milliario ab
urbe Roma tertio, Via Numentana, a
solo, ubi requiescit, quam undique or-
navit et exquisivit, ubi posuit multa
dona. Ornavit autem sepulcrum ejus
ex argento, quod pensan. libras 252.
Posuit et desuper ciburium æreum de-
auratum miræ magnitudinis. Fecit et
gabathos aureos quatuor, pensan. sing.
libras singulas. Fecit absidam ejusdem
basilicæ ex musibo, ubi etiam multa
bɔna obtulit." (Anastas., lxxii. 119.)
((
XII.]
Via Nomentana.-S. Agnes foris Murum.
the ground (in which she is buried), which he everywhere adorned
and ornamented, to which he also gave many gifts; and her tomb
he ornamented with silver of the weight of 252 lbs., and over it
he placed a ciborium m of bronze gilt, of great magnificence; and
then he made the apse of the church with a mosaic picture, and
he added many other donations." The gold and silver vessels have
disappeared, as usual; but the mosaics remain.
It is probable that among the gifts of Constantine for the endow-
ment of this church and monastery was the imperial villa of Max-
entius, in the grounds of which this and S. Constantia are built.
There are evident traces of some large buildings of the period near
the baptistery, and the ruins called the Hippodrome of Maxentius,
in the valley adjoining, are still of considerable extent. It was here
that Liberius took refuge on his return from exile before he ven-
tured into the city, as mentioned in our account of the catacomb to
which this church was the entrance. In the time of Innocent I.,
A.D. 402—417, it was richly ornamented by the presbyters Leopardus
and Paulinus. About a century afterwards Symmachus restored the
apse or tribune, then in a ruinous state.
147
The mosaic pictures which adorn it are of remarkable character and
good of their kind, although of a bad style of art. The central figure
on the vault of the apse is S. Agnes herself, richly attired in a Greek
costume with jewels, tall and stately, rather stiff, but with a certain
air of dignity, holding a book; and the hand of the Almighty", issuing
out of a cloud, holds the jewelled crown of martyrdom over her
head. To her right is Pope Honorius, with a model of the church
in his hand, as the builder of the actual church; to her left, Pope
Symmachus, with a book, as the original founder. Under their feet
is a long inscription in gold letters, on a blue ground, formed of
lapis lazuli.
The heads of the two popes have been restored, but
the character of the original drawing is preserved.
m Or a cupola. On the etymology of
ciborium, the exact meaning of which is
uncertain, see du Cange, Glossar. med.
et infim. Latinit. sub voce, et Constan-
tinopolis Christiana, No. 57; Macri,
Hierolexicon, sub voce; Bingham, Ori-
gines et Antiquitates Ecclesiastica, t. iii.
lib. viii. c. vi. § xviii. An older name
for this, the true origin of which is no
less uncertain, is that of appallarea or
appellaria, used by Anastasius (lxxxvi.
162), and about which one may consult
Pacciaudi, de Umbell. Gestat., pp. 56, 57.
☐ This way of representing the Al-
mighty, by an arm issuing out of a cloud,
is a symbolism which must be derived
from the traditions of oriental art. At
any rate, it is a curious fact to note
that the Almighty never figures in per-
sona in the pictures of the Catacombs ;
either the art of the primitive Christians
being considered as thoroughly power-
less to represent that great figure of the
Supreme Being, or because a sacred
motive forbade them to conceive so bold
an idea. We are disposed to adopt the
latter opinion, since we see, even in the
medieval manuscripts of the Psalter, the
presence of God always represented as
in the mosaic of S. Agnes.
L 2
148
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
[SECT.
It was again repaired by Hadrian I., A.D. 772, after it had
been damaged in the siege by the Lombards. The church has
been thoroughly modernized; but the old plan and arrangement
have been retained, and it is one of the few churches in Rome
which has a triforium gallery. The original church of S. Lorenzo
fuori le Mura appears to have been on the same plan, and that
of the Santi Quattro Incoronati very similar. The body of the
church is below the level of the ground, so that the entrance to it
is down a flight of steps, while that to the triforium is on the level;
this gallery is continued across the west end as well as the sides.
In 1256, three altars were dedicated in this church by Pope
Alexander IV. °, in honour of S. John Baptist, S. John Evangelist,
and S. Emerantiana. The church has been re-decorated in 1856
at the expense of Pope Pio IX., and is now considered one of the
handsomest in Rome. Its archæological interest, of course, could
not be improved by the process; but neither was it deteriorated,
the modernization having been effected at a previous period. Some
considerable alterations had been made in the thirteenth century,
at the time when the three new altars were consecrated.
The nave has a rich ceiling of carved wood, with the arms of
Cardinal Sfrondati, 1606; the sculptures in this ceiling represent
S. Agnes, S. Cecilia, and S. Constantia. The grand staircase, a flight
of thirty-two marble steps, was made about that time, and the death
of Paul V. was caused by the chill that he received here in perform-
ing Mass on the re-opening of the church after these alterations. The
six antique columns in the nave are not all alike; four are of one
kind of marble, and two of another. Those of the triforium gallery
are different again, and fluted, some vertically, others spirally. In
a side chapel is a marble altar with mosaic patterns of A.D. 1256.
The outer walls of the church are chiefly of the twelfth century.
This church is the entrance to one of the principal catacombs.
On this spot S. Agnes herself was buried; and here also was the
cemetery of the family of Constantine, it being under one of the
imperial farms. (See Sect. vii.)
The campanile is of the fifteenth century, badly built, and sup-
ported by ugly buttresses; but it is ornamented with pateræ of ma-
jolica, and has somewhat of the character of the older campaniles.
× ANNO DOMINI M. CC. LVI. INDIC.
XIIII. EO DIE QVO STATIO BEATI VITAL.
CELEBRATVR D. ALEXANDER PP. III.
CVM TOTA CVRIA CONSECRAV. IN HAC
ECCLESIA SANCTE AGNETIS TRIA AL-
TARIA, &c.
XII.]
Via Nomentana.- S. Constantia.
S. CONSTANTIA.
The Emperor Constantine is said by Anastasius to have built
several churches in Rome, the most important of which was the
one known as the BASILICA OF CONSTANTINE, now the Lateran, and
to have also founded the basilicas of S. Peter and of S. Paul, of
Holy Cross, S. Agnes, and S. Laurence, in none of which (except
the Holy Cross) are there now any remains of his time, and the church
of S. Marcellinus and Peter the Exorcist, in the mausoleum of his
mother Helena P. The baptistery at the Lateran is also said to
have been built by him; but little, if anything, of his time is there
remaining.
THE CHURCH Or Baptistery of S. Constantia is in the grounds
of the monastery of S. Agnes, near the church, and may have been
built by Constantine as the sepulchral chapel of his daughter and
sister, both of the same name. If so, this seems to be the only
perfect and unaltered building of his time now remaining in Rome;
but it is the opinion of well-informed Roman archeologists that it
was erected by his sons. It is a circular edifice with an aisle round
it, separated from the central space by twenty-four coupled shafts,
carrying small round arches. The vaults of the aisle are ornamented
with very rich mosaics in various patterns, the most remarkable of
which is the cultivation of the vine; which led Ciampini and other
authors to think that it had been originally a temple of Bacchus.
The outer walls are ten feet thick, built of rubble stone or con-
crete, plastered on the inside for painting, and cased on the outside.
with brick or tiles; this casing has been a good deal repaired, but
a considerable part of it seems to be original. Opposite to the
entrance is the arch of a small apse or tribune for an altar, which
has been destroyed; but in that part of the aisle the vault is carried
considerably higher, as if for a baldaquin over the sarcophagus.
The whole of the exterior is as plain as possible, as is the case
with all the ancient churches in Rome. S. Constantia was conse-
crated as a church by Pope Alexander IV., and an altar dedicated
there in 1256. The sarcophagus of the saint was found buried in
the small apse in which this altar is placed, and was removed to
the Vatican Museum by Pope Pio VI. in 1791, as recorded on an
inscription now placed in the apse over a picture representing it.
P Anastasius, xxxiv. 42.
a The Life of Constantine, as nar-
rated by Eusebius, seems to make it
149
•
more probable that this was the case,
though there is no direct testimony
either way.
150
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
[SECT.
This sarcophagus is also ornamented with the vine and the vintage.
This church was restored by Cardinal Sfrondati in 1620; some of
the faded painting is probably of his time. On each side of the
doorway on the exterior is an arched recess, apparently part of
the ancient quadri-porticus; there are also considerable ruins of
the ancient monastery.
The double columns, or twin shafts, which carry the arches are
distinguished for beauty of form and of material. The shafts are of
granite, the capitals of marble; they are richly carved, but quite
consistent with the time of Constantine, and there is no reason to
suppose that they were taken from any previous building. They are
of the Composite order, usual at that period.
The mosaics on the vaults also agree perfectly with the character
of that age, and the work is rather rude, merely intended as de-
corations to be seen from a distance; their general effect is har-
monious and agreeable: they form a regular, methodical, and sym-
metrical whole. They are divided into twelve bays, corresponding
with the lower columns, which carry on one side the vaults of the
aisles on which they are painted, and on the other side the an-
cient cupola. The pattern is different in each bay; the scenes of
the vintage, which were engraved by Ciampini, are constantly referred
to as the most singular. Another is simply a meandering pattern
of foliage, then the ploughing of the land by oxen, and the vintage
repeated, with birds, crosses, and other Christian emblems, but not
prominent. All are on a white ground, except the one which was
over the altar and the sarcophagus of Constantia, or what may be
called the chancel; this is richer than the rest, having a gold
ground. This church had originally an apse, now destroyed, as
has been said. The central part has been painted only, and the
present painting is late and bad.
Over each of two doorways in the tympanum is also a mosaic
picture of later character, probably of the eighth century. The
subject of one is Christ giving His blessing to two of His disciples,
supposed to be S. Thomas and S. Philip', with four lambs at His
feet, and an inscription, DOMINVS PACEM DAT, on a scroll which He
gives to one of the Apostles; two streams of water flow from the
feet of Christ. On the other tympanum Christ is seated on the
globe, with a book in His left hand, and giving His right hand to
an Apostle under a part of His cloak.
r S. John xiv. 27.
XII.]
Via Nomentana.-S. Alexander.
S. ALEXANder.
According to the legends of the Roman Church, Pope Alexander I.
was martyred A.D. 119, by being torn to pieces by horses, along with
Eventius, a priest, and Theodulus, a deacon, on the Via Nomen-
tana, seven miles from Rome. Their scattered limbs were collected
and interred in a catacomb near the same spot, by Severa, a reli-
gious matron. It has been remarked that S. Irenæus does not
mention his martyrdom, but S. Alexander is reckoned among the
martyrs in the Canon of the Mass, and in the Sacramentary of
S. Gregory the Great, in the ancient Calendar of Fronto, and in
other Martyrologies, with his two companions. Their bodies are
said to have been translated to the Dominican church of S. Sabina,
but according to the Roman Church the place where the body of
a martyr has once lain is always considered sacred.
This site had long been forgotten, until in 1853, a learned English
botanist was much surprised to see growing on the grass-land of the
Campagna a plant which was considered as peculiar to old lime or
ruins. He forwarded specimens to the Linnæan Society of London,
who sent out a commission to investigate the facts, and these gentle-
men by a little digging soon came upon the ruins. The discovery
excited great attention, and Cavaliere de Rossi identified the spot.
Pio IX. ordered the space to be enclosed with a substantial wall
sufficient to protect these remains if they had been of gold, and
began to build an enormous cathedral over them, proposing to
retain the old church as a crypt to the new one. The church was
never completed, and probably now never will be, as it is not
wanted. The discovery of the site made a great sensation at the
time, but the matter is now almost forgotten t.
These remains consist of the mosaic pavement and the lower part
of the walls of the original small burial-chapel in a tolerably perfect.
state, with the doorway leading to the Catacombs, the whole of the
second century. By the side of this, a large church, consisting of
nave, aisles and chapels, was built during or soon after the time of
Constantine, and this has been partially excavated. The arches are
formed of the usual long thin bricks of that period.
the central part, which may be nave or chancel, is a portion of the
pavement of the sacrarium, with an apsidal termination, and the
marks of the place of two marble screens of enclosure of the choir
On the floor of
S
"Qui etiam sepultus est Via Nu-
mentana, ubi decollatus est, ab urbe
Roma non longe, milliario vii.," &c.
(Anastasius, vii. 7.)
The key is kept in Rome by the
151
Cardinal Vicar, or his officers; the
place is quite inaccessible without the
key, which must be bespoken the day
before it is wanted.
152
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
[SECT.
or sacrarium behind the altar, which is valuable as shewing the
arrangement of that period; the only part perfect is the apse behind
the altar. At the opposite end there appears to have been a second
apse and a second altar; but this has been so much tampered with,
that it is impossible to see how much it is original. There is the
marble grating of the confessio, but whether in its original place
or not cannot be seen. The inscription upon it seems to be of the
fourth century t.
This church is surrounded by a number of small burial-chapels
and long narrow passages, with brick arches for tombs, like the
sepulchral recesses in medieval churches, on both sides of the pas-
sages, giving at first sight the idea of their being the tops of a long
row of arches of an aisle, and that the earth has only been dug out
to the level of the springing. This is, however, clearly not the case ;
the floor of the passages was no lower than it now is, and the vaults
above, which covered them in, have been destroyed; they must
have formed the upper tier of a catacomb, almost on a level with
the surface of the ground, and they appear to be, from the character
of the work, of the fourth or fifth century.
Before the time of Constantine, and before the large church or
these chapels and passages were built, the original small chapel had
been added to, by building a porch on the side of it, of which the
four brick piers of the vault remain, with the masonry on the right-
hand side, consisting of large square blocks of stone, like all the
early constructions in Rome; and this stone wall continues on the
right-hand side of the portico in front of the porch, of which the bases
of the two columns remain in situ. The wall on the left-hand side
has been destroyed or concealed by the modern wall of Pio IX. ; but
here is placed a fine marble sarcophagus, with a good head in the
centre, and two figures, with torch reversed and extinguished, at the
corners, shewing that it was not Christian.
Behind this are the ruins of a small cubiculum, with three arco-
solia, the door occupying the fourth side, evidently a burying-place
The part remaining of the inscrip- ginal places, and bear these inscrip-
tion on the front of the altar is as
follows:-
tions:
IVNIA SABINA C. F. EIVS FECERVNT.
.... SANCTORVM ORNAVIT.
Under the altar is a shallow grave
lined with marble, in which, no doubt,
the relics of S. Alexander were placed,
until they were removed to S. Sabina.
The front of the altar was panelled or
channelled, and there was a square hole
in the centre for viewing the relics, or
some say, for placing a cloth over them.
ET ALEXANDRO DEDICATVS
VOTO POSVIT DEDICANTE AEPISCOPO
VRS.
This altar is considered as of import-
ance by ecclesiologists, as an early
example of the table-form supported
on four legs or shafts. Two of the
bases of the three remain in their ori-
•
Via Nomentana.-S. Alexander.
XII.]
for a small family; this seems to be of the third or fourth century.
At the end of the large church of Constantine, to the left of the
entrance, is another family burial-chapel of larger dimensions, with
an apse, and with the entrance doorway at the opposite end, raised
a step or two above the level of the church, but distinct from it; this
appears to be of the fifth or sixth century, and is very rude work.
Part of the stone steps descending into the church are ancient, but
the lower part has been widened to more than double the original
width. The curved line of the pavement from the foot of the ori-
ginal steps to the original chapel has been suffered to remain, passing
round the apse of the choir of the church of Constantine, and in-
cluded in the aisle. Several tombs have the names of consuls upon
them, which give their dates.
153
The character of the pavements, and of such other decorated
portions as exist, is that which marks works of the fifth century" :
it was therefore probably at that period that the originally simple
excavation where the body of S. Alexander was laid in the second
century, was brought into the form in which we see it. The building
was evidently partly above and partly below the level of the ground,
the original place of interment having been a low vault, and the
same process of cutting away the superincumbent earth and erect-
ing a church having been gone through here as at S. Agnes and
S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura, but on a much humbler scale.
From the time that the body of S. Alexander was removed from
hence, the building was no doubt neglected, and at last fell into
total ruin. It became filled in with earth, and lost sight of, until
excavations made by Sig. Guidi, and commenced in 1854, brought
these interesting remains to light.
" A sepulchral stone found there bears
the date of the consulate of Postu-
mius (Rufus Prætextatus Postumianus,
A.D. 448), and another that of Flavius
Maburtius (Mavortius, A. D. 527). These
probably point to the period when this
cemetery, about seven miles from Rome,
was specially honoured, and interment
in it desired.
According to some authorities, it
was removed to S. Sabina by Pope
Celestinus in the fifth century. Other
churches at Rome have, however,
claimed the honour of possessing it,
while some French writers state that
it was given by Leo III. to Charle-
magne.
154
[SECT.
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
VIA TIBURTINA.
S. LORENZO FUORI LE Mura.
The basilica of S. Lorenzo beyond the Walls is said to have been
originally one of the usual burial-chapels at the entrance of the
catacomb of S. Cyriaca, a Roman matron, who had interred the body
of S. Laurentius, or Laurence, over the family catacomb or crypt in the
sandpit, in the meadow of Veranus. On this site Constantine is said
to have built a churchy: it is more probable, from his usual practice,
that he endowed a chapter with large landed estates, which enabled.
them afterwards to build a church themselves. It is further stated to
have been enlarged in the fifth century, by the Empress Galla
Placidia, daughter of Theodosius, at the instigation of Pope Leo I.
It is also probable that the original small church was rebuilt at this
time by the chapter, assisted by the donations from the Empress
and others. The only portions remaining of those early periods are
the antique columns. The earliest part of the building to which we
can assign any certain date is the arch of triumph, with the mosaics,
which at present faces the altar instead of being behind it or over it,
as usual. This is part of the church as rebuilt by Pope Pelagius II.,
A.D. 590.
There were originally two churches, which were made into one by
Hadrian I., A.D. 780; the two apses are said to have been back to
back", both of which were removed, and the one continued as a long
y "Constantinus . . . fecit basilicam
B. Laurentio . . . in agrum Veranum,
supra arenarium cryptæ." (Anastasius,
xxxiv. 43.)
z The fact that Galla Placidia did
contribute largely to the rebuilding is
confirmed by the following inscrip-
inscrip-
tion :-
GAVDET PONTIFICIS STVDIO SPLEN-
DERE LEONIS
PLACIDIAE PIA MENS OPERIS DECVS
OMNE PATER
DEMOVIT DOMINVS TENEBRAS VT LVCE
A
CREATA
HIS QVONDAM LATEBRIS SIC MODO
FVLGOR INEST
ANGVSTOS ADITVS VENERABILE CORPVS
RECISA
HABEBAT
HVC VBI NVNC POPVLVM
POPVLVM LARGIOR
AVRA CAPIT
ERVTA PLANICIES PATVIT SVB MONTE
ESTQVE REMOTA GRAVI MOLE RVINA
MINAX.
(Gruter, Inscr. Ant., p. MCLXXIII.,
No. I.)
a
"Item hic idem almificus præsul
monasterium S. Laurentii, quod in Pa-
latinis in desertis reperit, noviter re-
staurans, atque in omnibus ditans, con-
junxit cum alio monasterio juxta ipsum
posito, scilicet S. Stephani, quod cogno-
minatur Baganda; et ordinavit mona-
chos, et constituit ut in titulo B. Marci
pontificis atque confessoris officio fun-
gerentur," &c. (Anastasius, xcvii. 340.)
b This is the same plan as the building
called the temple of Venus and Roma,
and the idea was probably taken from it.
The fact of two churches having been
built in the fifth or sixth century, with
their altars turned in exactly opposite
directions, the same reredos wall sepa-
rating the two altars, is a curious in-
stance of the indifference to orientation
at that period; but probably the altar
which faced to the west was so arranged
that the priest stood behind it, and
looked himself to the rising sun when
celebrating the sacred mysteries, although
the congregation looked to the west.
XII.]
Via Tiburtina.-S. Lorenzo beyond the Walls.
nave to the arch of triumph of the other, which was thus reversed.
The older church, now the choir, is built of very fine antique columns
on bases of the eighth century, carved with the cross and Alpha and
Omega; they carry an antique frieze, and on this a triforium gallery.
The plan is nearly identical with that of S. Agnes; the lower columns.
have an entablature only, with the triforium gallery above, which
has arches and is an important part of the structure, with windows
at the back. The floor of the choir has been very much raised in
the thirteenth century, and a mosaic pavement of Opus Alexandrinum
put upon it. This floor cuts off about a third part of the original
height of the columns, which are fully seen in the aisles only.
During the restorations of 1864 and 1865, the ancient crypt has
been entirely removed, and replaced by a handsome modern crypt
of white marble. At the end behind the altar is a transverse pas-
sage forming a square east end to the present church, which was the
vestibule or narthex of the original church. The clerestory and roof
are modern; the ambo for the Epistle, on the left hand, is formed
partly of antique marble, and partly of the two ambones of the thir-
teenth century placed one upon the other. On the right is a fine
ambo for the Gospel, ornamented with slabs of porphyry and ser-
pentine, with borders of ribbon mosaic, and formed of antique marble
with carving on it; at the foot is an eagle carrying a hare. The
paschal candlestick is of marble with spiral fluting and enamelled
in the ribbon mosaic, carried upon two lions couchant; it is work
of the thirteenth century. The altar stands in the middle of the
choir under a handsome baldaquino of classical type, on which is
an inscription recording that it was made in 1148°, and behind
the altar is the papal chair of marble encrusted with slabs of
porphyry and serpentine with mosaic ribbon borders; it bears the
date of 1254, and is carried on two lions couchant. A marble
slab on which the body of S. Laurence is said to have been placed
after his martyrdom, is protected by an iron grille of the thirteenth
century.
THE NAVE was originally called S. Stephen's; it is on the basilican
plan, and has twenty-two antique columns with Ionic capitals, but
not all alike. They have evidently come from two different edifices.
The inscription is,-
JOHS. PETRVS. ANGELO. ET JOSEF.
FILII. PAVLI. MARMOR. HVIVS. OPS.
MAGISTRI. FECERVNT.
And on the opposite side,-
JOHS. PETRVS. ANGELVS
ET.
SASSO. FILII. PAVLI. MARMOR. HVI.
OPIS. MAGISTRI. FECER. ANN. d.
155
•
•
M.C.VIII. EGO. HVGO. HVMILIS
ABBAS. HOC. OPVS. FIERI. FECI.
156
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
[SECT.
In the centre of the floor of the nave is a tomb in mosaic of two
warriors" of the time of Honorius III., c. A.D. 1220, who must have
made considerable repairs, if he did not rebuild the church. Its
rebuilding is mentioned by Ciaconius among the works of Hono-
rius III., who, he says, repaired the church and the monastery;
but it is well known that repaired is a very vague term in medieval
registers. It often means almost an entire rebuilding.
The two churches combined in one are not exactly in a line, as
may be seen distinctly on the exterior of the north side. The walls
of the aisles are chiefly of the thirteenth century; the construction
agreeing with that of the end walls of the portico, which is evidently
of that period. The walls of the clerestory on both sides are of brick,
also of the thirteenth; some of the original windows remain, with the
peculiar kind of tracery, which was the origin of plate-tracery, a plate
of marble pierced with small round holes for the glass, or, as it is said
originally to have been, the thinner layers of translucent marble, the
same as at the Tre Fontane, and other original windows of the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries, though these are now becoming rare. At
S. Lorenzo, they are visible on the outside; but during the recent
restorations in 1864, under the auspices of the munificent Pio IX.,
who has the misfortune to employ very ignorant architects, these
valuable original windows have all been very ingeniously blocked up,
or suffered to remain so. Considering that no expense is spared, it
is to be regretted that the persons employed should be so much
behind the rest of Europe in archæological knowledge and taste.
The Portico is of classical character, and has six columns with
Ionic capitals; four of these columns have twisted fluting, of a kind
very usual in Rome in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, as in the
porch of S. Sabina and the tomb of Pope Honorius III. The cornice
has pattern mosaics of the thirteenth, and over them shallow carving
in white marble, very much in the same style as that which prevailed
in the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries, and which was con-
tinued in the twelfth and thirteenth, as on the wells in the cloisters
at the Lateran, and at S. John's, near the Porta Latina, the doorway
at S. Pudentiana, and in the chapel of S. Zeno in S. Prassede. At
S. Lorenzo, the portico, with these shallow carvings, is without
doubt of the time of Honorius III., and has under it the curious
paintings relating to events of that period. They represent the
legends of S. Stephen and S. Laurence, and the coronation of Pierre
d It is most probable that these two
warriors buried in the nave of the church
were great benefactors, or found nearly
all the necessary funds, although the
Pope was given the credit of the work
done in his time.
XII.]
Via Tiburtina.-S. Lorenzo beyond the Walls.
157
de Courtenay, Count of Auxerre, who was crowned here as Em-
peror of the East in 1217; but the curious and valuable original
fresco paintings have unfortunately been restored. The original out-
lines are however preserved, and the paintings carefully copied.
They afford curious information as to the belief at that period of
the legends of the saints.
They are arranged in seven pictures :-
1. A holy Hermit sees four Demons pass with a great noise near
his hermitage, and asks them where are they going.
2. The body of the wicked Saxon Count Henry, who had given
a vase to the church of S. Lorenzo. The four Demons discuss with
the guardian Angel of the said Count who his soul is to belong to.
The Demons carry the book in which are written all his bad actions,
with this title, OPERA MALA QVE FECIT; and the Angel carries the
book of his good actions, with the title, OPERA BONA QVE FECIT.
The Priest or Abbot stands behind the body, with this writing,
REQVIESCAT IN PACE: AMEN.
3. The Angel and the Demons put the books in a scale. The book
of the bad actions weighs the heaviest; but, to the mortification of
the Demons, S. Lorenzo runs and throws into the scale with the
good actions the vase which the deceased had given him, and thus
the soul of Count Henry can go to Paradise amid the rage of the
Demons.
4. Presentation of the vase which the Count Henry had offered
on the altar of S. Laurence.
5. The Greeks sent to Rome to receive the body of S. Laurence
for that of S. Stephen, which they had brought to the basilica of
the former, wishing to lay hands upon the tomb of S. Laurence, fall
to the earth nearly dead'.
6. Burial of the body of S. Laurence after his martyrdom, and
the priest, Justin, gives the communion to S. Cyriaca and other
Christians.
7. A soul clings to the foot of S. Michael at the moment that the
balance, with the book of wicked actions, flies up under the weight
of a Demon.
This porch was restored by Sixtus IV. (1471-1484), whose arms
were placed on the upper part, before the recent lamentable works
were executed at the expense of Pio IX. Some fine sarcophagi
have been placed in the porch.
Over the portico is a large painting on a gold ground, in imitation
He died in the time of Pope Alex-
ander II., A.D. 1065.
f
According to the legend, they died
within the space of ten days.
158
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
[SECT.
of the style of the old mosaics, with figures of Pelagius II., the Em-
peror Constantine, Honorius III., and Pio IX. (each of the two
latter with a model of the church in his hand, one as the founder,
the other as the restorer), Xistus III., and Hadrian I. Over these
figures are heads in niches of S. Cyriaca, S. Hippolytus, S. Stephanus,
S. Laurentius, S. Justinianus, S. Cyrilla.
Pope Hilary, A.D. 461-467, made a monastery here; Hadrian I.,
A.D. 772, added a staircase or steps from the church to the catacombs
of S. Cyriaca, and did some other works here. There are portions of
the outer walls of the monastery which are of great antiquity; the in-
terior is more modern, and is surrounded by a cloister of two stories,
in the style of the twelfth century, which continued in Rome during
the thirteenth with little change. The lower story has coupled shafts
of white marble, alternately with a single one. The upper story, now
walled up, has single shafts only; there are flat pilaster buttresses and
a cornice or corbel-table of brick with stone or marble corbels. The
same cornice is repeated on the CAMPANILE, which is built very regu-
larly of flat bricks, and the interior wall of the cloister exactly corre-
sponds with it. The outer wall of the cloister has the lower part of
quite a different construction; this is more visible on the east side
from the cemetery. The old wall is of rough stone, and has two small
ancient windows in it; the upper part is of brick, the same as the inner
wall. The lower part is probably of the time of Hadrian I.; the upper
part and the main construction belong to that of Honorius III.
In this cloister a number of ancient fragments of various kinds
are preserved, including tombstones from the Catacombs, portions of
sarcophagi mixed up with work of later periods, including several
brought from the church during the recent restorations. Among
these was (in 1865) a very beautiful cornice of a fine doorway of
the thirteenth century, removed from the south side of the chancel,
the space which it occupied being now walled up among the recent
improvements; also the bases of the columns of the arcade with which
the porch in front of this doorway was ornamented, bases which are
enamelled with the ribbon mosaics in the style of the Cosmati.
There were other portions of the same beautiful doorway and porch,
irreparably destroyed in the year 1864. There is little doubt, from
a comparison of dates, that this beautiful porch was the work of the
celebrated Cosmati family, and it was the only porch that they built.
The doorway on the north side of the nave is also walled up, so
that the only entrance is now from the west end; and the clergy
living in the convent, which is at the south-east corner of the church,
have to walk the whole length of the building in all weathers to go
XII.]
Via Tiburtina.-S. Lorenzo beyond the Walls. 159
in at the west end. In the dark ages, a covered way was always
provided from the dormitory to the church; but apparently modern
Roman architects do not consider midnight services or numerous
services to be required in these days, and on the few occasions when
S. Lorenzo is used the clergy may as well walk through the rain, or
the cold wind, which is frequent enough there.
In the dark ages,
the advisers of the Popes were more considerate both of the clergy
and of the people. Hadrian I. made what was called a porticus,
from the gate of the city to the entrance of this church".
The present burial-ground of Rome is attached to it; the Campo-
santo is very extensive, having been several times enlarged both in
length and width. A great part of the ground is occupied by graves,
with head-stones, or crosses either of wood or stone, according to the
fashion now usual in other parts of Europe; but a portion near the
entrance, surrounded by a modern cloister, contains 384 pits, in
which the common people were buried who were too poor to have
a piece of ground purchased in perpetuity for them.
g "Imo et porticum, qui ducit ad
S. Laurentium foris murum, a porta
usque in eamdem basilicam, a novo con-
struxit." (Anastasius in Hadriano I.,
xcvii. 342.)
The word porticus is one that is used
in different senses in medieval Latin,
and apparently in classical Latin also.
Originally it signified what we still
call a portico, the colonnade outside of
a temple; but it also signified an arcade,
as in the instance of the porticus to the
Thermæ of Caracalla, which was finished
by his successor, Heliogabalus, and
the ruins of which remain.
This was
clearly an arcade, not a colonnade.
The porticus built by Nero after the
fire in front of the houses was also an
arcade, of which there are a few re-
mains. When in the early Christian
churches the wall was put outside the
colonnade or arcade instead of inside,
the name of porticus was still retained,
and thus became applied to the aisles
of the church.
•
h For further information respecting
this church, see a pamphlet printed at
Bologna in 1861, under the title of
La Basilica di S. Lorenzo fuor delle
mura illustrata per cura del M.R. P.
Salvatore da Morrovalle, cappucino
con appendice del Sig. avv. Tito Bollici;
and F. Gori, Della Porta e Basilica di
S. Lorenzo, delle Catacombe di Sa. Ciriaca,
della Basilica di S. Stefano Martire Ro-
mano, delle Catacombe di S. Ippolito sol-
dato, o ad Nymphas, e del Campo-santo
di Roma, &c. 8vo., 1862.
This practice is now discontinued,
but only within a very few years, since
1860.
160
[SECT. XII.
Churches connected with the Catacombs.
VIA LATINA.
CHURCH OF S. STEPHEN, THE DEACON.
S. Stephen was bishop of Rome from A.D. 253-257, according
to some authorities, and from 258-260, according to others; if
we trust to Eusebius, the latter must be correct, as the saint took
occasional refuge in the Catacombs during the seventh persecution,
which lasted from 256-259, where he preached, and baptized
108 persons on one day, and 60 on another. The Emperor Vale-
rian ordered him to be taken prisoner and brought to the temple
of Mars. He refused to sacrifice to the idol, and took refuge again
in a catacomb; but soldiers were sent after him, and found him
officiating at the altar in the crypt of Lucilla or Lucina. As he
refused to discontinue the service, they beheaded him there on his
own seat, which was buried with him in the same crypt.
The church of S. Stephen, on the Via Latina, near the celebrated
painted tombs about four miles from Rome, was founded in honour
of this saint in the time of S. Leo I., A.D. 440-461, by the maiden
consecrated to God, Demetria, in her meadow, over her catacomb *.
The remains of it were excavated and surrounded by a wall under
Pio IX. The plan is clearly developed, the bases of columns
are left in situ, and the columns themselves, with some of their
capitals, are collected at one end within the wall. These evidently
belong to a fabric of an earlier date than the fifth century; and
the whole church has clearly been made out of some building pre-
viously existing, either the house of Demetria, or one of the chapels
usual at the entrance of a catacomb, or a pagan temple. On
the north side, and within the modern wall, but parallel to it, is
the springing of the vault of a passage; and as this is nearly level
with the soil, the passage itself must have been below that level,
like the passage to a catacomb. The plan of the church is that
of a basilica with an apse, which looks later than the rest of the
building; and on one side of the apse is a small baptistery, with
a well in it; on the other side, the sacristy. At the west end was
a portico, as shewn by the bases of the columns; and the aisles
were divided by a row of columns, as shewn also by the bases.
There are some small remains of a catacomb attached to this
church.
j See Anastasius, xxiv. 24; and the
historians of the early Church.
k
66
Hujus (S. Leonis) temporibus fe-
cit Demetria, ancilla Dei, basilicam S.
Stephano Via Latina, milliario iv., in
""
prædio suo. (Id., xlvii. 66.) Ancilla
Dei is synonymous with sacrata Deo,
used by Gregory of Tours, Lib. de Glor.
Confess., c. cv.
APPENDIX TO THE CATACOMBS.
THE earliest accounts of the Catacombs that we have, after the
history of the martyrs buried in them, and the notices of these in
the Fathers of the Church and the hymns of Prudentius, are the
Itineraries made for the use of the pilgrims.
In his great and exhaustive work, Signor de Rossi, so frequently
quoted and referred to in this chapter on the Catacombs, gives
a comparative table of all the Medieval Itineraries, of which he
finds eight-
I. He considers the earliest to be in the Notitia Urbis Roma;
but this is not, and could not, be part of the original text: there is
not a word on the subject there, according to Preller's text. It
is an addition made in a transcript of the ninth century in a manu-
script in the Vatican Library, in which sixteen cemeteries are enu-
merated. This number agrees with the later Itineraries, and with
the general cemeteries now known, but of course cannot include
the separate cubicula in each cemetery'. This first one he calls
Index Cometerium.
II. The second he calls Indices oliorum quas collegit Johannes
Abbas. This was formed by a monk or monks, who collected oil
from the lamps kept burning at the tombs of the martyrs on their
festival days, as is now done on certain occasions in the restored
catacomb of S. Calixtus. In the dark periods of the Middle Ages,
this oil was supposed to possess miraculous properties. These two
Itineraries united in one, were probably made in the tenth century,
the darkest period of all.
1 "I. Cimiterium Prisalle (lege Pris-
cillæ) ad Sanctum Silvestrum, Via Sa-
laria.
II. Cimiterium Jordanorum ad Sanc-
tum Alexandrum, Via Salaria.
III. Cimiterium Pretextati ad Sanc-
tum Januarium, Via Appia.
IV. Cimiterium Domicile (lege Do-
mitillæ) Nerei et Archilei (Achillei) ad
sanctam Petronillam, Via Ardeatina.
V. Cimiterium catecumbas ad Sanc-
tum Sebastianum, Via Appia.
VI. Cimiterium Calisti ad Sanctum
Sistum, Via Appia.
VII. Cimiterium ad duos Lauros ad
Sanctum Petrum et Marcellinum, Via
Lavicana.
VIII. Cimiterium Balbine ad Sanctum
Marcum et Marcellianum, Via Ardeatina.
M
IX. Cimiterium ad Sanctam Colum-
bam ad caput sancti Johannis in clivum
cucumeris.
X. Cimiterium ad insulatos ad Sanc-
tum Felicem, Via Portuensi.
XI. Cimiterium Pontiani ad Ursum
Pileatum, Abdon et Sennen, Via Por-
tuensi.
XII. Cimiterium Bassille ad Sanctum
Hermen, Via Salaria.
XIII. Cimiterium Basilei ad Sanc-
tum Marcum, Via Ardeatina.
XIV. Cimiterium Commodille ad
Sanctum Felicem et Adauctum, Via Os-
tiensi.
XV. Cimiterium Calepodii ad Sanc-
tum Calixtum, Via Aurelia.
XVI. Cimiterium Trasonis ad Sanc-
tum Saturninum, Via Salaria."
162
Appendix to the Catacombs.
III. The third is from a manuscript at Saltzburg, ex uno codice
Salisburgensi.
IV. The fourth is taken from another manuscript also at Saltzburg,
with additions from a transcript at Wurtzburg, which has some in-
terpolations.
V. The fifth is contained in the Chronicle of William of Malmes-
bury, a monk of the twelfth century, and appears to be copied from
the older one preserved at Einsiedlen in Switzerland, or both from
the same source. This text is much better preserved. Sharpe's
translation of this has been used in the description of the Cata-
combs at the head of each of the roads.
VI. Topographia Einsiedlensis. This has been several times re-
ferred to and used in the present chapter, but the text is very
confused; Signor de Rossi has been to Einsiedlen to collate the
manuscript.
VII. Excerpta Topographica, in Vita Hadriani I. (from Anas-
tasius).
VIII. Index Cameterium e libro Mirabilium Urbis Romæ, which
Signor de Rossi also reduces into order from the confused original.
All these are arranged in a series of tables, according to the
different roads, in the same manner as we have done in following
William of Malmesbury. The limits of this summary view of the
subject do not admit of discussion as to each of the separate
cubicula in which a martyr has been interred. Those who wish for
further information on the subject, will find it in the great work
of De Rossi, and in the excellent abridgments of it, both in Eng-
lish and French, before-mentioned. Those who take the trouble to
compare them, cannot fail to observe that the eminent antiquary
is himself more careful and accurate in his statements than the
authors of the abridgments are.
We have then nothing until the sixteenth century, when Onuphrius
Panvinius called attention to the subject in one of his learned works.
He was contemporary with Bosio, and it is evident that his work
served as a guide to that indefatigable explorer; but whether his
book was written before Bosio began, or immediately afterwards, is
not clear. He died in 1568, when the author of the Roma Sotter-
ranea was a young man, and this work was not published until 1622,
but that was long after his death. The chapter of Panvinius, "de
Cometeriis Urbis Romæ," is the most important one for our pur-
pose; this is given in our Appendix.
The engravings of Bosio are of much importance, and have pre-
served a record of many paintings now destroyed, and catacombs
Appendix to the Catacombs.
163
not opened since his time. We have thought it desirable to give
a complete list of them in this Appendix also.
Bosio was followed by Aringhi, who republished his plates with
the letter-press in Latin and some additions. These have been col-
lated, and an account of them follows the list of his predecessor's
plates.
The keeper of the Catacombs then became one of the officials
of the Pontifical Government, and each succeeding holder of this
office has in general left some record of what was found in his time.
The opinions and conjectures of Panvinius, especially the exclusively
Christian character of the Catacombs, became established as the
rule of the office, and are called "the Roman traditions ;" they were,
and are still followed by the successive writers as a matter of course.
Boldetti, who was one of the predecessors of Signor de Rossi in this
office of Superintendent of the Catacombs for the Pontifical Govern-
ment, and who also published a valuable work on the subject ", could
not do otherwise. He gives a catalogue of Pagan inscriptions found in
the Catacombs during his time, beginning with one of the Emperor
Marcus Aurelius Pius, discovered in the catacomb of S. Hippolytus.
In that of S. Cyriaca he found six Pagan inscriptions, beginning
with the usual invocation to the gods, D. M. (Diis Manibus), and in
some cases the words in full; another in the catacomb of Gordianus
and Epimachus on the Via Latina, two in that of Priscilla with the
D. M., two others in that of Priscilla, and seventeen in that of Calixtus
and Prætextatus, four in that of Pontianus, four in that of S. Agnes,
three in that of Lucina. In his tenth chapter he gives a list of
other Pagan inscriptions with Christian ones at the back, and in his
eleventh chapter some with Christian symbols, the palm-leaf, the dove,
the monogram of Christ, together with the letters D. M. S. (Diis Mani-
bus Sacrum), and others with D. M. only, which he explains as Deo
Magno. He also published an inscription discovered in the catacomb
of S. Agnes, with the dedication to Eternal Sleep :-
SOMNO HETERNALI
AVRELIVS GEMELLVS QVI BIXIT AN. III.
In his twelfth chapter he describes the Pagan symbols found on
sarcophagi, as that of Aurelia Agapetilla, discovered in the catacomb of
S. Agnes, with bas-reliefs of Venus Libitina or Aphrodites, Ceres and
Oceanus. He cites examples of the union of the sacred and pro-
fane found in the paintings and sculptures in the Catacombs, such
m“Osservazioni sopra i cimiterj de'
SS. Martiri ed antichi Cristiani di
Roma (da Marco - Antonio Boldetti)."
Roma, MDCCXX., folio, tom. ii. pp.
465 and 512.
M 2
164
Appendix to the Catacombs.
as the Good Shepherd with Bacchus, and with the four seasons; the
agapes, with the heads crowned with laurels as in profane pictures;
a Christian soldier, with the Tessera Lusoria or Games, &c.; and
he reproduces a drawing of a Gorgon's head, found in the catacomb
of S. Calixtus.
Boldetti was succeeded by Bottari, who republished Bosio's plates
with the following title :-"Sculture e Pitture sagre estratte dai
Cimiterj di Roma, publicate gia dagli Autori della Roma Sotter-
ranea, ed ora nuovamente date in luce colle Spiegazioni per ordine
di N. S. Clemente XII. felicemente regnante. Roma, 1727—1746,
1754. 3 vols. folio."
These are Bosio's plates, with the Italian letter-press of Severano,
revised and corrected by Bottari, and the work is known by the
latter name. There is a short preface to the first volume, stating
the facts honestly; other prefaces to the two following volumes by
other hands, contain some information, and a few new inscriptions.
on tombstones found during the time that the work was in progress.
In the present century, the office has been held by Padre Marchi,
a man of great learning and research, who published a valuable
work ", one of the objects of which, as stated in the preface, is to
correct the errors of Boldetti and Bottari. These were his prede-
cessors in the office which Padre Marchi then held, and the ideas
of the nineteenth century were not the same as those of the seven-
teenth and eighteenth.
The subjects illustrated are in the Catacombs of—
S. Agnes, plates 1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 19, 20.
S. Helena, plates 6, 7, 8.
S. Pontianus, plate 13.
S. Ciriaca, plates 14, 15.
S. Hermes, SS. Marcellinus et Petrus (cubicula), plate 16.
S. Prætextatus, plate 18.
S. Calepodius, plate 21.
Cubiculum in Via Latina, plate 22.
During his time, the French Government employed a body of
artists, under the direction of M. Perret, to make a new set of draw-
ings and engravings from the Catacombs; no expense was spared,
and a magnificent work was produced in six folio volumes.
drawings are too highly coloured and too much dressed up; but in
many cases the outlines were traced from the originals, as had pre-
n "Monumenti delle Arti Cristiane
primitive nella Metropoli del Chris-
tianesimo, disegnati ed illustrati per
4to.,
cura di G. Marchi. Architettura."
Roma, 1844; tavole xxxviii., F. Fon-
tana del.
Appendix to the Catacombs.
165
viously been done by Seroux d'Agincourt in a few instances, in his
great work, "Histoire de l'Art par les monumens." The coloured
lithographic plates of Perret now appear too theatrical, and do not
convey the idea of the originals.
The Cavaliere de Rossi, who succeeded Padre Marchi as custodian
of the Catacombs, not being satisfied with the great French work,
undertook the task of producing more faithful representations, and
his plates do convey the idea of the original art much better than
the French ones; still, being made from modern drawings, although
better drawings, they cannot be depended on for the history of art.
Nothing but photographs can give the exact hand of the original artist.
so as to shew the century to which each drawing belongs. There
is reason to believe that the greatest part of the frescoes were made
for the pilgrims at the time when the various catacombs were
restored by the Popes, and that fully three-fourths of these paintings.
belong to the eighth and ninth centuries.
The excellent plans of the Catacombs, for which the archeologists
are indebted to the two brothers De Rossi, are among the most im-
portant services they have rendered to the science. These give the
real ancient topography, and not the modern only, as had pre-
viously been done. They will be found in the first volume of the
great work of the Commendatore de Rossi (pp. 175-183), arranged
according to the routes. He also gives a table of the names of the
catacombs according to the same order, with the variety of names
often given to the same catacomb.
The following list of the subjects engraved in these valuable works
on the Catacombs may be useful and interesting to those who have
not access to the originals, nor to these large and expensive books.
Those of Bosio and Aringhi are the most complete and systematic,
and many paintings which they were able to draw then have almost
disappeared now, or have been buried again. Bosio has left his name
inscribed on the walls in several places where he had made draw-
ings in the sixteenth century. The artists employed by the French
Government under the direction of M. Perret, are said to have left
their mark in a less creditable manner in some instances, a pencil
line remains traced in the outlines of the figures which they copied ;
or possibly these may have been made by D'Agincourt, who has pub-
lished facsimile tracings of some of them. In other instances, some
chemical process has been employed by the French artists to bring
out the colours temporarily, which has caused them to decay more
rapidly since, until these have now almost disappeared.
BOSIO.
THE following subjects were drawn by Bosio in the sixteenth
century, and engraved on a series of copper-plates, which were
published after his death in two folio volumes with letter-press in
Italian, giving a full account of his discoveries. The same plates
were afterwards republished by Aringhi, with a Latin text, giving the
substance of Bosio's Italian work, and additional matter respecting
the saints and martyrs interred there. This new matter is chiefly
taken from the Martyrologium Romanum, which was enlarged in
the acts of the Martyrs published by the Bollandists, in the order
of the days of the months of the martyrdoms, a great work, which
is still going on. Very few of the materials for the Acta Mar-
tyrum can be traced to an earlier period than the eighth or ninth
centuries, the great era of pilgrimages at Rome to the graves of the
martyrs, lately resumed in considerable numbers, but to a compara-
tively slight extent. A few of these acts, such as those of S. Cyprian
and S. Justin Martyr, are believed to be genuine, and as early as the
second or third century.
In the catacomb of S. Peter at the Vatican, several sculptures are
engraved by Bosio; the earliest from the sarcophagus of Junius.
Bassus in the fourth century, and several from sculptures in the
church of the fifteenth century, of course purely imaginary. These
sculptures comprise plates I. to XIII. of Bosio and Aringhi, and
most of the sculptures themselves are now preserved in the Vatican
or the Lateran Museum, or in the crypt of S. Peter's.
1. Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus.
2, 3, 4.
Probus and Proba, still
in the crypt of S. Peter's.
5 to 13 are other sculptured marble
coffins (sarcophagi) of the same kind,
found in the pavement or in the foun-
dations in 1590, and from that to 1607
by Bosio or his friends. Many of the
subjects are the same as those of the
paintings, the Good Shepherd, Laza-
rus, Elijah, Jonah, &c.
14, 15. Another sarcophagus, found in
the pavement, which contained the
bodies of four Popes, Leo I., II.,
III., IV. Upon it are sculptures of
Christ and the Apostles, and at their
feet twelve small sheep, and a large
one in the centre. At the feet of Christ
may be seen small figures of S. Mary
and S. John; at one end Elijah in
the chariot, at the other end Abra-
ham and Isaac. This sculpture is
very probably of the time of S. Leo I.
or the Great, c. A.D. 450.
16. Another late sarcophagus, with the
cross and monogram in the centre.
17 to 28 are others of similar character.
The one engraved on plates 19 and
20 has foliage of Byzantine character,
and at the two ends are buildings so
much like those in the mosaic pic-
ture of S. Pudentiana, that they are
probably copied from it. This sarco-
phagus is now in the Lateran Museum.
The Engravings of Bosio.
VIA PORTUENSIS.
CATACOMB OF PONTIANUS.
29. Two subjects--
1. Head of Christ, with a cruciform
nimbus, which is jewelled or orna-
mented with pearls or beads, a com-
mon feature in costumes of the eighth
and ninth centuries.
2. The Three Children in the
"burning fiery furnace.”
30. 1. Baptism of Christ, over an arch.
2. The jewelled cross, under the
same arch. This arch is over the
well, with a flight of steps down to
it called the Baptistery.
31. Christ crowning the martyrs Abdon
and Sennen, SS. Milex and Bicentius,
or Vincentius. Levita standing by in
the attitude of adoration.
32. 1. SS. Marcellinus, Pollinus, and
Petrus. The central figure holds the
crown of martyrdom in his hand, the
others hold each a roll of parchment.
2. A jewelled cross over a doorway
in a rock, probably intended for Cal-
vary; on the left S. Milex, on the
right S. Pigmenius.
Pp. 181, 183. Burial of SS. Peter and
Paul, from a sculpture over the door of
old S. Peter's, of the time of Martin V.,
A. D. 1420.
167
P. 195. Plan of S. Sebastian's, the ori-
ginal drawing is now preserved in
S. Maria in Aventino.
VIA APPIA,
S. CALIXTUS.
P. 197, 199, 201, are vases said to
have contained the blood of martyrs,
and lachrymatories; two of the vases
have the monogram of Constantine,
the others appear to be also of the
fourth century.
P. 203, 205, 207, 209, 211, are lamps,
some of bronze, others of earthen-
ware. One of them also has the mo-
nogram, another the Good Shepherd;
these appear to be all of the fourth
and fifth centuries.
LUM.
P. 219, 221, 223. FIRST CUBICU-
View of two of the subjects
in it. 1. Christ on a throne, with
the Twelve Apostles; two seated, the
rest standing. 2. The Good Shep-
herd standing between the trees in
a landscape, with figures symbolical
of Spring and Summer.
P. 225. History of Jonah (third picture
in the first Cubiculum).
VIA OSTIENSIS.
137. A CUBICULUM, found near Ostia.
after the death of Bosio. Two views
shewing the graves in the walls.
139. The vault of the same Cubiculum,
with the Good Shepherd in the centre,
and the four seasons in four panels of
the vault; on the walls, the history of
Jonah. All these paintings were exe-
cuted in yellow ochre only, and the
vault, which was in a tumulus or
mound on the bank of the river, was
obliged to be destroyed.
Pp. 155, 157, 159, 161, are from sculp- 237. THIRD CUBICULUM, two views.
239. Vault of the same. In the centre,
tures.
I.
Orpheus. In panels, 1. Daniel; 2.
Lazarus; 3. David with the sling;
4. Moses. In the intermediate panels
are animals charmed by Orpheus.
241. Wall and arch. 1. "Fiery fur-
nace;" 2. and 3. Orantes; 4. Good
Shepherd.
227. Moses striking the rock, dressed
in surplice, and what appears to be
a stole (fourth picture in first Cubicu-
lum), and other miracles.
229. SECOND CUBICULUM, two views.
231. Vault of the same. In the centre,
miracle of the loaves, in panels of
the vault. 1. Moses and the rock;
2. Noah; 3. "Fiery furnace;" 4.
Abraham and Isaac; 5. Miracle of
the loaves.
233. Under the arch, 1. Adam and Eve;
2. The Paralytic; 3. An orante.
235. Daniel and the lions, two Prophets
with scrolls.
168
Appendix to the Catacombs.
243. Vault.
1. In the centre, Noah ;
2. Tobias with the fish; 3. Jonah
under the gourd or ivy - bush (?);
4. Job; 5. Jonah recumbent, with the
sun hot upon him.
245. Wall and arch. I. Moses with
vases of manna (?); 2. Christ with
bread in His bosom ; 3. The Woman
of Samaria; 4. An orante.
247. Vault in the third Cubiculum. In
the centre, Moses, with the Law in his
hand (?); the remainder flowers only.
249. Miracles of the blind and the para-
lytic. Two lambs, each with a crook
and a vase.
251. 1. FOURTH CUBICULUM. View
in two parts, right and left of the
lucerna or luminare.
253. 2. The vault, with the head of
Christ in the centre, enclosed in a
circle, octagonal frames beyond, and
on the sides vases with birds and
flowers.
255. 3. AN ARCO-SOLIUM, with figures
painted on the surface of the wall.
In the centre a Madonna, seated (the
Magi destroyed); on the right, Moses
striking the rock; on the left, a Pro-
phet; a building in the background.
Under the arch, Orpheus with the
lyre, the birds and the beasts.
257. Third Painting on the fourth Cubi-
culum. On the wall, an orante, Noah,
Lazarus; under the arch, Elijah and
Elisha.
259. Fourth Picture in the fourth Cubi-
culum. On the wall, Moses taking off
his shoes; under the arch, Daniel
and the lions.
261. Under the arch, Christ and Dis-
ciples; on the wall and on the soffit,
grapes and children.
263. Under the arch, a head in a circu-
lar frame, in the costume of a Car-
dinal (?); on the wall, Daniel and
Moses.
• N.B. The drawing and costumes of
nearly all these frescoes in S. Calixtus,
S. Cornelius, and S. Sixtus seem to be-
265. Under an arch, the Good Shepherd.
267. Fragments from two paintings.
1. Head of Christ; 2. Moses; 3. La-
zarus; 4. Good Shepherd; 5. Miracle
of the loaves; 6. Christ blessing
a child.
269. I. Two orantes; 2. The Good
Shepherd.
271. The same subjects.
273. 1. Adam and Eve; 2. An orante
under an arch, of very late character;
3. Good Shepherd and two orantes º.
277. Jonah, the Good Shepherd, two
orantes.
279. 1. General view of Arco-solium, or
painted arch. On the wall under it,
father, mother, and child; in centre
of soffit, the Good Shepherd; on the
left, the three children led to worship
the image of Nebuchadnezzar; on the
right, offering of the Magi.
281. In the centre, the Good Shepherd;
left, Moses taking off his shoes; right,
Moses striking the rock.
285, 287, 289, 291, 293, 295. Sculptures.
VIA LATINA.
305. The Marriage Feast of Cana, or
a funeral feast; six figures seated at
a triclinium, with four large water or
wine vessels in front.
FIRST CUBICULUM. View, with
fossores.
307. Vault. In centre, I. Good Shepherd.
In panels; 2. Christ blessing a child ;
3. Job; 4. Lazarus; 5. Moses; 6. and
7. Lambs bearing crosses.
309. SECOND CUBICULUM. View.
311. Vault of the same, with the Good
Shepherd and vine. Under the arch,
an orante, with two caskets.
VIA LABICANA.
SS. PETER AND MARCELLINUS.
323. Plan of the TOMB OF S. HELENA,
called the Church of SS. Peter and
Marcellinus.
long to the restoration of Leo III., A. D.
795. Those in SS. Peter and Marcellinus
were restored A. D. 772 by Hadrian I.
325. Plan and View of the confessio.
329. FIRST CUBICULUM. Views.
331. Vault of the same. In the centre,
1. Good Shepherd; 2. Jonah; 3. La-
zarus; 4. Miracle of the loaves.
333. SECOND CUBICULUM. View.
335. Vault of the same; 1. Good Shep-
herd in the centre, with four orantes
in panels. Two fossores.
The Engravings of Bosio.
337. THIRD CUBICULUM. View.
339. Vault of the same. 1. Good Shep-
herd in the centre ; 2. Noah; 3. Laza-
rus; 4. Daniel and lions; 5. Abra-
ham; 6 and 7. Fossores.
341. FOURTH CUBICULUM. View.
343. Vault of the same. 1. Good Shep-
herd; 2 and 3. Jonah; 4. Noah;
A. Moses; B. Christ blessing a child.
345. FIFTH CUBICULUM. View.
347. I. Good Shepherd; 2. Paralytic,
with bed; 3. Job; 4. orante.
349. SIXTH CUBICULUM. Views.
351. Vault of the same; I. Good Shep-
herd; 2, 3, 4, and 5. orantes.
353. SEVENTH CUBICULUM. View.
355. Feast of Cana, with four large
vases.
357. EIGHTH CUBICULUM. View.
359. Paintings on the same: I. Abra-
ham;
2. Lazarus; 3. Moses; 4.
orantes.
361. NINTH CUBICULUM. View.
363. Vault of the same; 1. Good Shep-
herd; 2, 3, 4. Moses.
365. TENTH CUBICULUM. View.
367. Vault of the same; 1, 2, 3. orantes;
4. Moses; 5. Miracle of the loaves.
369. Paintings in the same: I. Good
Shepherd; 2. Jonah; 3. Moses
4. orante.
371. ELEVENTH CUBICULUM. View.
373. Vault of the same: I. Good Shep-
herd; 2. Paralytic; 3. Miracle of the
loaves; 4. Lazarus; 5. Daniel; 6 and
7. Jonah; 8. Moses; 9. Noah. Two
fossores.
375. TWELFTH CUBICULUM. View.
377. Vault of the same: I. Daniel and
lions in the centre; 2. Noah; 3, 4, 5.
Jonah. Two orantes.
379. THIRTEENTH CUBICULUM. View.
169
381. Paintings in the same: I. A ma-
tron, orante, with two persons ad-
dressing her; 2. Moses; 3. Adam
and Eve.
་
383. 1. Good Shepherd; 2, 3, 4, 5.
Jonah; A. Daniel; B. Lazarus.
385. FOURTEENTH CUBICULUM. View.
387. 1. Good Shepherd; 2. orante;
3. Daniel.
389. 1. Orante, with two figures ad-
dressing her; 2. Adam and Eve;
3. Magi; 4. Moses.
391. 1. Funeral Feast; 2. Good Shep-
herd; 3 and 4. Jonah.
393. I. View of the Arch; 2. Lazarus ;
3. orante; 4 and 5. Moses.
395. THIRD ARCO-SOLIUM. I. Abra-
ham; 2. Adam; 3. Moses; 4. Laza-
rus; 5. orante; 6. Funeral feast.
VIA TIBURTINA.
S. CYRIACA.
403. In the Catacomb of S. Cyriaca, an
inscription, with the name of
FOCA III COS. CARI AMICI
A. D. 604 (?) or 610.
405. Orante under an arch, with two
figures.
408. Other inscriptions give the dates
of A. D. 369, 405, 453.
409. Other inscriptions give the dates.
of A. D. 428, 5II.
411. Sarcophagus at S. Lorenzo.
421. Another at S. Constantia.
423, 425, 427, 429, 431. Sarcophagi.
VIA NOMENTANA.
S. AGNESE.
441. FIRST CUBICULUM. View.
443. Interior of the same.
445. Vault of the same. 1. Christ
seated, with the scroll;
2 and 3.
Moses; 4. Paralytic; 5. Lazarus; 6,
7, 8, 9. orantes.
447. An agape, or funeral feast.
449. I. Noah; 2, 3, 4, 5. Jonah.
451. I. Good Shepherd; 2. Daniel and
lions.
453. SECOND CUBICULUM. View.
455. I. Good Shepherd; 2. Adam;
3. Moses; 4. Jonah; 5. orante.
170
Appendix to the Catacombs.
457. 1. Christ and the Doctors ; 2.
orante.
459. THIRD CUBICULUM. View.
461. 1. Good Shepherd; 2. Adam; 3.
Daniel; 4. feast; 5. virgin; 6. orante.
463. 1. Furnace; 2. orante; 3. Jonah.
465. FOURTH CUBICULUM. View.
467. I. Good Shepherd; 2. Moses;
3. Lazarus; 4. Jonah; 5. orante.
469. FIFTH CUBICULUM. View.
471. I. Madonna; 2. Head of Christ ;
3, 4. orante.
473. FIRST ARCO-SOLIUM.
1. View; 2. Head of boy; 3, 4.
orantes; 5. Good Shepherd; 6. Jo-
nah; 7. a man led by another, and
followed by a third with a rod,
Jacob or Samson.
475. SECOND ARCO-SOLIUM.
I. View; 2. Christ, with two Apo-
stles; 3. Good Shepherd; 4. orante.
VIA SALARIA.
S. PRISCILLA.
489. CHAPEL OF S. SILVANUS.
S. PRISCILLA.
493. FIRST CUBICULUM.
495. I. Furnace; 2. Seven Virgins.
497. SECOND CUBICULUM.
499. 1. Head in circle; 2, 3. Ladies
with scrolls; 4, 5. Triumphal cars;
6, 7. Figure of Victory.
501. FIRST ARCO-SOLIUM.
1. View; 2. A soldier with a boy;
3. Moses (?) 4. Head of a soldier in
a circle; 5. Abraham.
503. SECOND ARCO-SOLIUM.
1. View; 2. orante ; 3. Abraham ;
4. Good Shepherd; 5. Moses.
511. SCULPTure.
513. Sarcophagus. On one side, an
agape; on the other, three shepherds
and six sheep; with a Greek inscription
to Paulina, of the fourth century.
515. THIRD ARCO-SOLIUM.
1. View; 2. Lazarus; 3. Moses,
with seven baskets of manna; 4.
Moses striking the rock.
P Costumes of all, surplice, and
stole (?).
Nearly all these paintings in S. Pris-
517. I. Good Shepherd; 2. orante;
3. Noah; 4. Daniel.
519. FOURTH ARCO-SOLIUM.
1. Good Shepherd; 2. S. Paul,
with inscription of name.
521. FIFTH ARCO-SOLIUM.
1. View; 2. Moses; 3. Daniel; 4.
Jonah.
523. SIXTH ARCO-SOLIUM.
I. View; 2. Christ and Apostles;
3, 4. Jonah.
525. SEVENTH ARCO-SOLIUM.
1. Orante; 2. Abraham; 3. furnace.
527. EIGHTH ARCO-SOLIUM.
I. View; 2. Good Shepherd; 3.
Daniel; 4. Jonah.
529. NINTH ARCO-SOLIUM.
1, 2. Views; 3. Noah; 4. orante ;
5. fossor.
531. TENTH ARCO-SOLIUM.
I. View; 2. Good Shepherd, two
sheep, two cocks; 3. orante; 4. pea-
cock; 5. Noah.
535. THIRD CUBICULUM. Two Views.
537. Vault of the same; 1. Good Shep-
herd; 2 and 3. orantes.
539. FOURTH CUBICULUM. Two Views.
541. Vault of the same. A lady seated,
a prophet (?) addressing her.
543. Wall of the same. I.
1. Lazarus ;
2, 3, 4. Jonah.
545. FIFTH CUBICULUM. Two Views.
547. Vault of the same; 1. Good Shep-
herd; 2. Jonah, birds and lambs.
549. FIFTH CUBICULUM. Under an
arch: I. orante; 2. Consecration of
a virgin; 2, 3. Madonna, an ordina-
tion of a deacon (?) P.
551. FIFTH CUBICULUM. I. Abraham;
2. Fiery furnace.
553. SIXTH CUBICULUM. Two Views.
555. Vault of the same. 1. Good Shep-
herd; 2. Noah; 3, 4, 5. Jonah;
6, 7, 8, 9. orantes.
557. Wall of the same. 1. Peacock;
2. Eight men carrying a barrel;
two doves 9.
cilla appear to belong to the restora-
tion of this catacomb by Pope John I.,
A.D. 523.
VIA SALARIA.
561. Church or Chapel of S. HERMES,
in that Catacomb.
565. FIRST ARCO-SOLIUM. 1. View ;
2. Christ on a throne, seated, and an
ordination of a deacon: three figures
standing, all in surplice, stole, and
cope, with the T on the edge of the
robe, as in the mosaics at Ravenna;
3. Daniel; 4. Moses; 5. Lazarus;
6. Furnace.
Bosio and Aringhi compared.
567. SECOND ARCO-SOLIUM. I. View;
2. Christ blessing a youth; 3. Jonah ;
4. Moses; 5. Shepherd; 6. Jonah ;
7. Lazarus; Samson with the gates;
Jonah.
569. THIRD CUBICULUM. I. View ;
2. Orante; 3. Manna, or loaves (?).
571. Martyrdom of S. Sebastian in terra-
cotta bas-relief.
Burial of S. Peter
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus
Sculptures on other sarcophagi
VIA PORTUENSIS-S. PONTIANUS.
THE PLATES IN BOSIO, ROMA SOTTERRANEA', AND
ARINGHI, ROMA SUBTERRANEA, COMPARED º.
Bosio.
The Title-page is copied from Bosio, but re-engraved.
Antiquæ Romæ FACIES, or ancient Plan of Rome
S. PETER'S.
Paintings in cemeteries
Sculptures on sarcophagi
VIA APPIA-S. SEBASTIAN'S.
Plan
Vases, lamps, &c.
S. CALIXTUs.
Paintings
VIA FLAMINIA.
577. FIRST CUBICULUM.
S
A
L
O
S. Julien or S. Valentine (?).
579. 1. Madonna [SCA DEI GENE-
TRIX. ×]; 2. Sebastian; 3. A
martyr in a vase of boiling oil (?),
of the eighth or ninth century; E
4. Infant Christ, with cruciform
nimbus.
M
S. SEBASTIAN'S.
Sculptures on sarcophagi
•
581. SECOND CUBICULUM. 1. Cruci-
fixion; 2. S. Laurence; 3. A martyr.
589. Two sarcophagi.
591. 1. A sarcophagus.
2. A. Plan of the catacomb of Pon-
tianus; B., of S. Calixtus; C., of S.
Calixtus, lower corridor; D., SS.
Peter and Marcellinus; E., S. Agnes;
F., S. Hermes and S. Priscilla.
ARINGHI.
Vol. I.
P. 188
171
228
277
281 to 335
379 to 389
423 to 469
471
497 to 519
p. 29.
45.
49 to 103.
129 to 139.
155 to 183.
527 to 589
613 to 623
285 to 295.
r "Roma Sotterranea, opera postuma tum, Jo. Severanum, congreg. Oratorii
di Antonio Bosio, antiquario ecclesias-
tico singolare de' suoi tempi, compita,
disposta, ed accresciuta dal M. R. P.
Giovanni Severani da S. Severino, sa-
cerdote della congregatione dell' Ora-
torio di Roma," &c. fol., Roma, 1632.
"Roma Subterranea novissima, in
qua post Antonium Bosium antesigna-
9
185.
197 to 211.
219 to 281.
presb., et celebres alios scriptores, etc.,
sex libris distincta illustrantur, opera
et studio Pauli Aringhi, Romani, cong.
ejusdem presb." 2 vols. fol. Rome, 1651.
This work was reprinted at Cologne in
1659, fol., and an abridgment of it was
published at Arnheim, in 1671, 12mo.
172
Appendix to the Catacombs.
VIA LATINA [LABICANA ?].
Cœmeteria
S. HELENA.
Sarcophagus
S. MARCELLINUS ET PETRUS.
Paintings
Plans of the Tomb and Church
VIA TIBURTINA-S. CYRIACA.
Paintings
S. LAURENTIUS.
Sarcophagus
VIA NOMENTANA-S. CONSTANTIA.
Sarcophagus
S. AGNES.
Sarcophagi
Paintings
VIA SALARIA.
SS. SYLVANUS ET BONIFACIUS
S. PRISCILLA.
Paintings
S. Agnes, by mistake, in both
S. HERMES.
Capella, called Templum
Paintings
S. JULIUS.
Paintings
Sarcophagi
Martyrdom of S. Sebastian, in terra-cotta, in
the Cemetery of Priscilla
·
PONTIANUS.
Paintings not in Bosio
•
•
•
•
Plans of the Catacombs of Pontianus, Calixtus,
Marcellinus and Peter, Agnes, Hermes,
Priscilla
·
Additional Plans, not in Bosio, LUCINA, CALE-
PODIUS, AGATHA, NOVELLA
ARINGHI.
Vol. II.
23 to 29
41
51 to 53
57
123 to 137
143
157
159 to 167
179 to 213
243
247 to 315
317
325
329 to 333
335
350 to 355
395 to 401
408 to 416
417 to 423.
527.
Bosio.
305 to 311.
317.
323 to 325.
329.
395 to 405.
411.
421.
423 to 431.
441 to 475.
489.
493 to 555.
557.
561.
565 to 569.
571.
577 to 581.
589 to 591.
591 A to 599.
PERRET.
List of the Engravings in the great French work on the Catacombs,
by Louis Perret, six volumes, large folio. Paris, 1852-56.
VOL. I.
VIA APPIA.
S. SEBASTIAN.
1. General title, with the Madonna of
S. Luke(?), from S. Maria Maggiore.
2. Title of the Platonia, with heads of
SS. Peter and Paul, from a medal in
the Vatican.
3. Plan of the Platonia, at S. Sebas-
tiano.
13. Head of a female saint; full size.
14. Ornamented diaper pattern, with
birds, &c.
S. CALIXTUS.
The paintings in this Catacomb are
chiefly of the time of the restoration
by Leo III., A.D. 795, and many are
modern restorations.
4 and 5. Sections of the same.
6. Paintings in the same, of the eighth
century (c. A.D. 772).
7. Christ, with SS. Peter and Paul, on
a larger scale (from the same).
8. An Apostle, with a crown in his
hand (from the same).
9. Ascension of Christ (from the same).
10. Crucifixion (from the same).
II. Head of S. Paul.
12. Head of a saint, with a bishop's Hadrian I., A.D. 772.
mitre; full size.
15. Entrance.
16. Plan.
17. Plan of painted chapel, of two
parts.
18. View in the Hall of the Men, with
columns.
19. View in the Hall of the Women,
with columns also.
20. Orpheus playing the lute.
21. A saint in the Oriental attitude of
blessing (c. A. D. 795).
22. Ornamental pattern on the wall,
and vault.
25. Job.
26. Raising of Lazarus.
27. Miracle of the loaves.
28. Head of Christ, full size. A mo-
saic from this is now in the Vatican
Museum.
29. The Last Supper; Christ and six
Apostles; full size.
23. Noah in the ark, with the dove.
24. Moses taking off his shoes.
30. The Last Supper; the other six
Apostles.
31. Instruments of the fossores, as en-
graved on tombstones.
32 and 33. Inscriptions relating to the
fossores.
34. An orante, full size; now in the
Vatican Museum.
34 bis. Painted vault of a chapel, with
Orpheus in the centre.
PRÆTEXTATUS,
Called also S. Urban, restored by
35. Title-page of the cemetery, with
a view of the steps.
36. Plan of a double cubiculum or
chapel, excavated in 1846.
37. Section of the same.
38. View in the Hall of the Men.
39. Plan and section of a family cubi-
culum, or burial-vault.
40. Plan of a chapel of two chambers.
41. Longitudinal section of the same,
with an ornamental cornice or corbel-
table; eighth century.
42. Transverse section of the same.
43. Plan of a painted chapel, of two
chambers.
44. Perspective view of the same, with
figures of orantes, and inscriptions
over their heads, as follows:-
Inscriptions on tombstones: DIO-
NISIUS IN PACE; PROCOBIUS IN
PACE; TESSIDORA IN PACE.
The figures are represented on a
larger scale in the following plates.
45. A female orante; full size, eighth
century (c. A. D. 772).
174
Appendix to the Catacombs.
46. A boy orante.
47. Drocobius, a male orante; full size.
48. Theodora, a female orante, full
size, with the bead necklace and
lemon-shaped eyes, as usual in the
cighth century.
49. Head of a female orante; full size,
with inscription, DIONYSAS IN PACE.
50. Christ and four saints, in outline;
three with monogram; discovered in
1849.
51. A peacock; discovered in 1849.
52. Plan of another chapel, of two
chambers, with luminary.
53. Longitudinal section of the same.
54. Plan and section of two arco-solia.
55. Paintings of the left cubiculum, front
view.
A cross, with shrubs, and two
birds; Miracle of loaves and fishes;
a table ornamented with the cross,
upon it a fish.
56. Garland of flowers.
57. Moses, on three occasions, in outline.
58. Cubiculum, or chapel of three
chambers; two plans, and view of
a tomb, with inscription, EVNVCVS,
and monogram of Constantine.
59. Section of the same.
60. A baptism; Jonah cast out of the
whale or sea serpent (c. A. D. 450).
61. Seven baskets of bread, a table
with a fish, and two loaves.
62. Plan of a chapel, with luminary;
discovered in 1845.
63. View of the same, with columns.
64. Two doves, with a vase between
them, standing on a tomb.
65. Painted vault of a cubiculum; dis-
covered in 1850.
66. Painted ornament on the wall of
the same.
67. Jonah under the gourd; a painting
discovered in 1850.
68. Plan of two arco-solia; elevation
of one of them.
69. A female martyr.
This subject, which may be con-
sidered as Pagan, was adopted by the
early Christians; we find it as late as
THE WORSHIPPERS OF MITHRAS (?);
OR, THE GNOSTICS (?).
70. A funeral feast; six figures seated,
and five attendants, with the names
on each figure, INDICTIO BONORVM,
INDVCTIO VIBIES, ANGELVS BONVS
(leading in VIBIA). Wine-jug, ser-
vants, one kneeling, a loaf, a fish.
71. Groups of figures; on the soffit of
the right-hand arch, VINCENTIVS,
SEPTEM PII SACERDOTES, dressed in
cloaks, with fibula; seven figures,
three of the heads have Phrygian
caps. It is called the mystic banquet.
72. The painting is on the soffit of the
arch. Left hand, a chariot with four
horses; a man carrying the body of
a female, said to represent DEATH;
a figure, with a round shield, resem-
bling Mercury leading the horses.
Inscription over the chariot,
ABREPTIO VIBIES ET DESCENSIO.
Groups in centre of arch.
73. The Judgment; two figures seated
on a throne, over I. DIS PATER; over
2. a female figure, ABRACVRA. On the
right of the father, three female figures,
with the inscription over them, FATA
DIVINA. To the left, three other
figures, two females, with the names
VIBIA ALCESTIS; and Mercury, with
the name MERCVRIVS NVNTIVS.
74. The three Fates, full size.
75. Coloured title-page for the mosaic
picture in the church of S. Agnes;
two erect figures, with the nimbus,
habited as priests.
76. Rude figures in outline, from an
arco-solium, discovered in
1849;
PAVLVS, PETRVs (damaged), with a
tower between.
77. Two busts; one on right, SISTVS,
with a tower between.
78. A sheep between two zebras.
SVSANNAE SENIORI.
79. A figure with a laurel crown, under
a tree, with a bird.
the ninth century among the illustra-
tions of an old and very valuable manu-
script of the Psalter preserved at Utrecht.
80. Two figures, presenting palm-
branches.
81. The woman of Samaria at the well.
82. Three figures, in togas, with bare
legs and feet.
83. Baptistery of S. Valerian, a coloured
plate (ninth century?), three figures.
V
R S. Urban, | The Ma-
B
with a
A jewelled
book.
na z
N
U
Engravings of Perret.
S
donna,
with
Christ as
a boy.
$
O
I S. John,
with a
H jewelled
book.
A
N
I
S
84. Three heads. In the centre Christ,
with the cruciform nimbus; on his
left a female saint, with the name
in Greek, MITERTHEY; on his right
a youthful male figure, S. SMARAGDVS
(c. A.D. 800).
85. An arch, with mouldings and pi-
lasters, which have rudely-sculptured
capitals.
VOL. II.
VIA NOMENTANA.
S. AGNES.
1. Coloured title-page for this cata-
comb.
Figure of S. Agnes, from
the mosaic picture in her church.
2. Entrance to the catacomb, with a
view of the country.
3. Plan of the catacomb of S. Agnes.
4. Plan of a chapel called that of the
Virgin.
5. View of an arco-solium, with figure
of the Madonna, and head of Christ
as a boy (mutilated), c. A. D. 800.
6. The same, large and restored.
7. A male and a female orante, restored.
8. Plan of a large chapel, discovered
in 1842.
9. Section of the same, longitudinal.
10. Section of the same, transverse.
II. View of the same.
12. View in part, called the Hall of
the Women.
13. Plan of a crypt of two chambers,
connected by a passage; in one are
two seats, in the other a third seat.
175
14. View in the crypt, with three seats,
shewing two of them.
15. View in another part of the same
crypt, with two shelves or niches
called credences (?).
16. Plan of another chapel, with a ves-
tibule and two seats.
17. View in the same, looking towards
the altar, and shewing one of the seats.
18. View in the vestibule, shewing a
seat and two credences (?).
19. Plan of a crypt, discovered in 1849.
20. View in the crypt discovered in
1849, shewing two pilasters or half
columns.
21. Plan of a chapel called of Christ
in the midst of His Disciples.
22. Painted vault of the same chapel or
burial-chamber (cubiculum). In the
centre, the Good Shepherd, with a
lamb on His shoulders, a vase on each
side, and a bird against one of them,
surrounded by other birds. Round
the sides of the vault: Adam and Eve,
Moses striking the rock, Jonah under
the gourd, an orante, birds in the cor-
ners, and vases of flowers between.
23. An arco-solium, or recess in the
wall of the same chamber, with out-
line of painting under the arch.
24. Painting of Christ and His Dis-
ciples, all seated; attired in surplice
and stole, some of these red, others
green.
25. The Good Shepherd, in colour.
26. Adam and Eve, in outline.
27. An orante, a bird, Moses, in colour.
28. Jonah under the gourd, in colour.
29. Plan of a chapel called of the Agape.
This chapel is double, or in two parts,
with a road, street, or corridor be-
tween.
30. Painted vault of the chapel called
the Agape. In the centre, Christ with
two baskets of rolls of parchment.
On each of the four sides, a shepherd
with two sheep, between the smaller
figures of Moses and Samson.
31. View in the same chapel (in colour),
side of the credence.
or M
175
Appendix to the Catacombs.
32. The figure of Christ, with two
baskets; in outline.
33. Figure of Moses striking the rock,
in colour.
34. Figures, in outline, of Moses taking
off his shoes, Samson carrying the
gates.
35. A view in the same chapel, on the
right side, in colour.
36. The three children in the furnace,
outline.
37. Perspective view of the same chapel,
left side, shewing an arco-solium with
painting on the arch and on the wall;
Noah and Jonah.
38. Crypt of the prudent Virgins. Plan
and sections.
39. View of an arco-solium in the same
crypt, in colour. I. The three chil-
dren in the furnace; 2. An orante;
3. Jonah. On the soffit of the arch:
1. Adam and Eve; 2. Good Shep-
herd; 3. Daniel.
40. The Good Shepherd, in colour.
41. Adam and Eve, in colour.
42. 1. The five prudent Virgins; 2.
Daniel, in colour.
43. Plan and section of the Cubiculum
called the Hall of the female Cate-
chumens.
44. Another plan of the same.
45. Perspective view of the same, outline.
46. Plan and section of a family vault.
47. 1. A shepherdess milking a sheep;
2. An orante; 3. The Good Shep-
herd.
48. King Herod seated on his throne,
with the star over his head; the three
Magi addressing him (a painting dis-
covered in 1847).
49. Head of Christ, from a terra-cotta
bust.
50. Christ seated between two Apostles,
with a book in His left hand, His
right hand elevated, a basket of rolls
on each side (a painting discovered
in 1849; eighth century).
51. The Good Shepherd, in outline
(a painting discovered in 1849; eighth
century).
52. The Good Shepherd, with some
sheep, outline (a painting discovered
in 1850; eighth century).
53. Noah in the Ark, outline (a painting
discovered in 1850; eighth century).
54. Angle of three galleries or corridors.
VIA LABICANA.
SS. MARCELLINUS AND PETER.
Restored by Hadrian, A.D. 772.
55. Title - page ; a Good Shepherd
seated with a crook in His hand, draw-
ing a lamb to Him.
56. Entrance to the cemetery or cata-
comb, with view of the tomb of S.
Ilelena.
57. I. A woman crowned; 2. An
orante; both attired in surplice and
stole.
58. A man and a boy, both orantes,
and head of a female crowned with
laurel-leaves, in colour.
59. A Good Shepherd, with his reeds.
60. An Agape, love-feast, or funeral
feast (?); three figures seated and two
servants, in outline.
61. Painted vault of a chapel, in out-
line. In the centre, a Good Shep-
herd with his sheep, in a square panel,
with heads in the corners. Round
the sides, Noah in the ark, Abra-
ham and Isaac, Daniel with the lions,
the raising of one from the dead, from
a tomb.
In the corners four goats.
CATACOMB OF S. HELENA.
Restored, A.D. 772.
62. Plan and longitudinal section of the
catacomb.
63. Mosaic pavement discovered in 1838,
Nos. 1 and 3; in colours.
I
64. Mosaic pavement discovered in 1838,
No. 2; in colours.
65. Mosaic pavement discovered in 1838,
Nos. 4 and 5; in colours.
66. The four Evangelists in outline. The
lower parts of the figures and the
baskets of rolls are all that remain.
Engravings of Perret.
VOL. III.
General Title-page of the volume; brick
stamp of a seal, with crown and olive-
branch, and inscription VANTIORVM.
VIA SALARIA.
CATACOMB OF S. PRISCILLA.
[The style of drawing of the figures in
these frescoes agrees with the time
of the restoration by John I., A.D.
523.]
View of entrance and
1. Title-page.
the Campagna.
2. Paintings between two loculi; the
slabs or tiles have been removed. On
the top line-Jonah and the whale or
sea-serpent, Jonah under the ivy-bush,
Moses striking the rock. Second line
-birds and flowers. Third line-
birds and flowers, and a small female
head, at each end an orante, with
a stole or broad hem to the gar-
ment (?), and a crown with a veil
over it, the hand uplifted in prayer.
3. The orante on the right hand.
4. The left-hand orante.
5. Jonah and the sea-serpent.
6. Moses striking the rock; full size,
not coloured.
7. Painting on a loculus, beginning from
the left. 1. Raising of Lazarus; 2.
An orante, with the word GRATIA
over his head; 3. The Three Children
in the furnace; 4. Daniel and the
; 5. Another orante, with the
lions
words over his head BENE MERENTI.
8. Outline of painted vault. In the
centre, the Good Shepherd, surrounded
by wreaths of leaves and flowers and
birds, with a goat in each of the four
corners.
9. An orante attired in a red robe, with
a broad black border, or stole, and
black borders to the sleeves.
177
open, with the words DORMITII SIL-
VESTRI. This figure is said to be
that of a slave.
11. A peacock, with the tail expanded ;
diaper ornament for background.
12. Painting over an altar (?), not co-
loured. I. SANCTA PRASSEDE, at-
tired in a robe and veil; in her left
hand a cross, in her right a crown.
2. SANCTVS PETRVS, attired in a white
flowing robe or cope (?), the dress
marked with the tau cross; in his
hand the keys. 3. SANCTA PVDEN-
TIANA, with a Latin cross in her left
hand, and her crown in her right; at-
tired as a nun.
13. Three female figures, in colour, over
the altar in the crypt of the Church of
S. Prassede, well attired, with a pro-
fusion of bead ornaments; costume of
the eighth century. In the centre, the
Madonna, with her hand uplifted as
blessing; on her right, S. Pudentiana,
with the names underneath; on her
left, S. Prassede, each with her crown.
All three have red cloaks, and the
rest of the dress resembles that of
a priest, with chasuble and pall (?).
10. A figure in a yellow tunic, with
green border and four large round
green spots. In his right hand he
carries a roll, in his left a book spread
N
SS. THRASON AND SATURNINUS.
14. Title-page of the Cemetery. In
the title three seals: 1. A mother and
a child on her right, not a Madonna.
2. A sort of wheel of saints, with the
Madonna in the centre. 3. MARIA,
with her name over her head. On her
right S. PAVLVS; on her left S. PE-
TRVS; on each shoulder a roll of
parchment or books, all enclosed in an
engrailed circle; [tenth century (?)].
15. Plan of a second cubiculum, with
skeletons, and a figure of a peacock
(not coloured), tail not expanded.
16. View in the painted chamber, shew-
ing the vault and the figures under
the arch. The subjects are in the
arch, the Good Shepherd, with two
peacocks and four other birds on the
vault, and on the wall Jonah and the
sea-serpent. Under the arch, a group
178
Appendix to the Catacombs.
of figures, apparently a woman preach-
ing, and persons seated on each side;
on one side, a mother with a baby, on
the other, an old man and two youths.
17. The group of figures on a larger
scale. The interpretation given by
Perret is, an orante with virgins on
one side, and Maternity on the other;
but different symbolical meanings
are given to this painting. The
painting is of the eighth century.
The orante has a veil folded like
a napkin upon her head.
18. Maternity. The figure in outline.
19. The orante (as before).
20. The sacrifice of Abraham, with Isaac
carrying the fagot.
21. A peacock, not coloured.
22. Jonah and the sea serpent, not
coloured.
23. The Good Shepherd, not coloured,
in a circular border. He is accom-
panied by two goats, one sheep, and
two birds.
-
31. Plan and section of a crypt, with
loculi and a cubiculum with paintings.
34. View in the same church, shewing
the brick construction.
35. Painting of Christ and the twelve
Apostles, seated in a semicircle, at-
tired in surplices (?).
36. Mosaic picture in the crypt of S.
Protus and S. Hyacinthus, represent-
ing Daniel and the lions, and the
resurrection of Lazarus (in outline
only), A.D. 629.
VIA TIBURTINA.
S. CYRIACA.
37. Title-page of the Cemetery. View
of entrance to the catacomb.
38. Three figures in colour.
39. SCA CECILIA, head and bust, with
her crown. She is richly attired in
yellow and green, with pearl orna-
ments, and carries a coffer. This
painting was discovered in 1848.
24. The crowning of a female martyr 40. A female saint, richly attired, with
by two male saints.
bead ornaments, carrying a coffer or
offering.
41. Outline of a bird and a fish.
42. The Madonna, with Christ as a boy,
25. An orante, with two figures ad-
dressing her on one side, and a single
figure on the other side, who appears
to be listening, and has just come out
of a tent. A Greek inscription under
it; not coloured.
and five saints. All have the nimbus.
43. Christ seated between two saints,
also seated; a part in outline only.
[The figures on these two pictures are
in theatrical attitudes, and of late cha-
26. Tobit and the angel, with the fish ;
not coloured.
27. Plan and view of a chapel, with racter.]
three seats.
28. Perspective view of the same.
29. Plan and view of a crypt.
30. Plan and view of another crypt, with
columns.
SS. HERMES AND BASILLA.
32. Title-page of the Cemetery, with
the marble covering of a well, found
in the crypt of S. Protus and S. Hya-
cinthus.
33. Plan and section of the church of
S. Hermes at the entrance to the
catacomb.
SCA CYRIACE MR. OV. SCA CATHARINA.
(Eighth century.) The picture was dis-
covered in 1848. All three have the
nimbus.
44. Head of a female saint, in colours;
[eighth or ninth century, if not later.]
45. Three loculi, with the tiles left in
their places. I. On the upper one
a brick stamp and a lamp. 2. A
second loculus, with one of the tiles
removed, shewing a skeleton and two
palm-branches. 3. An inscription on
a loculus, with the Constantinian mo-
nogram, the anchor, the dove and
olive-branch, and a palm-branch. In-
scription-
CYRIACAE DVLCISSIMAE DEPOSITE
IN PACE VIXIT ANNOS XXXV.
IDIDVS MARTHIS
(This plate appears to be made up.)
Ma
Engravings of Perret.
46. A female orante, with two male
persons addressing her.
47. Plan of a crypt.
48. Perspective view in the crypt, an
arco-solium with five loculi.
49. Title-page of the Cemetery of S.
PONTIANUS, with the font in the crypt
of the church of S. Prisca, made out
of the capital and base of an antique
column.
50. Plan of the baptistery of this cata-
comb, with the steps down to it and
the well.
51. Section of the baptistery and steps.
52. View in the baptistery, shewing the
paintings of the baptism of Christ and
the jewelled cross.
53. Head of Christ, with a cruciform
nimbus jewelled, and a book in His
hand, with the word DOMINVS; not
coloured.
54. Another head of Christ near the bap-
tistery, in colours similar to the last.
55. Baptism of Christ, in outline.
56. Christ putting the laurel crowns on
the heads of SS. Abdon and Sennen,
with two other saints looking on and
admiring; over one BICCLIVS, the
other name is not legible.
57. The jewelled cross, in colours.
58. Figures of three saints, in colour.
SCS
POL
LI
ON
SCS
SCS
MAR
PE
CEL
TR
VS
LI
NVS
(The Deacon.)
S. Pollion has the crown of martyr-
dom.
stole.
59. SCS MILES. SCS PVMENIVS. Heads
and busts, with the jewelled cross
between them.
[All the paintings in this catacomb
are of the time of the restoration by
Hadrian I., A.D. 772.]
39.
All are attired in surplice and
VOL. IV.
1. Title-page, with the Constantinian
monogram in bronze from the Vatican
museum.
2. A bronze lamp in the museum at
Florence.
3. Vases in terra-cotta.
4. Marble statue of the Good Shepherd.
5. Bronze lamps.
6. Vases in terra-cotta.
7. Lamps and other objects in terra-
cotta.
8. Children's toys.
9. Lamps in terra-cotta.
10. Vases of copper.
II. Various bronze objects.
12. Various objects.
13. Lamps in terra-cotta.
14. Bronze instruments.
15. Lamps in terra-cotta.
16. Antique gems, with Christian em-
blems.
17. Lamps and other objects in terra-
cotta.
18. Glass ampullæ, graffiti in plaster of
palm-branches and names.
19. Lamps in terra-cotta.
20.
Brick stamps and other objects.
21. Coloured glass vases.
22. Gilt glass vases from the Vatican
museum.
23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32,
33. Fragments of gilt glass vases.
179
VOL. V.
Vol. V. contains inscriptions, figures, and
symbols, on jewels or stones.
I to 38 inclusive.-From the Vatican
museum or gallery.
from different churches.
40. A sarcophagus, with shallow sculp-
ture, from the Vatican gallery.
41. Inscriptions from the Vatican depôt
and from Anagni.
42. Inscriptions and incised figures from
the churches of S. Prassede, S. Puden-
tiana, &c.
43 to 52. from the Kircherian Mu-
seum (chiefly of the fourth and fifth
centuries).
Kapa
53-55.
from the catacomb and
church of S. Agnes.
56, 57.
from catacomb of S. Sixtus.
N 2
180
Appendix to the Catacombs.
58-60. Inscriptions from the cloister
of S. Paul's.
61-63.
64.
and fifth centuries).
70, 71.
72.
Meta
J
-from S. Apollinaris (fourth 74.
tury).
65—67.
from Velletri (fourth cen-
tury and later).
68, 69. Inscriptions and incised figures
from S. Lorenzo.
from S. Maria in Trastevere.
from the Villa Albani.
from the Quirinal (fourth cen-
73. Inscriptions from various places
(fourth century and later).
from the crypt of the Vatican
(fourth century).
from the Palace Challais.
from Civita Vecchia, S. Calix-
tus, and S. Mark.
77, 78.
from various places.
75.
76.
VOL. VI. contains the letterpress de-
scription of the plates.
It is the fashion in Rome to depreciate this great work of Perret's
rather more than it deserves. The drawings are not always accurate ;
they are the work of young French artists from the Academie, made
under the direction of M. Perret, a French architect. The style of
drawing is rather more French and theatrical than suits the English
taste; but in some instances the outlines were traced, and it is the
colouring only that is too fresh and gay. There is every reason
to believe that the intention of M. Perret, and of the French Govern-
ment which supported him, was to make his work as accurate as
possible, and great allowance should be made for the difficulty of
drawing in the Catacombs with the light of wax tapers only. At the
time these drawings were made, neither Photography nor Magnesium.
for light had been discovered. The use of these new inventions is
now, in 1870, prohibited by the Cardinal Vicar in the name of the
Pope. It is hardly probable that the great work projected by Signor
de Rossi, of which the first two volumes only have appeared, can
ever be completed. M. Perret's work is therefore likely to remain, for
a long time to come, the most complete set of drawings from the
Catacombs that we possess; and a careless drawing is better than
none at all, especially as there is no occasion to suspect dishonesty,
or any intention either to deceive, or to conceal anything.
ENGRAVINGS OF DE ROSSI“,
"ROMA SOTTERRANEA CRistiana.”
VOLUME I.
CATACOMBS OF S. CALIXTUS AND LUCINA.-In vol. i. plate I, is a repre-
sentation of the tomb or chapel, of the first century, at the entrance to the
catacombs of Lucina and Cornelius, which form part of the great Cemetery of
S. Calixtus. This building, the remains of which are of plain early brickwork,
stands at the top of the flight of steps leading down into the catacomb, on the
bank above the Via Appia.
CRYPT OF S. CORNELIUS IN THE CATACOMB OF S. CALIXTUS.-Paintings of
lambs and of birds executed in blue ochre are represented (vol. i. plate 12).
Other paintings, of an orante, heads of cherubs, figures of Sixtus II. and Attalus,
a bishop, SS. Cornelius and Cyprianus,-all these are chiefly painted in red and
brown ochre, in the style of the eighth century (vol. i. plates 6, 7, 11).
A general view of a part of a corridor, shewing the position of the paintings,
is also given in plate 5. All these belong to the restorations of Hadrian I.,
A. D. 772.
Appl
CRYPT OF CORNELIUS. A plan and elevation of part of this catacomb is
given in plates 2 and 3, remains of paintings (plates 8, 9, 11—14), and a good
painted vault, with orantes and a figure (plate 10) closely resembling a Pagan
genius. This may be of the fourth century, and not part of the restoration.
CRYPT OF LUCINA (IN THE CATACOMB OF S. CALIXTUS).—A series of in-
scriptions on the slabs of loculi and on sarcophagi found in this catacomb. Some
of these are in the Greek characters, which is very frequently the case in Rome in
the third and fourth centuries; the fragments of the stone coffins and the remains
of sculpture belong to the latter period (vol. i. plates 19—31). A plan and eleva-
tion of it is also given (plates 32, 33), and a view of a painted corridor (plate 7)
and of a cubiculum, with painted vault (plate 11).
" Roma, 1864-67, folio, 2 vols.
182
Appendix to the Catacombs.
DE ROSSI-In the second volume :-
Plates I and Ia.-Crypt of the Bishops of Rome or Popes (?), in the catacomb
of S. Calixtus. The marble columns, with twisted fluting, are of the character of
the fourth century.
Plates 2, 3, and 4.-Inscriptions of Damasus, A.D. 367 (?), or of Sixtus III.,
A.D. 432 (?)*, and in the catacomb of S. Eusebius.
Plate 5. Cemetery of S. Cecilia, bricks wide-jointed-(modern restoration).
Paintings of saints and lantern, or luminary-eighth or ninth century.
Plate 6.-Same cemetery, paintings of Head of Christ, S. Urban, S. Cecilia.
Plate 7.—-Figures in outline of SS. Policamus, Sebastianus, Curinus.
Plate 8.-Same cemetery, painting and inscription of Damasus.
Plates 9-13.-Views in cubicula of the same cemetery. Perhaps some of
these are of the fourth or fifth century; but some appear to be painted on
plaster, covering brick walls of the eighth century.
Plates 14—17.—Paintings of Jonah, &c., of the usual character.
Plate 18.-Orpheus, on the wall; the Good Shepherd, on the vault; birds,
flowers, genii, and a feast.
Plate 19.—Arco-solia, with paintings.
Plate 20.-Paintings of the same, larger; the Good Shepherd, an orante, Daniel,
Jonah, birds, flowers.
Plate 21.-Group of figures from the same, one preaching.
Plate 22.-Arco-solium. Painting developed; patterns and festoons of flowers,
a figure in a circle, mutilated-third century (?).
Plate 23.—A cubiculum with sarcophagus and painting.
Plates 24, 25.—Paintings developed; Lazarus, birds, flowers, nymphs.
Plate 26.-A view in a cubiculum.
Plates 27, 28.-These paintings are early, probably of the third century; but the
subjects are not Christian. They represent a garden, with trellis-work; birds, in-
cluding peacocks, and with winged genii. The cubiculum on which they occur is
called that of the Ocean, from the head of Ocean painted in the centre of the vault.
Plate 29.--Arco-solium, with paintings of the fourth century, or later.
Plate 30.-Graffiti.
Plates 31-50.-Inscriptions of the third, fourth, and fifth centuries.
Plates 51, 52.-Elevations.
Plates 53, 54.-Plans.
Plates 55-58.-Inscriptions.
Plates 59-62.—Plans.
Plates A and B.—Supplementary paintings; the Good Shepherd, Moses, &c.
Plates C and D.-Elevations.
* See Sect. iv.
HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS ILLUSTRATIVE OF
THE CATACOMBS.
FROM MR. PARKER'S COLLECTION MADE TO ILLUSTRATE THIS WORK".
[The number of the Photograph is given at the end of each paragraph.]
IV. CONSTRUCTION (pp. 38 to 46).
A Natural Section of part of the Cata-
comb of S. Cyriaca, in the burial-
ground of S. Lorenzo f. m., in three
parts, shewing an arco-solium, or
place for a Sarcophagus, with paint-
ings in the arch, and the junction at
an angle of two corridors, with the
loculi, or graves in the walls.
I. CHRONOLOGY (pp. 14 to 24).
Early Tombstone with Greek Cross
under a round Arch, and Inscription
from S. Cyriaca, c. A.D. 300. 442
S. Agnes-Inscriptions on Tombstones,
built into the wall of the staircase of
the Church.
1594, 1595
S. Calixtus-Inscriptions of Pope Da-
masus, I. over the Altar in the Chapel
of the Popes; 2. in the Chapel of S.
Eusebius.
1795, 1811
II. THE MARTYRS (pp. 25 to 35).
In S. Calixtus - Inscriptions on the
Tombs of the Bishops or Popes.
Anteros, A. D. 236.
Fabianus, A. D. 249.
S. Cornelius, A.D. 253.
Eutychianus, A.D. 283.
In S. Agnes. Maximus.
In S. Prætextatus. Januarius.
1797
1798
1799
1796
1596
1821
III. CHAPELS OF THE MARTYRS
(pp. 36 to 46).
S. Sebastian-Section and Plan of the
Crypt or Platonia.
483, 484
Ancient Chapels at the Entrance
to the Catacomb, c. A.D. 350 (?), and
772.
285, 286, 287, 288
y These may be seen in the Ashmolean
Museum and the Bodleian Library, Ox-
1131, 1132, 1133
S. Agnes-Cubiculum, with Columns,
and place for the Altar.
626
S. Prætextatus-A Brick Cornice and
Wall of the first century, with another
wall of the fourth, of stone and brick,
built up against it, and a Brick Arch
of the second. 1618, 1619, 1620
S. Domitilla-Brickwork of the first
century, at the Entrance.
620
S. Pontianus-Corridor and Staircase
at the entrance, restored A. D. 858-
867, by Pope Nicholas.
611
S. Cyriaca-Corridor with Loculi. 1282
S. Prætextatus-Doorway and Loculi
of early character.
1621
S. Generosa-Well at the Entrance.
1224
ford, and the Library of the South
Kensington Museum, London.
184
Appendix to the Catacombs.
V. VIA CORNELIA, AURELIA, and
PORTUENSIS (pp. 56 to 67).
FRESCO PAINTINGS ".
S. PONTIANUS.
Head of Christ, A. D. 858-867. 607 a
The same, from Perret's Drawings.
463, 607 B
Baptism of Christ, A.D. 858-867.
608 A
· from Perret's Drawing. 608 B
Painting of a Jewelled Cross, a.d.
858-867.
609 A
- from Perret's Drawing. 609 B
Painting of SS. Marcellinus, Pol-
lion, and Petrus, A. D. 858-867. 610a
· from Perret's Drawing. 610 B
Christ crowning S. Abdon and S.
Sennen, with figures of S. Milex and
S. Bicelus, A.D. 858-867, from Per-
ret's Drawing.
471
Jewelled Cross and two Saints,
S. Miles and S. Pymenius, A.D. 858
-867, from Perret's Drawing. 474
S. GENEROSA,
At the College of the Arvales.
A Loculus or Tomb cut in the rock
and left unopened. The aperture
is covered by three tiles fixed with
plaster, and in the plaster are graffiti
or inscriptions scratched in the plaster
when wet, of the fourth or fifth
century.
1222
Another Tomb unopened, with the
tiles and graffiti on the plaster. 1223
Loculi, with the bones remaining
in them, c. A. d. 500.
1183
Head of Christ from the painting
in fresco, c. A. D. 600.
1159
z The Fresco Paintings in the Cata-
combs are taken with the magnesian
light, which has an appearance similar
to moonlight. The Cardinal-Vicar, who
acts in the name of the Pope, has now
(in 1870) forbidden any more to be
taken, on the pretext that the smoke
from the magnesian lamp might injure
VI. VIA OSTIENSIS, ARDEATINA,
APPIA, LATINA (pp. 68 to 91).
S. DOMITILLA-Brickwork, c. A.D. 100,
with a Well and a Vase (?) or Font (?),
called a Baptistery, at the entrance.
This Catacomb is part of the great
one called SS. Nereus and Achilleus.
621
Well near the entrance. 1610, 1819
Cubiculum, with Fresco Paintings
of the Four Seasons, c. A.D. 250 (?),
Spring and Autumn. 618,619, 1820
The Adoration of the Magi, A.D.
523, from Perret's Drawing. 465
The Madonna, A. D. 523, from Per-
ret's Drawing.
466
SS. NEREUS AND ACHILLEUS.
A Christian Sarcophagus, at the en-
trance to the Catacomb.
1815
Pagan Inscription of Tiberius Clau-
dius Claudianus, found there. 1817
Christian Inscription, written on
the reverse of that of Tiberius Clau-
dius Claudianus, ÆMILIO, etc. 1818
Tombstone, with Inscription, c. A.D.
320, CERONTI VIBAS IN Deo.
1617
Loculus, unopened. The aperture
is covered by a tile, on which is
rudely painted an inscription,
IANVARIVS COIVCI FECIT,
with a palm-branch at each end. 1611
Painted Chamber, A. D. 523. The
ceiling is flat and painted in panels,
with birds and flowers; under the
arch of the cubiculum is a vase with
two birds and two palm-branches.
The flat soffit of the arch is also
painted in panels.
1615
the frescoes. All that was important
had been taken before this order was
issued. A few of the same subjects
have also been taken from Perret's
drawings, to shew how much the mo-
dern artists have developed and im-
proved upon the originals.
Photographs.
SS. NEREUS, &c., continued.
The Good Shepherd. The figure
is represented in shepherd's dress,
with a lamb on his shoulders, and
two sheep at his feet, with flowers in
the usual manner.
1616
The Adoration of the Magi. The
Madonna is seated, with her right
hand uplifted; on her left Christ is
represented not as an infant, but as
a boy, as at Ravenna, and other
Byzantine examples. There are four
Magi, two on either side, in order to
complete the picture and fill the space
under the arch of a cubiculum. The
Magi wear the Phrygian cap, and
1613
have offerings in their hands.
A Feast or Agape. This may re-
present the Last Supper, as is usual,
but it appears more like a family
feast; some of the heads appear to
be those of mere boys. It is under
the arch of a cubiculum.
1614
The head of a youth, in a circular
frame, probably a portrait of the
defunct.
1609
An Orante, with a sheep. 1816
A group of figures, to whom one
is preaching.
1612
S. PRÆTEXTATUS.
Plan and Section of a Corridor.
744
Brickwork and Doorway at the
616
Original Entrance, c. A.D. 100.
Fragment of a Sarcophagus with
Bas-relief, and Painted Vault of
Chapel, c. A.D. 200.
614, 615
The Cultivation of the Vine. 1822
THE GNOSTICS (?), or Worshippers of
the Persian God MITHRAS.
Fresco Paintings, I.
a Warrior
kneeling, and a woman crowned
with laurel, and of a Man raising
a dead Lamb and pointing to some
Stars in the Heaven; 2. Seven priests
of Mithras seated at a table (SEPTE
PII SACERDOTES). In the centre is
the priest VINCENTIVS. He and two
others wear the Phrygian cap. This
185
THE GNOSTICS, continued.
Catacomb was in communication
with that of Prætextatus on the Via
Appia.
1791, 1794
Arch, with an Inscription over a
Cubiculum (not now legible). 1623
A Warrior holding a lance, be-
tween a Genius and a Man.
1792
Four figures engaged in some cere-
monial (very indistinct), fourth cen-
1281
rury (?) or later(?).
Fresco. The good angel introduc-
ing a woman, called VIBIA, to several
persons. Over them is written IN-
DUCTIO VIBIES. Under the Arch are
six figures, with Vibia in the centre,
and over their heads the inscription
1793
BONORUM IVDICIO IVDICATI.
S. CALIXTUS.
The Cover of the largest marble Sarco-
phagus discovered in the Catacombs,
said to be that of Pope Zephyrinus,
A. D. 218.
1810
Sarcophagus, the sculpture repre-
senting Genii, the Resurrection of
Lazarus, and Daniel in the Lions'
Den.
1807
Fresco Paintings of the Seasons, in
a Cubiculum.
1808, 1809
Chapel of the Sacraments. A fossor,
or grave-digger, Abraham and Isaac
in attitudes of prayer, a ram, and
1806
a bundle of firewood.
A figure seated holding a scroll,
and another figure drawing water
from a well, said to be Christ and
the woman of Samaria.
1801
History of Jonah, I. coming out
of the mouth of the sea-serpent (or
whale); 2. thrown by the sailors into
the sea.
1802, 1803
Seven figures upon a tricliniar bed.
There are two dishes with fish, and
eight baskets loaded with bread. 1804
A fossor, or grave-digger. In an-
other part of the picture a small
table, or tripod, upon which is a dish
with fish and bread. A man, Christ,
186
Appendix to the Catacombs.
1
S. CALIXTUS, continued.
after the Resurrection (?), extends the
right hand over the fish, and on the
other side is a female figure in the
attitude of prayer. The Church (?).
1805
An Orante said to be S. Cæcilia
(ninth century), of our Saviour and
of S. Urban, Pope, with the Inscrip-
tion SCS VRBANVS.
1800
Figures of S. Cornelius, Pope and
Martyr, S. Xystus II., Pope (scs
XYSTVS PP ROM), and of S.Optatus,
Bishop.
1813, 1814
VII. VIA LABICANA, NOMENTANA,
TIBURTINA.
SS. PETER AND MARCELLINUS.
The Adoration of the Magi, A.D. 772—
775, from Perret's Drawing. 627 C
Adoration of the Magi. Two of
the Magi only are shewn, there not
being room for more.
2116
An Agape or
Commemorative
Love Feast, with the names over the
heads of the figures.
2117
AGAPE. MISER NOBIS.
two children at the table.
An Agape with this inscription,
There are
2118
Christ seated between two Apo-
stles (?), standing and addressing
Him. He has the nimbus, they have
not; their dress resembles the sur-
plice and stole. At the foot is the
Holy Lamb standing on Calvary,
with other Apostles (?).
2119
A female Orante, with two mem-
bers of her family, A. D. 772(?). 2115
S. AGNES.
Paintings of an Orante, with the Good
Shepherd, A.D. 772-775.
628
Child,
627 A
627 B
The Blessed Virgin and
A. D. 772-775.
from Perret's Drawing.
S. CYRIACA.
A female Saint, richly attired and
crowned, A. D. 772-795, from Perret's
Drawing.
468
S. CYRIACA, continued.
Madonna, and S. Catharine, c. A.D.
772-795, from Perret's Drawing. 479
Figure of S. Cæcilia, A.D. 772—
795, from Perret's Drawing. 472
Three Loculi, closed with Tiles:
1. With Stamp and small Vase; 2.
With Skeleton and Palm-branches ;
3. With Inscription, the Labarum of
Constantine, an Anchor, a Dove with
Palm-branch, from Perret's Drawing.
481
A Painted Vault, from Perret's
Drawing.
482
Tombstone of ANTONIA CYRIACE,
with a dove and olive-branch on each
side of the name, c. A. D. 250, taken
from this Catacomb and built into
the wall of the Church of S. Giorgio
in Velabro.
1257
Three Skulls, and a brick stamp
found with them, with inscription—
OF(ficina) S(exti) DOMI(tii) SATVR-
NINI [A.D. 264 ?].
1283
S. HERMES.
Fragment of Mosaic Picture repre-
senting Daniel in the Lions' Den,
A.D. 577, the only Mosaic Pic-
ture now remaining in the Cata-
combs.
629
VIII. VIA SALARIA VECCHIA, AND
Nova (pp. 108 to 118).
SS. SATURNINUS AND THRASON-
Paintings in the lowest story, of the
time of Pope Hadrian I., A.D. 772—
795.
1751
Three Loculi, with Paintings of
Jonah, Moses striking the Rock, bird
with foliage, and two female Orantes,
from Perret's Drawing.
467
An Orante, a lady richly attired,
with lace borders and a veil, A.D.
772-795.
1774
from Perret's Drawing. 475
Another Orante, A. D. 772-795.
1775
from Perret's Drawing. 476
Photographs.
SS. SATURNINUS, &c., continued.
Head of the defunct, with a Bird
and Flowers, A.D. 772.
1752
Jonah under the ivy-bush (accord-
ing to the Vulgate version, the gourd
in the English version), A.D. 772—
795.
1777
Moses striking the rock, A.D. 772
-795.
1776
The Good Shepherd, and a Figure
holding a Scroll or Book, with the
inscription, DORMITIO
vestri (?)].
[Sil-
1778
· from Perret's Drawing. 480
Tobias presenting a Fish to his
Father.
1779
An Orante, with an Ordination (?)
on the right, and a Madonna on the
left, from Perret's Drawing. 469
•
·
S. PRISCILLA.
The Madonna addressed by a Prophet,
who is expounding the Scriptures to
her, with the Star of Bethlehem (?)
above, A.D. 523.
1467
from Perret's Drawing. 470
Painted Chapel, restored by John
I., A.D. 523.
612
Stucco Ornament in a Chapel. 613
The three youths in the "burning
fiery furnace," and Orantes, c. A.D.
523.
1468, 1471
Painting of an Orante or female
figure erect, in the Oriental atti-
tude of prayer. On her left hand
a Madonna (?) or mother and child,
on her right hand three figures, one
seated, the others standing. The in-
terpretation given to this group is an
ordination. Other interpretations are
given to this picture. Also a graffito
of the name of BOSIVS.
1470
An Orante addressed by two per-
sons standing and pointing on her
left hand, with another figure stand-
ing, wrapt up in a tunic, on her
right. (Allegorical interpretations are
given to this group.)
1472
187
S. PRISCILLA, continued.
Seven men carrying a wine-cask,
c. A.D. 523, with graffiti of the names
of ANTONIVS BOSIVS, ORATIVS DE
NOBILIBVS, &c., and a tombstone
with the inscription BONAVIE
COIVGI SANCTISSIMÆ.
1469
Graffiti.
1473
Two Loculi, unopened, with letters
painted on the Tiles, which cover the
openings.
1474
A Peacock, with tail expanded and
Diaper Ornaments, A.D. 523, from
Perret's Drawing.
477
A Peacock, side view, A.D. 523,
from Perret's Drawing.
478
IX. CATACOMB OF THE JEWS ON
THE VIA APPIA. (p. 119).
Part of the Place for Washing the
Bodies at the entrance, with Arco-
solia or Arched Tombs partly rebuilt
in the fourth century.
Staircase at the exit.
1753
1754
A Painted Cubiculum, c. A.D. 150,
taken with the magnesian light. 773
Painting of Birds, A.D. 150, in the same
chamber.
562
The same, from a Drawing by
Ewing.
1161
Painted Vault, with allegorical sub-
jects.
774
View in another painted Burial-vault,
taken with the magnesian light. 774
The same, from a Drawing by
Ewing.
1160
the Wall,
775
561
Pegasus, a Painting on
C. A.D. 150.
A Peacock, A.D. 150.
Fragment of a Pagan Sarcophagus,
A. D. 150.
563
Inscriptions, with Emblems. 564, 776
188
Appendix to the Catacombs.
XI. CATACOMBS OF NAPLES (pp. 126—129).
Views of the Ospizio de' Poveri di
S. Gennaro.
2143, 2144
Construction under the Portico of the
Ospizio de' Poveri di S. Gennaro, at
the entrance to the Catacombs, with
very bold corbelling.
2145
General View of the entrance to the
Catacombs, with Frescoes on the
walls.
2146
General View of the entrance to the
Catacombs.
2147
Fresco Paintings in the Catacombs, re-
presenting SS. Desiderius and Agu-
tius, eighth century (?).
2148
Fresco Paintings in the Catacombs, re-
S. PAUL'S (pp. 130 to 134).
View of the Interior before the fire. 456
after the fire, in 1823, shew-
ing the parts that were left standing.
These two are from scarce Engrav-
ings.
623
View of the Cloister, thirteenth century;
exterior, with Cosmati work and In-
scription.
2020
Interior, with light shining
through the Arcade.
2019
Paschal Candlestick ornamented with
rich Sculpture.
2018
Altar Canopy or Baldachino, details of.
Frescoes in the Cloister.
2024 to 2030
1985 to 2030
2031 to 2037
Inscriptions.
Mosaic Pictures.
presenting two Saints, and a lily be-
tween them.
2149
Fresco Painting in the Catacombs,
representing a peacock, vases, and
flowers.
2150
Fresco Painting in a niche on the right-
hand side of the entrance to the Cata-
combs.
2151
Column, with Inscription, in the Cata-
combs.
2152
Chair of S. Gennaro, cut in the Tufa
rock of the Catacombs.
2153
XII. CHURCHES OUTSIDE THE WALLs.
S. SEBASTIAN'S (pp. 138 to 141).
Exterior of Apse, c. A.D. 350 (?). 289
Plan of Church and Monastery, with
the Chapels at the entrance to the
Catacomb.
819, 341
Views of the Ancient Chapels at the
Entrance to the Catacombs, c. A.D.
350 (?), and 772; and a Porticus.
285, 288
Those within the Catacombs are taken
with the magnesian light.
S. URBAN'S (pp. 142 to 144).
Altar of Bacchus found there. 1365
The Classical Portico, c. A. D. 50, filled
up with modern brickwork. 1590
Exterior View behind the Altar, with
fine brick cornice.
1364
S. HELENA OR S. PETER AND MAR-
CELLINUS (p. 145).
Plan.
View of the Exterior and Interior.
207, 208
206
S. AGNES (pp. 146 to 148).
View of the Exterior, with the Porch
of the twelfth century, the Apse,
A.D. 623, and the Campanile. 1589
Interior, with the Canopy over the
Altar or Baldachino, the Classical
Columns and the Apse, with the
Mosaic Pictures, A.D. 626. 1591
The Gallery or Triforium, and the
Clerestory, with the Ceiling and the
Fresco over the Arch.
Mosaic Picture.
Fresco Painting.
Inscriptions.
1592
1593
1597
1594, 5, and 6
Photographs.
S. Constantia (p. 149).
Interior, c. A. D. 320. This view shews
the coupled or twin columns standing
upon a plinth; the central part of the
floor has evidently been raised to the
same level. It was probably built
for a Baptistery, with tombs or sar-
cophagi, and altars in the aisle round,
the vault of which is enriched with
Mosaic pictures.
1600
1607, 1608
The Mosaic Pictures.
S. ALEXANDER (pp. 151 to 153).
View in the Church.
Antique Columns.
Perforated Marble Screen.
384
385
383
189
Interior, Antique Columns in the North
Aisle of the Choir.
S. LORENZO (pp. 154 to 159).
General View of the Exterior, with
Portico and Campanile.
1082
Interior of the Nave, from the west,
with antique Arch of Triumph, and
Mosaics.
592
Wall of side aisle, Exterior, c. A. D. 750;
and Wall of Clerestory with early
Plate-tracery, A.D. 1216.
322
594
593
319
Altar and Canopy, A.D. 1160.
Campanile, c. A.D. 1216.
Cloister of the Monastery, c. A. D. 1216.
321
1093
Cloister, c. A.D. 1320.
Ambo and Paschal Candlestick and
Ionic Capitals to antique Marble
Columns.
595
Early Pagan Sarcophagus, c. A.D. 200,
representing a Nuptial ceremony, with
Canopy, c. A.D. 1256, made into the
Tomb of the Cardinal Fieschi. 597
Sculpture of Lions at the door. 317
Sarcophagus, with shallow Sculpture of
318
the Vine, &c.
320
Tomb in the form of a Temple.
Fresco Paintings of the legend of S.
Stephen and S. Lorenzo, or Lau-
rence (?), in the porch. 1120 to 1126
S. STEPHEN (p. 160).
Remains of the Church.
2105
SECOND APPENDIX TO THE CHAPTER
ON THE CATACOMBS.
SINCE this Chapter was printed, and whilst waiting for the Photo-
engravings to illustrate it and confirm the views there stated, some
important fresh excavations have been made, of which an account
ought to be given in this work. They have been made and are
carrying on for the Ecclesiastical Commission of the Pontifical
Government, under the direction of G. B. De Rossi. They are at
the entrance to the catacomb of SS. Nereus and Achilleus, and
what has been found is the lower part of a church of the Basilican
type. The two brothers De Rossi have just published an excellent
account of it in the Bulletino di Archeologia Christianaª. They
shew that these are the remains of the church of S. Petronilla,
just as it was left after it had been destroyed some centuries
ago. It must have been a fine church, similar to that of S. Agnes,
at the entrance to the catacomb named after her, with a grand
flight of steps down into it in the same manner, but finer, as
it goes down in a straight line at the end of the church opposite
to the altar, and has the bases and lower parts of columns of a grand
colonnade over the steps. The church consisted of a nave, with an
aisle on each side; the bases of the columns remain between the
nave and the aisles; behind the altar is an apse, at the further
end of which, on the lower story or in the crypt, is an opening to
one end of a corridor or street of the catacombs. This has also
been the case at S. Generosa, though not there left visible as it is
here. In the present instance everything is left in its place as found,
the old Pontifical system of carrying everything off to museums,
which deprived them of half their interest, seems at last to be aban-
doned, more confidence is now placed in the honesty of the keepers
and in the vigilance of the police. Under the altar are two brick
tombs, the places for the sarcophagi containing the relics of the
martyrs. The walls are entirely of brick, the character of which is
of the fifth or sixth century. Many brick-stamps have been found
in the walls, which will give the exact date. Several inscriptions
have also been found, and are published by De Rossi; but as the
church has evidently been made in the catacombs, and is not part of
■ Vol. v. Nos. I and 2, Roma, 1874.
In the second number an excellent
plan and view of the ruins are given.
The church was 30 metres long and
19 wide.
M. S. De Rossi considers that it
was evidently destroyed by an earth-
quake.
0
192
Second Appendix to the Catacombs.
the same original construction, they cannot decide the date of the
church. There is another entrance to the catacomb close by, the
brickwork of which is of the first century, similar to that of Prætex-
tatus, and as in that instance, they are probably family burial-places
for a great family, without any reference to religion.
On the vault of the passage from the entrance into the catacomb
is a fresco-painting of the vine, but it does not at all follow that the
painting is contemporary with the brickwork; there is also a vine
painted just within the entrance to that of Prætextatus, and it is
quite possible that those two families may have been among the
early Christians, and have intended the vine as an emblem intelli-
gible to other Christians, by reminding them of the text, "I am the
vine, ye are the branches," and not intelligible to the heathen.
What gives probability to this is, that the sarcophagus of Constantia
and the vaults of the aisles of her mausoleum are covered with the
vine, and these probably were the work of heathen workmen; the
Christians were not permitted to make any display of their religion
until the time of Constantine.
According to the legends of the church, Flavia Domitilla was the
niece of Domitian, and had property on the Via Ardeatina, at a mile
and half from Rome; she was a Christian, and allowed the bodies
of the martyrs Nereus and Achilleus and Petronilla to be buried
under her freehold farm (prædium), that is, in her family burial-
place; and a church dedicated to S. Petronilla was afterwards built
at the entrance to it, probably over the original burial-chapel,
which we find at the entrance of each of the catacombs in the early
ages of the Christian Church. That of SS. Nereus and Achilleus is
described as being "at S. Petronilla, on the Via Ardeatina.”
One of the loculi (or graves cut in the rock) was found closed by
a slab of marble, on which was engraved in good letters val RVFINA.
Upon a large stone which closed an arch built under the pavement
of a street in the catacomb, at the entrance to another burial-vault,
was found in 1854 an inscription recording the purchase of that
ground for the family of AURELIUS VICTORINUS:-
VII CALENDAS FEBR(~)AR(2)AS EGO AVR(elivs) CONSTANTIVS
SCRIPSI PRO AVR(elio) BICTVRINV (viatorino) EUM VEN-
-DI-DISSE LOCVM QUEM EMIT AVR(elius) LAVR(entius)
C
From this it is inferred by De Rossi that the name of the martyr
was Aurelia Petronilla, and that she belonged to the Gens Aurelia.
This property has recently been bought, with a large district, by
Monsignor De Merode, and the excavations are carried on with his
approbation, and probably at his expense, as these Commissions in
Second Appendix to the Catacombs.
193
Rome usually have no funds. The earliest historical notice that we
have of this cemetery is that it was made by John I., A.D. 523—526,
at the time that Rome was under the jurisdiction of King Theodoric
of Ravenna. But the word fecit is given in another manuscript as
refecit (restored), which seems more probable. Gregory the Great
is also said to have delivered one of his celebrated Homilies here,
which could only have been in the church, not in the catacomb.
This name does not occur among the tituli of the clergy who attended
the Roman Synod, A.D. 499, early in the reign of Theodoric, which
would seem to imply, on the other hand, that the church was not
built until after that time. Gregory III., A.D. 731–742 (Anastas.,
202), instituted or appointed an annual station to be held in the
cemetery of S. Petronilla, and presented it a corona (lucis) of gold,
a chalice and paten of silver, and various ornaments pertaining to
a church, which could not mean a catacomb-chapel only. It is
probable that the church was then built over the original burial-
chapel, of which the remains are shewn in De Rossi's plan as exist-
ing under the church. Leo IV., A.D. 847-855, made similar
donations to this church. (Anastas., 541.)
.
Of another inscription only a fragment remains, with the latter
half of two words, . . . RVM. ORVM. By his long experience De
Rossi is enabled to supply the rest, SepulcRVM FlavioRVM. This
probably applies only to one of the original family burial-vaults,
which is one meaning of the word cemetery, now called catacomb.
Another inscription says that M. Antonius Restitutus—
FECIT YPOGEVM. SIBI. ET. SVIS. FIDENTIBVS. IN. DOMINO.
Obviously, again, a family burial-vault, and almost certainly a Pagan
one, as the name of Ypogeum is not the one used by the Chris-
tian writers. Another fragment gives some letters of one of the
long metrical inscriptions of Damasus, in the beautiful letters of
his time, which is given in full by De Rossi, and he cites four dis-
tinct copies of it from ancient manuscripts:
Militiæ nomen dederant sævum Q. gerebant £
Officium pariter spectantes jussA TYRanni
Præceptis pulsante metu serviRE PARati
Mira fides rerum subito posueRE FVROREM
Conversi fugiunt ducis impia castra RELINQVVNT
Proiiciunt clypeos faleras telaQ. CRVENTA
• Since this was written the Roman
Catholic Church has sustained a great
loss by the death of this excellent per-
son, who had made a large fortune, and
began to expend it for Church objects.
d Anastasius, 89.
e Ibid., 202.
f Tre codici sævumque, uno solo
almunque.
194
Second Appendix to the Catacombs.
Confessi gaudent Christi portarE TRIVMFOS
Credite per Damasum possit quid GLORIA CHRISTI 5.
Another tombstone of BEATVS and VINCENTIA has the names of the
Consuls, which gives the date of A.D. 395, but this does not give the
date of the church. Nobody doubts that the catacomb is an early one.
Leo III., A.D. 795-816, is recorded to have restored the church of
SS. Nereus and Achilleus, which had been damaged by a great flood.
This has hitherto been supposed to apply to the church within the
walls of Rome, on the Via Appia, opposite to S. Sisto Vecchio,
which was equally surrounded by water in the great flood in 1871,
so that it may apply to either. As that pope is said to have rebuilt
the church from the foundations, and no work of his time has been
brought to light by the recent excavations at this cemetery, whereas
part of the walls of the church on the Via Appia may very well be
of his time, the old interpretation of the passage seems more likely
to be the correct one. The donations given to it at the same time
were, "Six canisters of silver, weighing 15 lbs. ; a ciborium of pure
silver, weighing 215 lbs.; a chalice and paten of silver-gilt, weighing
12 lbs. 10 oz.; a royal super-altar of pure gold, ornamented with
precious stones, weighing 2 lb. 6 oz., and two vestments, one an alb
of silk with the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ worked
upon it, the other of Tyrian purple." These seem more suitable
for a church in the city than for one in the country.
The excavations have also brought to light some fresco paintings
of the fifth (?) century, and some graffiti (or names scratched upon
the walls). This was one of the places of pilgrimage mentioned by
William of Malmesbury as frequented by the English, under the
name of “Nereus and Achilleus, and Petronilla, and several others.”
Eusebius also mentions that the church of S. Paul was (C the entrance
to the martyrs,” which probably means that there was a subterranean
road or deep cutting from that church to S. Sebastian's. This would
be on the line of the road now called the "Via delle Sette Chiese,”
or road of the Seven Churches, used by the pilgrims in the pilgrim-
ages of the Middle Ages, (recently revived,) to the seven great Basi-
licas. The pilgrimages began at (1) S. Paul's, then went through
this deep cutting, passing by S. Petronilla to (2) S. Sebastian's, then
to (3) S. Lorenzo and (4) S. Agnes, all without the walls; then en-
tering the City to (5) S. Croce in Gerusalemme, (6) S. John in the
Lateran, (7) S. Maria Maggiore, and crossing the Tiber to S. Peter's
in the Vatican. The same line was followed by the American pil-
grims in 1874, but in carriages instead of walking barefoot, as was
the custom in the Middle Ages.
8 Bullettino di Archeologia Cristiana
del Commendatore Giovanni Battista de
Rossi. Seconda Serie.
Roma 1874, (p. 20).
Anno Quinto.
Second Appendix to the Catacombs.
195
THE AGAPE OR LOVE FEASTS (?).
The Bishop of Limerick, who has fortunately been in Rome
during the month of April, 1874, and has taken much interest in
the Catacombs, has kindly favoured me with the following important
suggestions respecting the paintings of feasts, so frequently found
in them". These are usually interpreted either as the Last Supper
of our Lord upon earth, or the Agape or Love Feast of the early
Christians. The Bishop, on the contrary, is of opinion that some
of them, at least, represent the heavenly banquet of the blest, the
marriage supper spoken of in the Gospels and the Book of Reve-
lation. I am myself inclined to believe that these paintings merely
represent the commemorative feasts on the anniversary of the death
of the heads of the family, usual among the ancient Romans. It is
still the custom of the Romans to assemble at the grave of the
deceased members of the family on the anniversary of their death,
and to have a family feast on the same occasion. This shews that
Christianity did not interfere with this ancient and reverend custom.
"The Photograph of the picture No. 2117, in Mr. Parker's Cata-
logue of Photographs, represents three men seated at a crescent-
shaped couch-table (mensa lunata, or sigma). In front of it is
a small round tripod table, on which lies a large fish (thynnus ?),
surrounded by what appear to be eels. At each end of the lunette
table sits a female attendant. Between one of them and the tripod
a tall crater stands on the floor. Between the other attendant and
the tripod stands a boy holding a cyathus or poculum of some kind.
The lower parts of the last-named figures are effaced. The two
men, who sit to the right and left respectively of the central figure,
are each reaching out their right hands, as if they were addressing
the female attendants opposite to them. Over the head of the man
sitting at the right-hand of the central figure are the words IRENE .
DA. CALDA. Over the one at his left are the words AGAPE. MISCE .
MI. This phrase is obviously addressed to the girl who sits close
to the crater. The boy appears to be handing a poculum to the
guest who asks for CALDA. In the upper margin of the panel are
the names VOLscvs, rvfevs, pOMPONIVS, FABIVS; and immediately
Any one who knows Ireland and
its interesting antiquities, will know
also the long-established reputation of
Dr. Graves, formerly Fellow of Trinity
College, Dublin, now Bishop of Lime-
rick, and will know also that he is not
one to arrive at a hasty conclusion, or
to make a bold conjecture only; he
carefully investigates what he states.
196
Second Appendix to the Catacombs.
under them, in somewhat smaller and more carefully written charac-
ters, the name FABIANVS. In the left-hand margin of the panel are
the letters va, which, along with LETE, exactly opposite them in the
right-hand margin, make up the word VALETE. At the left-hand
corner of the bottom margin, though some of the letters are very
faint, I think I can make out IN AGR PED X . .
i
"The picture shewn in the photograph, No. 2118, represents
a similar scene. Three men are seated at a lunette couch-table, the
centre figure having a little boy at each side of him. At each end
of the lunette table sits, or stands, a female attendant. The one to
the left of the picture is holding out a poculum. The man who is
opposite to her addresses her in the words IRENE. PORGE CALDA,
which are written over him; whilst the man on the other side of
the central figure (though it must be admitted that he is not looking
towards her), seems to be addressing the other female attendant in
the words AGAPE. MISCE. NOBIS. Each of the men leans, as he ought
to do, with his left elbow upon the couch-table. A small round
table stands in the centre. The lower part of the picture being
defaced, we cannot say with certainty whether it was a tripod or
not, or determine what was served upon it. It was probably like
the table represented in 2117.
"In the fourth volume of the Berlin Corpus Inscriptionum Lati-
narum, which contains the inscriptions and graffiti of Pompeii, at
No. 1291, we meet with a notice of a picture which illustrates those
now under consideration. It represents a soldier, who holds out
a glass to a servant who is waiting upon him, and addresses him in
the words DA FRIDAM (FRIGIDAM) PVSILLVM, written as a graffito on
the picture. He is asking for a little cold water.
"No one can well question the appropriateness of the phrases
MISCE. MI, MISCE. NOBIS, DA. CALDA, and PORGE CALDA, as ad-
dressed to an attendant waiting upon persons at an entertainment.
The Romans were not in the habit of drinking their wine undiluted,
and the attendant was said miscere alicui. We have an instance of
mi for mihi in Virgil, Æn. x. 104; and others in Lucilius and
Plautus. Porge, as Festus tells us, was the old form for Porrige;
and Virgil, Æn. viii. 274, has pocula porgite. In fact, porgere seems
to have been the word most correctly used with reference to the
The engraving of this fresco given
by Bottari, tav. cxxvii., though exe-
cuted more than a hundred years ago,
when the painting was in a much more
perfect state of preservation, is so in-
accurate that it has misled those who
•
have copied and commented on it. Not
to mention errors in smaller matters of
detail, it represents the central figure
as a female, and for the fish on the
table substitutes some kind of quadruped
served whole.
Second Appendix to the Catacombs.
handing of wine or anything that was to be drunk. Cicero uses the
phrase porgens carchesia; Horace, porrecta pocula; and Apuleius,
porrigit bibam. Calda is put for caldam (aquam), the final m being
omitted, as was not unusual. Perhaps this was a phonetic spelling;
at all events, the omission is common enough in inscriptions. Thus
we have Septima sit tibi terra levis. Quisquis huic tumulo posuit arden-
te(m) lucernam illius cineres aurea terra tegat., (Gruter, 1148. 17);
Pietate redere for pietatem reddere, (Orell. 5058); post ea(m) uxore(m)
non habituru(m), (Orell. 4603). Calda was used absolutely for
calda aqua; thus we have in Pliny, cum pari caldæ mensura, and the
servant who supplied hot water was called servus a calda. It is
possible, however, that calda may be the accusative plural of cal-
dum, which was used substantively in the sense of a hot drink made
by mixing wine with hot water. In sepulchral inscriptions AVe or
HAVE, VALE, AVETE, VALETE, frequently occur in addresses to the
departed. There may be some doubt as to the reading of the
words IN AGR PED X... If they are rightly deciphered, they indi-
cate one admeasurement, that is, the depth of the space belonging
to a family, and available for the purposes of burial. The other
dimension, that of the frontage, may have been stated in the right-
hand corner of the margin, but that part of the panel has been
completely defaced. As regards the names of the female attend-
ants, Agape and Irene, they are of frequent occurrence in the early
Christian inscriptions. Irene appears in De Rossi, Tav. xliii., and
Agape in Tav. lv.
197
"The similarity in all their details between these two pictures, and
others which are the work of pagan artists, or intended to represent
pagan scenes, is very remarkable. There is in the Lateran ´collec-
tion a sarcophagus representing a lady lying on a couch, with
a tripod-table before her, and on it is a large fish. The character
of the sculpture, and the inscription which this monument bears,
prove it undoubtedly to be pagan. Again, in a picture in the
Vatican Manuscript of Virgil, Dido is seen seated between Æneas
and Ascanius, with a small round table before them, on which
there is a single dish containing a fish. In that part of the cata-
comb of Prætextatus which was assigned to the worshippers of
Mithra, there are paintings and inscriptions having relation to
pagan superstitions. One of these represents seven persons, desig-
nated as Septem Pii Sacerdotes, seated at a sigma couch, with dishes
before them, on which are served a fowl, a hare, a pasty, and a fish.
Another picture of the same series represents six persons seated at
a sigma table, whilst a seventh is coming in. Before them are set
three dishes containing fowl, pasty, and fish. At the side stands
a crater resting on a tripod. In the Annals of the German Archæo-
logical Institute of Rome, 1866, p. 320, mention is made of a pic-
ture found in a pagan tomb at Ostia. It represents five persons
seated at a lunette couch-table, apparently partaking of a banquet.
The name of each of the persons is written over his head. Though
198
Second Appendix to the Catacombs.
those pictures belong to a different school of art and thought, they
are, to say the least, analogous to the fresco paintings in the cata-
comb of SS. Peter and Marcellinus, which we are considering. The
four fresco paintings in the catacomb of S. Calixtus, figured by De
Rossi, Plates XIV., XV., XVI., are generally supposed to refer
either to the miracles wrought by our Lord in feeding the multitudes,
or to the incidents which followed the miraculous draught of fishes
recorded by S. John (chap. xxi. 1—14); and having this primary
scope, they may also be regarded as having a reference to the
Eucharist. The first of these represents seven persons seated at
a couch-table, having before them three dishes, on two of which are
fish. In the front of the picture are twelve baskets of bread. In
another we have a tripod-table, with a fish upon it, with seven
baskets of bread in front. In a third we have seven nude figures,
with two dishes before them, with a fish on each. His sixteenth
plate represents another group of seven persons seated at a table,
and served with two dishes of fish. In the front of the picture are
eight baskets of bread.
"Some doubt may be entertained as to the interpretation of these
pictures. But it seems to me quite obvious that the fresco paintings
described above, No. 2117 and 2118 in Mr. Parker's Catalogue, are
not designed to represent eucharistic celebrations or agapa. The
following are my reasons for coming to this conclusion:-1. There
is an à priori objection to such a view. Pictures in the Catacombs
ought to have had a distinctly religious use. They ought to have
been calculated to sustain the hopes of men living in a state of trial,
if not of actual persecution. The picture of an agape would not have
served this purpose. The reality of these love-feasts was familiar
enough to the Christians who worshipped in the Catacombs, and
the force of this consideration is strengthened when we come to
remember that these entertainments, which were sometimes charac-
terized by a want of order even in the apostolic times, were after-
wards so discredited by disorder and excess that the holding of them
came to be forbidden. 2. The persons seated at the table are the
departed, to whom their surviving relations and friends address the
greeting VALETE. 3. The persons ministering are females. 4. Their
names Agape and Irene, though no doubt proper names in common
use amongst Christians, are more fitly used to indicate the personi-
fication of the spirit of Christian love, and of the peace of God
ministering to the happiness of the blest. 5. Christians in the early
ages were accustomed to see on sarcophagi sculptures representing
the departed spirits of Pagans enjoying the pleasures of Elysium.
"The symbolic meaning of the fish has been too much insisted on
by those who have described and commented on these pictures.
In many cases, but not in all, did it represent the Divine Person.
The fish, in the symbolism of painters and sculptors, had a different
meaning: it denoted the goodness of the viands provided at a ban-
quet. Horace contrasts the most sumptuous and the most frugal
fare in the line :-
'Seu pisces seu porrum et cæpe trucidas.'
Second Appendix to the Catacombs.
S. PRISCILLA ".
THIS catacomb has the largest number of paintings, and the ear-
liest of any.
The present entrance is a straight vaulted passage
from the Via Salaria, partly underground; the original entrance was
by a flight of steps from the vineyard above. The modern entrance
was made in 1865, probably because the proprietor of the vineyard
would not allow a right of way. The celebrated CAPELLA GRÆCA
is just at the foot of the original steps, and near to the present en-
trance. It is a small chapel, in the plan of a Greek cross +, with
paintings on the walls on either side of the choir, for the most part
well preserved, and very interesting; the proper explanation of them
is matter of endless controversy, some give a very early date to
them, but the drawing does not bear out any such early date, if
compared with the frescoes in the tombs on the Via Latina, of
which the date is ascertained by the brick-stamps to be of the
second and third centuries; the inferiority of the art is very apparent,
nor are they all of one period. Some of the paintings in this ceme-
tery are probably of the sixth century, and others of the eighth and
ninth. The three children "in the burning fiery furnace" belong
to the latter period; the remainder are earlier, and appear rather
to relate some family history than any historical or religious sub-
jects. In the earlier pictures, the same three figures occur in all,
and they seem to relate the history of the same person, first as
a girl, then as a young mother with a baby in her arms, then one
advanced in life, as the mother of a family of grown-up children.
Allegorical meanings may be given to any extent to these pictures,
as nothing is really known of the history of the Priscilla whose tomb
this was, and there are no means of testing the truth. Close adjoining
to this chamber, or vault, is another, in which is the place for a sar-
cophagus, supposed to have been used for an altar to a chapel, as
there is a step at one end to a platform behind it for a priest to
stand upon and officiate over the body of the martyr there interred.
The walls have remains of the marble casing, shewing that it was
the chapel of a wealthy family. In other parts of this cemetery, and
in other vaults, are represented the two wine-casks, and four men are
seen carrying a third. To these also various allegorical meanings
are given, but the probability is, that it was the burial-place of the
wife of a wine-merchant, or wine-maker, perhaps the owner of
the vineyard above, whose death took place at the time of the
R
199
See p. 114, and Plates V., VI., XXIV.
P
200
Second Appendix to the Catacombs.
vintage, and this event was commemorated by the family in their
burial-place. The inscription, which was under the picture when
this photograph was taken, has since been removed by the Pontifical
authorities, it agrees with this interpretation:-
BONAVIAE CONJVGI SANCTISSIMAE.
In another cubiculum is the much-disputed painting of the Ma-
donna (?) addressed by the prophet (?). This is a small group of
figures, not more than two feet square, on a flat surface on the ceiling
of an arco-solium, under which is a sarcophagus, and on the back
wall are remains of a Good Shepherd with the sheep. In another
cubiculum is the Good Shepherd on the vault; in his arms he carries
a goat and a sheep, and another goat is at his feet, and also
a sheep. In this chamber the paintings are evidently of two
periods, probably of the sixth and eighth centuries.
S. NEREUS, S. PETRONILLA", &c.
In the spring of 1875, the excavations in the Basilica of S. Petro-
nilla, and in the Catacomb of S. Nereus adjoining to it, were con-
tinued, and in a small cubiculum at the back of the apse of the
church, a painting was found of two female figures, in the style of
painting of the sixth century, under the arch of an arco-solium at
the back of the small burial-vault, with inscriptions on the sides
of the figures.
B. VENERANDA FELICITA IN PACE
PETRONILLA MART.
In the centre of the church a small marble column has also been
found, with figures carved upon it in alto relievo, representing the
martyrdom of S. Achilleus, with the name inscribed. This is also
in the style of the sixth century. Another fragment of a marble
column has also been found, which probably had the martyrdom
of S. Nereus carved upon it. There are a number of sarcophagi
in the floor of the church, left just as they were found, half above
and half below the pavement. The walls of the church were being
rebuilt in 1876, and a new roof was to be put on, to preserve every-
thing as it was found. It is expected to be used for worship again.
See p. 70, and Plates XXII., XXIII.
ERRATA ET CORRIGENDA.
THE CATACOMBS.
Errata.
1, 2, l. 32. It has only been discon-
tinued since the year 1860.
p. 3, note f. et a liberalibus.
p. 9, l. 6. to the gate only.
p. 22, note g. exterminatæ.
p. 34, note p. PP SCI.
Ibid. SIBI.
Ibid., note q. EMIT.
p. 37, note a. HYGIAE. C.
Ibid. XSS.
p. 63, note g. de' gemme.
p. 85, note b. "Tre sepolcri," &c.
Ibid. del Perso dio.
Ibid., note c. Correspondenza.
p. 104, nole o. marcuerant.
p. 108, note x. in aquilino.
4. 113, note e. de Esquileo.
p. 123, l. 3. but they are no longer used.
p. 131. MEMO.
p. 154, note z. RECISA.
p. 159, note g. porticum, qui.
p. 162, line 18. Index Cometerium.
p. 171, note s. antesignatum.
Corrigenda.
It is still continued, in 1877, in the great
burial-ground at S. Lorenzo f. m.
et liberalibus.
to the parish church only.
exterminata.
PP SVI
SIBI.
EMIT,
D. M.-HYGIA, FEC.
HSS.
di gemme.
This work is not by Padre Marchi, but
by Padre Garrucci.
del Persidico dio.
Corrispondenza,
marcuerat.
in aquilonari.
de Esquilino.
and they are still in use.
MENS.
RECISO.
porticum, quæ.
Index Cœmeteriorum.
antesignenum.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.
THE CATACOMBS,
PLATE I.
CONSTRUCTION.-NATURAL SECTIONS IN THE CATACOMB OF S. CY-
RIACA, and Loculi in the Corridors (called also streets), now in
the burial-ground of S. Lorenzo.
In the course of the enlargement of the great burial-ground of
Rome in the year 1870-1871, part of the tufa rock on the side of
it was cut away in which this catacomb was situated, and one side
of the corridors or streets, and of the cubicula, or burial-vaults, was
thrown open to view. It is now, in 1874, again concealed by modern.
tombs built up against it, but the views here given shew very clearly
the old arrangement, and the manner in which the corridors followed
the geological formation of the rock, being always made on a bed
of soft tufa between two beds or layers of hard tufa. The loculi, or
places for the bodies to be laid in the graves cut in the rock, instead
of being dug out in the ground, are here shewn very clearly.

CATACOMBS_CONSTRUCTION SECTIONS.
S. CYRIACA LOCULI IN CORRIDORS IN BURIAL GROUND OF S. LORENZO
1
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE II.
CONSTRUCTION.—SECTIONS OF THE CATACOMBS oF S. Generosa,
A.D. 500, and S. CYRIACA, A.D. 259.
IN that of S. Generosa two of the loculi are left open, with the
skeletons visible, a third is closed in the usual manner with tiles
and mortar; the divisions or joints are thick, and are plainly
seen in this photo-engraving. In the one from S. Cyriaca a cubi-
rulum is shewn, with an arco-solium or arched recess for a stone
coffin to be placed in. The usual features of a catacomb are there-
fore well seen in this cutting, without the aid of artificial light.
1. The cubiculum, or family burial-vault, sold in perpetuity to
a particular family.
2. The arco-solium, or arched recess for a sarcophagus or stone
coffin for the heads of the family, or in a few very rare instances for
the body of a martyr.
3. The loculi, or graves for ordinary persons, either in the family
vault or in the corridors, passages, or streets; in the latter case
they were generally for the poor, and the loculus was paid for by
a burial-club.
A

CATACOMBS CONSTRUCTION SECTIONS.
S. GENEROSA A. D. 500.
TWO LOCULI OPEN ONE NOT OPENED.
—

S. CYRIACA A CUBICULUM.
THE CATACOMBS,
PLATE HII.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRICKWORK AT THE ENTRANCE.
THESE four examples are all at one of the entrances to the great
catacomb of the family of Prætextatus. This entrance is from
a sand-pit road near the church of S. Urban, which is situated in
a cross-road or diverticulum from the Via Appia to the Via Latina,
now a part of the Via Appia Nova; it is about a quarter of a mile
from the Via Appia at the church of S. Sebastian. This sand-pit
road is only about twenty feet below the level of the present road
over it, and was probably a foss-way, subsequently vaulted over to
make the road level with the ground on each side, or nearly so.
The brickwork of Numbers I., II., III., is of the middle of the first
century of the Empire and of the time of Nero, as is seen by the
very fine joints, especially in No. II., where ten bricks to the foot
can be counted in the six-foot rule shewn in this photo-engraving.
The cornice and pediments over the doors are not likely to have
been made for a sand-pit road only, unless it was open to the sky.
No. IV. is of the second century, of the time of Hadrian, as is seen
by the thickness of the mortar between the bricks, quite different
from No. II. It is evident that this catacomb was a family burial-
place in the first half of the first century of the Christian era, or
before the Crucifixion, when there could have been no Christians to
bury, and continued in use for at least three centuries.

CATACOMBS BRICK-WORK AT ENTRANCES.
PRÆTEXTATUS_CORNICE AND WALL_CENT. I.
PEDIMENT-CENT. I.
ARCH CENT. 11.
6





THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE IV.
INSCRIPTIONS ON THE LOCULI OF FOUR BISHOPS OF THE THIRD
CENTURY, IN THE CATACOMB OF S. Calixtus.
THE inscription of Bishop Eutychianus, A.D. 238, Fabianus, A.D.
249, and Anteros, A.D. 235, are in Greek characters; that of
Cornelius, martyr and bishop, A.D. 252, is in the Latin character.
It is the fashion now for Protestants to doubt the authenticity of
these inscriptions, because they see that the catacomb of Calixtus
has been too much restored and got up for show, with the object of
restoring it to use as a place of worship and for pilgrimages on
certain festival days. But these suspicions are carried too far; there
is no reason to doubt the genuineness of these inscriptions in the
Catacombs. Greek was the language of the Church until after that
period, and there were many Greek Christians in Rome in the third
century. The change of the seat of empire was the ruin of Rome
in many ways, and after that time more Romans went to Greece
than Greeks came to Rome. Those inscriptions have all the cha-
racter of authenticity, only in some cases the originals were carried
off to the Pontifical Museum, and plaster casts substituted for them
in their original places.

CATACOMBS S. CALIXTUS-INSCRIPTIONS OF BISHOPS.
EYTYXIANOCETTIC
EUTYCHIANUS EPISCOPUS.
ANTEPOCKET
ANTEROS EPISCOPUS.
PABIANO CELLA
FABIANUS EPISCOPUS.
ORNELIVS MARTYR
CORNELIUS MARTYR EPISCOPUS.

CATACOMBS. S. PONTIANUS
109
Photogravure Dujardin
THE JEWELLED CROSS
THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE I.
VIA APPIA - PRÆTEXTATUS.
CULTIVATION OF THE VINE.
THE CATACOMBS-PAINTINGS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE I.
VIA APPIA-PRÆTEXTATUS.
CULTIVATION OF THE VINE.
error.
THE catacomb of the great Roman family of Prætextatus is com-
monly called by Roman Catholics Saint Prætextatus, but this is an
It is one of the earliest of the Catacombs, and the construc-
tion of the walls at one of the entrances is of the time of Nero,
as is shewn in Plate I. of the Construction of the Catacombs.
The chamber in which this painting is found is a fine lofty square
room, or chapel, at the principal entrance. It is built with brick
walls and not merely excavated in the rock, and is just within the
early wall. It was, no doubt, the place where the commemorative
funeral services were held at the anniversaries of the deaths of the
members of the family buried in the family vault, to which this was
the principal entrance. The phototype diagram is a facsimile of
a photograph taken from nature with the magnesian light, and no
attempt is made to embellish it or improve upon the original, as is
generally done in all the engravings of these paintings that are pub-
lished. The painting may possibly be as early as the second cen-
tury, but is more likely to be of the third, as S. Urban was buried in
this catacomb in A.D. 230, and the paintings are more likely to have
been executed after that time than before it. The relics of the
martyrs were what gave celebrity to the catacombs or cemeteries in
which they were interred. The same subject occurs also in fresco
in the catacomb of SS. Nereus and Achilleus, or Domitilla, which
is also an early catacomb, and in the mosaic pictures in the vault of
the mausoleum of Constantia. The subject may be either pagan or
Christian; it is commonly supposed to be Christian, illustrative of
the text, “I am the vine, ye are the branches," and the birds are
supposed to symbolize the souls of the departed. This lofty vaulted
chamber is mentioned in some of the early legends. It had long
been lost sight of, and was re-discovered by De Rossi in 1848. This
painting has not been engraved by Bosio nor by Perret, and is be-
lieved not to have been published before, excepting a woodcut of it
in the Bulletino di Archeologia Christiana of De Rossi.
Ca

CATACOMBS_S. PRAETEXTATVS
CULTIVATION OF THE VINE
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE II.
VIA ARDEATINA-SS. NEREUS AND ACHILLEUS,
OR DOMITILLA (?).
AN AGAPE.
VIA SALARIA-S. PRISCILLA.
MADONNA And Prophet.
THE CATACOMBS-PAINTINGS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE II.
1. VIA ARDEATINA-SS. NEREUS AND ACHILLEUS, OR Domitilla (?).
AN AGAPE.
THE first of these cemeteries is in the Via Ardeatina, between
S. Sebastian's and S. Paul's. An Agape, or love-feast, is a common
subject of the paintings in the Catacombs, and sometimes seems to
be evidently a representation of the family gatherings that were held
on the anniversaries in these tombs, in the same manner as they
were in the painted tombs in the Via Latina or the Via Appia.
These paintings are often supposed to be the LAST SUPPER, and
sometimes may be so, but the one before us can hardly be intended
for Christ and His Apostles. This picture is probably one of those
of the time of John I., A.D. 523, who made this catacomb, according
to Anastasius. This probably means that he made burial-vaults for
the relics of the martyrs, and for others to be interred near them.
The word cœmeterium may mean either the whole ground occupied
by a series of these vaults, and the corridors connecting them, or
each separate vault.
2. VIA SALARIA-S. PRISCILLA.
MADONNA AND PROPHET.
The second picture in the lower part of the page, from the
catacomb of S. Priscilla, is one to which the Roman officials attach
great importance, and consider to be of very early date. The
catacomb or cemetery of S. Priscilla is on the Via Salaria, and is
also said by Anastasius to have been renewed by John I., but
was an early catacomb. The question is whether the paintings
belong to the renewal or to the original work. It is in so bad.
a state, as the photograph shews, that it is not easy to decide the
question. The traditions of the Roman Church make this catacomb
to have belonged to the family of Pudens; and the painted chapel,
called the Cappella Græca, to have been the burial-place of S. Puden-
tiana. The frescoes in this chapel are of earlier character than most
of the others in the Catacombs, but can hardly be so early as the
date assumed for them. This painting is not in that chapel; the
Roman authorities consider the two figures to be the blessed Virgin,
and the prophet Isaiah addressing her, but this is only conjecture.
The chromo-lithograph of the picture given by Dr. Northcote shews
how much the clever modern artists in Rome can improve on the
originals. It is engraved by Bosio, p. 541, in the fourth cubiculum,
in the style of his period.

CATACOMBS
S. NEREUS.AN AGAPE?
S. PRISCILLA MADONNA AND PROPHET
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE III.
VIA SALARIA-S. PRISCILLA.
1. THE THREE CHILDREN IN THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE."
SHADRACH, MESHECH AND ABEDNEGO, OR DANIEL, &C.
2. AN ORANTE ADDRESSED BY OTHER Persons.
((
THE CATACOMBS-PAINTINGS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE III.
نمو
VIA SALARIA-S. PRISCilla.
1. THE THREE CHILDREN IN THE (( BURNING FIERY FURNACE.”
Shadrach, MeSHECH AND ABEDNEGO, or Daniel, &c.
2. AN ORANTE ADDRESSED BY OTHER Persons.
BOTH of these paintings belong to the renewal by John I., A.D. 523.
That this was a very ancient family burial-place there is no doubt,
probably as early as the second century, and it may have been
painted at that period. We know that it was the custom to have
a painted chamber in a tomb as a sort of guest-chamber, where the
family would assemble at the anniversaries, according to an old
Roman custom, still continued to some extent, as it is still the cus-
tom for the Romans to assemble at the grave of a deceased member
of the family on the anniversary of his or her death. The painted.
tombs on the Via Latina are of the second century, but there is
certainly nothing of the same character in the catacomb or ceme-
tery of S. Priscilla. The Roman authorities say that the stucco
ornament is of the same character as that in the Thermæ of Titus
and Trajan, which is also of the second century. There is very
little stucco ornament remaining there, and the celebrated tombs on
the Via Latina are a more fair object for comparison; let any one
compare our photographs, or photo-engravings, of the two, and see
whether they think they can possibly be of the same age. If there
have been paintings of that period in S. Priscilla, they have been
destroyed or renewed at a later period.
Compare 613, 1468, 1469, 1470, 1471, 1472, from S. Priscilla,
with 2091, 2092, 2095, 2098, 2099, 2100, from the Painted Tombs,
or Plates XV. and XVI. of Tombs with Plates II., III., V., VI., of
Catacombs.
.
Here are photographs of six of each of these two subjects, which
the Roman authorities allege to be of the same period; let Dr.
Northcote himself compare them, and see whether he can still
believe that to be the case.

CATACOMBS-S. PRISCILLA
Photogravure Dujardin
THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE
AN ORANTE ADDRESSED BY OTHER PERSONS
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE IV.
VIA APPIA—S. CALIXTUS.
AN AGAPE (?), OR THE LAST SUPPER.
THE CATACOMBS-PAINTINGS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE IV.
VIA APPIA-S. CALIXTUS.
An Agape (?), or the Last Supper.
THIS painting has more the appearance of being really intended
for the Last Supper than most of the paintings of this class. The
central figure has a certain dignity about it. Upon the round plates
on the table are fishes, and the eight baskets are full of bread. It
may be a Christian painting of a bad period, and intended to com-
memorate some of our Lord's miracles. The principal lines on the
edges of the dresses have been renewed. This painting is under an
arco-solium in the chapel of the Sacraments, the burial-place of the
Bishops of Rome in the third century. All the paintings in that
part of this great catacomb that is usually open to the public,
and in which masses are said on certain occasions, have long been
said by well-informed persons to have been restored within the last
twenty years, but this is now denied by the Roman Catholic autho-
rities. To English eyes a restoration is quite another matter from
an original painting, it is like a copy of a Raphael compared with
the original.
An engraving of this painting is given by Bosio in the sixth arco-
solium of this catacomb, p. 523; he calls it Christ and the Apostles.
It is also given by Perret in the modern French style, vol. i. p. 28;
and by Dr. Northcote in plate xiii., much embellished by colour,
and improved by the skill of modern artists.

CATACOMBS S.CALIXTUS
AN AGAPE? OR THE LAST SUPPER?
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE V.
VIA SALARIA-S. PRISCILLA.
THE WINE CASKS.
VIA APPIA-S. CALIXTUS.
CHRIST AND THE CHURCH (?).
THE CATACOMBS-PAINTINGS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE V.
VIA SALARIA, S. PRISCILLA THE WINE CASKS.
1. THIS painting probably belongs to the time of John I., A.d.
525, who renewed this cemetery, as we are told by Anastasius.
Allegorical meanings are attached to this painting by the Roman
authorities. Protestant writers consider it only as the burial-place
of a wine-merchant. It is engraved by Bosio, p. 557. In the back-
ground, on the wall, are graffiti (or scratchings) of the names of
ANTONIVS BOSIVS ORATIVS-DE NOBILIBVS, &c., and in front is a tomb-
stone, with the inscription BONAVIAE CONJVGI SANCTISSIMAE. Since
this photograph was taken, this inscription has been removed by
the authorities.
VIA APPIA, S. CALIXTUS-CHRIST AND THE CHURCH (?).
These two figures, one on either side of a small table, on which
are two dishes, one with a fish upon it and the other with bread,
are supposed to represent our Lord after the Resurrection, and the
Christian Church in the form of a woman, with he hands uplifted
in the oriental attitude of prayer, such as is usually called in the
Catacombs an Orante. This explanation is of course conjectural
only, but seems not improbable. The painting is so much damaged
that it is difficult to tell to what period it belongs. The photograph,
No. 1805, or the phototype plate of the original, should be compared
with Dr. Northcote's very pretty restoration of it in plate xiv. of his
volume. At first sight, one could hardly believe that they are meant
for the same drawing. A part of this great catacomb is as early as
the second century, but there are no paintings in it earlier than the
fourth or fifth. Sixtus III., A.D. 432—440, is recorded to have
made a platonia in this catacomb; this word is probably a media-
val corruption of platea, an area in a house, the walls faced with
stone (?) or paved (?), as in Lampridius, Heliogabalus, 24, "stravit
et saxis Lacedemoniis ac porphyreticis plateas in Palatio, quas Anto-
ninianas vocavit." In this passage stravit may mean covering the
walls with slabs of porphyry also, as well as the floor. It is evident
that in several instances the word platonia is applied by Anastasius
to a chapel lined with marble plates for inscriptions, as at S. Sebas-
tian's. Some of the paintings are likely to be of the fifth century,
others belong to the restoration of Pope Leo III., A.D. 795.

CATACOMBS
KATYS
NOBELTRYS A
BOSIVE
BONAVIN COMED
SANCHISSARA
S. PRISCILLA THE WINE CASKS
S. CALIXTUS-CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE VI.
VIA SALARIA-S. PRISCILLA.
I. AN ORANTE AND ANOTHER FIGURE.
2. An ORANTE, WITH A Mother and Child (?), or a Madonna.
THE CATACOMBS-PAINTINGS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE VI.
VIA SALARIA-S. PRISCIlla.
1. AN ORANTE AND ANOTHER FIGURE.
2. An Orante, with a MOTHER AND CHILD (?), OR A MADONNA.
THIS fresco has evidently been re-touched or renewed, but the
original outline is probably preserved, and belongs to a rude period
of art, apparently part of the work of John I., A.D. 523, who renewed
this cemetery, as has been said, and the authority for that is given
in the Chapter on the subject. The Orantes are always allowed to
be the representation of the deceased person interred near that spot.
The other figures are likely to be other members of the family.
To the second picture symbolical meanings are attached by the
Roman Catholic authorities. The best summary of these is in the
Dictionary of Christian Antiquities, by the Abbé Martigny. This
Orante is by some considered as intended for the Madonna, by
others for the Christian Church. Where so little real evidence
remains there is room for conjecture, and there is no need to dog-
matize on the subject, or pretend to settle such very doubtful points,
on which each will retain his own opinion according to previous
ideas. The object of this work is to elucidate the truth by the
principle of comparison, and on carefully comparing the drawing of
these frescoes with that of dated examples of art not Christian, it is
impossible to assign so early a date to them as those usually given
to them by the Roman Catholic authorities upon theological grounds,
not artistic. These figures were probably restored under Nicholas I.,
A.D. 858—867. Bosio gives an engraving of this, p. 529, and calls
it a Madonna, and the consecration of a Deacon.
The manner in which modern artists improve upon these old
paintings can also be seen by comparing the photographs No. 610 A,
610 B. These photographs can be seen in the Bodleian Library and
the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; the South Kensington Museum
and the British Museum, London.

CATACOMBS. S. PRISCILLA
AN ORANTE AND ANOTHER FIGURE
FC
AN ORANTE WITH MOTHER AND CHILD
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE VII.
VIA PORTUENSIS-S. PONTIANUS.
I. HEAD OF CHRIST IN An Aureole.
2. SS. MARCELLINUS, POLLION, Petrus.
THE CATACOMBS-PAINTINGS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE VII.
VIA PORTUENSIS-S. PONTIANUS.
1. HEAD OF CHRIST IN AN AUREOLE.
2. SS. MARCELLINUS, POLLION, PETRUS.
THIS Cemetery or catacomb is on the western side of the Tiber,
about half-a-mile beyond the Porta Portuensis, on the road to Porto,
but on the hill above, and on a higher level than the road in what is
now a vineyard. The soil in which this catacomb is made is quite
different from the others; instead of the granular tufa, or volcanic
sand, which is the soil generally used for them near the Via Appia
and the Via Ardeatina, this is an alluvial soil formed by the action
of water on the bank of the Tiber. Whether from this cause, or from
some others that have not been explained, the paintings in this
catacomb are far more perfect than those in any other; they are the
most celebrated and the most popular, and those that have been
more often engraved and published than any others. Unfortunately
they all belong to a very late period and a bad style of art, being of
the time of Nicholas I., A.D. 858-867, who restored this cemetery.
The picture of the head of Christ is a very fine one, in an aureole
or circular nimbus, with the cross on it, called also a cruciform nim-
bus. This head has been many times engraved and published, and
it is amusing to compare those commonly sold in the shops of Rome
with the original as shewn in the photograph, (see the Photographs,
No. 463, 607 a, 608 B). These will illustrate the manner in which
the clever modern artists have improved upon the originals; it is
difficult to understand that they are intended for the same picture.
It is engraved by Bosio, p. 29, honestly, but according to the bad
style of his day.
The figures of the three Saints are in the style of the ninth cen-
tury, and are painted on a brick wall of that period, across one of
the corridors built when it was restored for the pilgrims. All beyond
this wall is in so bad a state that it would not pay to repair it, the
builders therefore shut it out effectually by building the wall across
the narrow passage to that part of the Catacombs. These paintings
now face the visitor, and the wall stops him and compels him to
return, but as the rock on one side has been broken away, it is
possible to crawl behind the wall; the rest of the cemetery is a mere
heap of ruins. These three Saints were all martyrs in the last great
persecution under Diocletian, at the end of the third century; the
Peter of the Catacombs usually is the Roman local saint of that
name, and not the Apostle S. Peter.

CATACOMBS. S. PONTIANUS
HEAD OF CHRIST


SS. MARCELLINUS. POLLION. PETRUS
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE VIII.
VIA PORTUENSIS—S PONTIANUS
I TIIL JEWELled Cross
1
2. THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST
THE CATACOMBS-PAINTINGS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE VIII.
VIA PORTUENSIS-S. PONTIANUS.
I. THE JEWELLED CROSS.
2. THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST.
THESE are two of the most celebrated and popular frescoes in the
Catacombs, which are seen in all the shops where such things are
sold, but the modern artists who have copied them have improved
them so much that they can hardly be recognised as the same, the
proportions being so different. (Compare the Photographs, No. 609 A,
609 B, to see the difference.) A similar jewelled cross occurs in the
mosaic picture in S. Pudentiana. The jewelled cross was called the
Cross of Glory, the plain was the Cross of Shame, to mark the degra-
dation to which our Lord submitted for our sins. The fact of its
being jewelled also indicates the period; during the eighth and
ninth centuries it was the custom for the ladies to wear pearls and
other jewels in this fashion, and beads to assist devotion also came
in at that time.
The Baptism of Christ is another very favourite picture from the
Catacombs, also belonging to the same period, the ninth century.
It is under an arched recess at the bottom of which is a well, said
to have been used for baptism by the early Christians in the times
of persecution. Whether this is true or not, there is no doubt that it
was so used in the miracle-plays, by which the people were taught in
the fourth and fifth centuries, when they could not read, and by
which the common people and children are still taught by the
Roman Catholic Church, who consider teaching by the eye as the
best mode of teaching. Children remember what they have seen
far better than what they have only read or heard. Those who have
seen the miracle-plays at Amergau agree that it is an admirable
mode of teaching ignorant people. The Pope and the Cardinals
performed a series of miracle-plays in S. Peter's, according to the
old custom, for many centuries, and this custom is still kept up to
a great extent, although the Pope himself no longer takes his part
in them. Unfortunately the dresses designed by Michael Angelo,
and still worn in S. Peter's, have now very much the effect of scenes
in the Opera. The images now used in the churches of Rome at
the principal Christian seasons, being in the costumes of the Middle
Ages, have also very much the same effect.

CATACOMB OF THE GNOSTICS? OR OF MITHRAS?
ONII.MINAL C
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE IX.
VIA APPIA. — PRÆTEXTATUS.
PLAN AND SECTION.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE IX.
VIA APPIA.-PRÆTEXTATUS.
PLAN AND SECTION.
THIS is one of the most ancient underground cemeteries in the
neighbourhood of Rome; it is situated in the district called ad
catacumbas, on the eastern side of the road, nearly opposite to the
Church of S.Sebastian, under a large vineyard, and it extends to a con-
siderable distance, in different directions, both along the Via Appia
and also along the cross-road. The catacomb, or cemetery for the
worship of Mithras, commonly called "of the Gnostics," is believed
to have been connected with this, although the corridor has not
been excavated. In the eastern direction, it extends very near to
the Church of S. Urban, and it is thought by many that one of
the entrances to it was through that church, although this also has
not been excavated; and others say there was no such connection.
The small sketch-map of the district, given in the corner of the
Plate, shews the situation of it. The entrance now used is modern,
made by the Pontifical authorities within a few years. The sec-
tion A-B is on the line of an ancient sand-pit road, with doorways
from it into the catacomb, and a brick wall of the first century,
shewn in the plate and photograph. The section C—D is taken
across this, as shewn in the plan, and is intended to shew the
supposed connection with the Church of S. Urban, on the bank
of the valley of the Caffarella, marked 5 on the plan. C is a con-
tinuation of B, and the dotted lines mark the supposed line of
a passage, or corridor, or street, from this point to S. Urban's.
Near to C there was an entrance, open a few years since, but
a modern brick wall was built across it by the Pontifical authorities,
because it was not convenient to have an access in that direction.
a
By an unfortunate mistake of the
artist, the names of the two churches,
S. Urban and S. Sebastian, are re-
versed. Any one who knows the
ground, will see at once that S. Sebas-
tian is the church on the opposite side
of the Via Appia, marked 6.

A
200
CATACOMB OF PRETEXTATUS. PLAN AND SECTIONS
300 400 500
1
மட்
3
1. I. Via Appia.
2. Tomb of Cecilia
Metella.
3. Castle of the
Gaetani.
4. Circus of
Maxentius.
D 5. Church of
S. Sebastian.
6. S. Urban.
7. Foss and Stream
of the Almo.
B
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE X.
PRÆTEXTATUS.-CHAPEL AT THE ENTRANCE.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE X.
PRÆTEXTATUS.-CHAPEL AT THE ENTRANCE.
THIS is one of the chapels near one of the original entrances,
at the angle of the Via Appia and the Diverticulum, or cross-
road, which goes from that old road just opposite to S. Sebastian's,
to the Via Appia Nova, near the Tor Fiscale. This cross-road
passes by S. Urbano, at about a quarter of a mile from the old
road, and passes over the old sand-pit road, which has in parts
been vaulted over to bring it to the present level of the road;
it has been originally a deep foss-way, twenty feet deep, with the
old entrance to the cemetery made in it. It is one of the two
chapels near together, and near the top of a deep flight of steps
down into the cemetery; this is on the plan of the Greek cross,
as will be seen. The construction of the walls is of the fourth
century, when similar chapels were built at the entrance to many
of the Catacombs, immediately after the PEACE OF THE CHURCH
had been declared by Constantine. There are similar chapels at
the entrance to S. Sebastian's, on the opposite side of the road, and
many others at the entrance to other cemeteries or catacombs, but
this and the one close to it, shewn in the next Plate, are the most
perfect that we have now remaining; they appear to have been
what we should now call cemetery chapels for the burial service,
and for the assembly of the family on the anniversaries, in place
of the small brick vaults which had previously been used for that
purpose, but were inconveniently small ".
The chapels at S. Sebastian's are shewn in the Photographs, Nos. 285, 286,
287, 288.

CATACOMBS PRAETEXTATUS. CHAPEL
149
135
981
294
329
70
172
***
اور
142
9.0
750
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XI.
PRÆTEXTATUS.-CHAPEL AT THE ENTRANCE.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XI.
PRÆTEXTATUS.-CHAPEL AT THE ENTRANCE.
THIS is another of these interesting chapels, very near to the
former one, but on a different plan, which forms a series of semi-
circular arched recesses, or apses, arranged round a circular centre.
The construction of the walls is of the fourth century.
The reason of these two being so near together probably was,
that they belonged to different branches of the great family of
Prætextatus, which was a very numerous clan, or gens, as we see
from many inscriptions and notices of them in the first three cen-
turies. Probably, as the number increased, it was necessary to
provide this extra accommodation. At S. Sebastian's the chapels
are more numerous, for this was the original entrance to several
catacombs, and was at first called THE CATACOMB. There might
have been a passage from that of Prætextatus to S. Sebastian's, but
as it would have to pass under the Via Appia, it is more probable
that the catacombs on either side of this great highway were
kept distinct.

CATACOMBS - PRAETEXTATUS. CHAPEL
ANLYN
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XII.
PRÆTEXTATUS.
ONE OF THE ORIGINAL ENTRANCES.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XII.
PRÆTEXTATUS.
ONE OF THE ORIGINAL ENTRANCES.
THIS half-ruined corridor is at the bottom of a deep flight of
steps, the top of which is close to the two chapels shewn in the
two preceding plates. These steps are original, but they are covered
with briars, and at the foot of them is a door, which is regularly
kept locked by the Pontifical authorities, and the only entrance
practicable (in 1875) to this part of the catacomb was down a ladder.
The intermediate floor being destroyed, the plan shews the places
for three floors or storeys, one over the other. It is too much
mutilated for anything more to be seen. The loculi and arco-solia
in each storey can be made out, and it gives an idea of the present
rough state of neglect in which this Catacomb remains.

CATACOMB OF PRAETEXTATUS
ORIGINAL ENTRANCE. CORRIDOR
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XIII.
FIRST CUBICULUM, WITH PAGAN FIGURES.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XIII.
FIRST CUBICULUM, WITH PAGAN FIGURES.
IN the first cubiculum, or burial-vault, in going from the foot of
the steps on the left, the paintings remain tolerably perfect in one
part, and are probably of the third century. The vault is of the
usual character, with many loculi or single graves cut in the tufa
rock on each side, and at the end an arco-solium, or place for a sar-
cophagus, or perhaps for two, a man and his wife, or the bodies may
have been buried under the arch without stone coffins.
In the upper part of the Plate is a group of three figures, well
drawn, in attitudes of speaking in agitation, but with none of the
usual attributes of Christian or Scriptural subjects. This is im-
portant, as shewing that the great cemetery or catacomb of the
family of Prætextatus was on the same footing as the columbaria in
the other tombs on the Via Appia, near to it; the same laws and
the same customs applied to all alike. When the family became
Christian, then the paintings of their burial-vaults are Christian,
and Scriptural also.

CATACOMB OF PRAETEXTATUS. PAGAN, FIGURES
Fra
An
FIRST CUBICULUM, WITH PAGAN FIGURES
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XIV.
PRÆTEXTATUS.
PAGAN FIGURES OF THE THIRD Century in THE FIRST CUBICULUM.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XIV.
PRÆTEXTATUS.
PAGAN FIGURES OF THE THIRD CENTURY IN THE FIRST Cubiculum.
THESE figures are further evidence that the great family of Præ-
textatus, to whom this extensive cemetery belonged, were not
Christians, or at least not exclusively Christians, in the third century.
In the next cubiculum to this, a few yards further on, and on the
opposite side of the corridor, the paintings are Christian, and these
have been published by De Rossi, and in the excellent abridgment
of his great work by Messrs. Brownlow and Northcote; but not
a word is said by them about these Pagan pictures, which do not
agree with the Vatican theory, that the Catacombs were exclusively
Christian. It is probable that one branch of the great family of
Prætextatus were worshippers of Mithras, and that the burial-vault
in which the paintings of these subjects are found, was also part of
the same great cemetery.
Unfortunately no more photographs are now (in 1875) permitted
to be taken in the Catacombs, and as that is the case we are obliged
to be content with drawings, which although rough-looking, are not
more rude than the originals, and give a better idea of them than
more highly-finished drawings would do.

CATACOMB OF PRAETEXTATUS
PAGAN FIGURES OF THE THIRD CENTURY
:
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XV.
FRESCO PAINTING IN A CATACOMB OF THE
WORSHIPPERS OF MITHRAS.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XV.
FRESCO PAINTING IN A CATACOMB
OF THE
WORSHIPPERS OF MITHRAS.
THIS picture is supposed to represent seven priests of Mithras
seated at a table (SEPTĒ PII SACERDOTES). In the centre is the
priest VINCENTIVS. He and two others wear the Phrygian cap.
It is undoubtedly Mithraic. The number 7 was a favourite in
that worship. The seven planets (to which great reverence was
made in that worship), the seven stairs, by which the believer
ascended into heaven, and the seven degrees of initiation, support
the idea c.
* See Dr. Henzen's paper (inter alia) in the Bullettino dell Ist. di Corrisp.
Arch., 1868, pp. 97, 98.

CATACOMB OF MITHRAIC WORSHIPPERS
VINE
VINCENTIUS
J
PII SACERDOTES

THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XVI.
CATACOMBS OF THE WORSHIPPERS OF MITHRAS.
THE CATACombs.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XVI.
CATACOMBS OF THE WORSHIPPERS OF MITHRAS.
THIS picture is supposed to represent the Judgment of the Soul.
We see a good angel, introducing a woman, called Vibia, to several
persons. Over them is written INDVCTIO VIBIES. Under the arch
are six figures, with Vibia in the centre, and over their heads the
inscription, BONORVM IVDICIO IVDICATI.
There is nothing like this in the plates to Lajard's great work ",
nor any allusion to such a proceeding in any of the ancient authors.
A German set of bas-reliefs in Lajard shews the purgatorial cleans-
ing of the believer, his ascension of the seven stairs, and his final
acceptance by the crowned Mithras. Yet this representation should
be Mithraic. Vibia, who is introduced, is the wife of Vincentius,
a Mithraic priest, and is buried with him in the same cemetery.
But there is considerable doubt on the subject of this picture.
d Lajard (J. B. F.) Reserches sur le
culte publie et les mystires de Mithra, en
Orient et en Occident. Livr. I to 13 (all
published), sm. folio, Paris, 1847-8.
e
• See Garrucci's book upon these
and other paintings, Les mystères du
Syncretisme Phrygien, p. 23.
Page Missing
in Original
Volume




Page Missing
in Original
Volume




THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XVII.
SS. PETER AND MARCELLINUS—AN AGAPE.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XVII.
SS. PETER AND MARCELLINUS-AN AGAPE.
THIS is distinctly one of the commemorative funeral family feasts
which are so well known as a custom of the Roman people for
many centuries, and which custom was not discontinued when they
became Christians. There is nothing to indicate whether the
family here represented were Christians or not. It represents five
persons seated at a triclinium, a table with provisions before it,
in the middle, and a boy-servant standing by the table, holding up
a goblet.
That the feast represented is funereal may be inferred from the
words va LETE, written partly on one side and partly on the other
side of the picture, viz. va and LETE.
The names of the five persons consist of two each, with one ex-
ception (the boy being unnamed). These names, under any cir-
cumstances, are remarkable:
I. VOLSCUS PUPPEUS.
2. POMPONIUS FABIUS.
3. Two names illegible, under No. 1; the first having its ter-
mination in "a."
4. FABIANU(S), in the centre, with no other name.
5. Two names quite illegible.
The date of this fresco-painting is believed to be A.D. 772, when
this cemetery was restored by Pope Hadrian I.


CATACOMBS S.S. PETER AND MARCELLINUS- AN AGAPE.
Photogravure Dujardin, Paris
PEYS
TOMPONTY
ASSURA
VERBIANNONATE
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XVIII.
S. AGNES.
PLAN AND SECTION.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XVIII.
S. AGNES.
PLAN AND SECTION.
A. Church of S. Agnes, with the Monastery adjoining.
B. S. Constantia-Church, Mausoleum, and Baptistery.
A-B. Line of Section along the west end of the Church of
S. Agnes, and the steps descending into it.
C-D. Other steps, and original entrance into the cemetery or
catacomb.
E-F. Section of a Pagan Tomb communicating with the
Catacomb.
A passage from the Catacomb under the Church of S. Agnes to
that under S. Constantia is also shewn by the shaded line from
one to the other.
The carriage-road from the Porta Pia to the Ponte Nomentana
runs along the front of the Monastery on the east side, and a cross-
road on the north side of the church descends very rapidly to the
level of the floor of the church. At the east end there is an entrance
to the gallery, which at that end is on the same level as the road.

CATACOMB OF S. AGNES. PLAN AND SECTIONS.
coco00000
00000000
осооро
AUTHGARDL
A. Church of S. Agnes.
B. S. Constantia.
00
40
8
09
8
60
23
2
39
3
$
8
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XIX.
S. PONTIANUS.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XIX.
S. PONTIANUS.
THE BAPTISTERY, with the Baptism of Christ painted on the wall,
over the arch. He is represented standing in the river Jordan up
to His waist in water, in which fishes are swimming, and at which
a hart is drinking; the Holy Dove is over His head. S. John
Baptist is standing on the bank, and pouring water on His head,
or perhaps only holding out his hand to touch it. On the opposite
side is another figure in a white dress, hiding his face. All the
three figures have the nimbus. Under the arch and over the well
is a painting of the jewelled cross, with the A and a hanging from
the arms of the cross, and what appear to be two candlesticks
standing upon them. But the Plate is from a drawing of Perret, and
is very miserably drawn. The proportions of the cross are alto-
gether erroneous. The original picture is of the ninth century. It
was not found practicable to reduce the Photographs, Nos. 608 and
609, to an octavo page.
+

CATACOMB OF S PONTIANUS
BAPTISM OF CHRIST
from a drawing

THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XX.
TWO INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE CHURCH OF
S. SEBASTIANUS IN CATACUMBIS.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XX.
CHURCH OF S. SEBASTIAN "IN CATACUMBIS."
I. INSCRIPTION OF POPE DAMASUS IN HONOUR OF S. EUTYCHIUS
the Martyr, IN TWELVE VERSES (on the left hand on entering the
church). The principal object of this Photo-engraving is to shew
the beautiful character of the calligraphy of the inscription of Pope
Damasus. These inscriptions are very numerous in the Catacombs,
and all of this beautiful calligraphy, and usually in Latin verse, not
without elegance of style, though the construction of the sentences
is sometimes not clear. Damasus restored all the Catacombs, after
they had been damaged during the persecution under Julian the
Apostate.
EVTYCHIVS. MARTYR. CRVDELIA. IVSSA. TYRANNI
CARNIFICVMQ. VIAS. PARITER. TVNC. MILLE. NOCENDI
VINCERE. QVOD. POTVIT. MONSTRAVIT. GLORIA. CHRISTI
CARCERIS. INLVVIEM. SEQVITVR. NOVA. POENA. PER. ARTVS
TESTARVM. FRAGMENTA. PARANT. NE. SOMNVS. ADIRET
BISSENI. TRANSIERE. DIES. ALIMENTA. NEGANTVR
MITTITVR. IN. BARATHRUM. SANCtVS. LAVAT. OMNIA. SANGVIS
VVLNERA. QVAE. INTVLERAT. MORTIS. METVENDA. POTESTAS
NOCTE. SOPORIFERA. TVRBANT. INSOMNIA. MENTEM
OSTENDIT. LATEBRA. INSONTIS. QVAE. MEMBRA. TENERET
QVAERITVR. INVENTVS. COLITVR. FOVET. OMNIA. PRESTANS
EXPRESSIT. DAMASVS. MERITVM. VENERARE. SEPVLCHRVM £
"That Eutychius the Martyr was able to overcome the cruel orders of the
tyrant, and equally at that time the executioners' thousand ways of torment,
the glory of Christ shewed. A new punishment follows the filth of the prison.
They provide breaking of tiles on his limbs, to prevent sleep approaching. Twice
six days passed, food is refused. The saint is thrown into a pit, blood bedews
all the wounds which the dread power of death had caused. In night, which
usually brings sleep, sleeplessness troubles his mind. The place of concealment
which held the limbs of the innocent, manifested them (?). He is sought for,
being found he is reverenced, he benefits all things. Damasus shewed forth
his exceeding merit; venerate his tomb."
2. ANOTHER INSCRIPTION IN THE SAME CHURCH (over a door on
the right-hand side, looking towards the altar).
VISITET. HIC. PIA. MENS. SCTORVM. BVSTA. FREQVENTER
IN. CRISTO. QVORVM. GLORIA. PERPES. ERIT
HIC. EST. CEMETERIV. BEATI. CHALIXTI. PAPE. ET. MARTIRIS. INCLITI. QVICVQVE
ILLVD. COTRICTVS. ET. COFESSVS. INGRESSVS. FVERIT, PLENAM. REMISSIONE
OMNIV. PECTORV. SVORV. OBTINEBIT, PER. MERITA . GLORIOSA. CENTV . SEPTVA-
-GINTA. QVATVOR. MILIV. SCTORV. MARTIRV. QVORV. IBI. CORPORA. IN. PACE
SEPVLTA. SVT. VNA. CV.. QVADRAGINTA. SEX. PONTIFICIBVS. BEATIS
QVI. OMNES. EX. MAGNA. TRIBVLATIONE. VENERVT. ET. VT. HEREDES. IN. DOMO
DOMINI. FIERET. MORTIS. SVPPLICIVM. PRO. CRISTI. NOMINE. PERTVLERVNT
C
"Here let the pious mind often visit the tombs of the saints,
Whose glory will be everlasting in Christ."
"Here is the cemetery of the blessed Calixtus, renowned Pope and Martyr.
Whoever shall have entered it contrite and after confession, shall obtain full re-
mission of all his sins, through the glorious merits of 174,000 martyr saints, whose
bodies are buried here in peace, together with forty-six blessed pontiffs, who all
came out of great tribulation, and suffered the punishment of death for Christ's
name, that they might become heirs in the Lord's house."
Or, "the excellent Damasus shewed forth his merit :" "præstantia Damasi" occurs as the
nominative in similar inscriptions in De Rossi.

IN ECCL. S. SEBASTIANI INSCRIPTIO DAMASIANA
FVTYCHIVSMARTYRCRVDELIAIVSSATY
CARNIFICVMQVIASPARIERTVNGMILLENOCNET
VNCREQVODPOTYITMONSTRAVITGLORIACHRIST
ARCRISINLVVIEMSEQVITVRNOWPOENAPERARIVS
ESTARVMFRAGMENTAPARANNES OMNVSADIRE
EISSENITRANSIERE DIESALIMENTANEGANT
MITTITVRINBARATIRVMSANCYSLAWTOMNIASANG
VINERAQUEINTVLERATMORTISMETVENDAPOESTA
OCTESOPORIFERATVRBANTINSOMNIAMENTE
OSTENDITLAEBRAINSONTISQWEMEMBRATENER
MERITVRINVENVSCLITVRFOVETOMNIAPREST
PRESSITDAMASYSMERITVMVENERARESEPYLCHVA

SITET HIC PIA MENS SCTORVM BYSTA FREQVENTER
IN CRISTO QVORVM GLORIA PERPES ERIT
HIC EST CEMETERIV BEATI CHALIXTI PALE ET MARTIRIS IN CLITI OVICVOVE
LLVD COTRICT VS ET COFESSVS INGRESSVSFVERIT PLENAM REMISSIONE
OMNIV PECTORY SVORY OBTINEBIT PER MERITA GLORIOSA CENTY SEPTVA
GINTA QVATVOR MILV SCTORY MARTIRV OVORY IBI CORPORA IN PACE
SEPYLTA SVT VNA CVQVADRAGINTA SEXISMIS PONTIFICIBVS BEATIS
OVOMNES EXMAGNA TRIBVLATIONE VENERVT TYT HEREDES IN DOMO
DOMINI FIERET MORTIS SYPPLICIVM PRO CRISTI NOMINE PERTVLERVNT
IN ECCL. S. SEBASTIANI. INSCRIPTIO.
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XXI.
CHURCH OF S. SEBASTIAN
PICTURES IN A CHAPEL.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXI.
CHURCH OF S. SEBASTIAN.
PICTURES IN A CHAPEL.
THE small chapel in which these pictures remain is on the stairs
that descend from the choir of the church to the Platonia, a large
crypt or subterranean chapel, with an altar and confessio of the twelfth
century in the middle of it. The walls were lined with inscriptions,
now destroyed. The small chapel on the stairs could only have
been a sacrarium; there is only room for the altar and the priests
to stand.
1. In the upper picture, over the heads of the saints, the figure
on the left has the papal crown of early character; the one to the
right has the hands uplifted, and holds in his left hand the eucha-
ristic wafer, with a cross upon it, in his right a string of beads.
Between the two is an archangel, whose wings are uplifted. Under
the figures is an inscription at the back of the altar.
+ HIC HABITARE PRIVS SANCTOS COGNOSCERE DEBES
+ NOMINA QVISQVE PETRI PAVLI PARITERQVE REQVIRIS
+ DISCIPLOS ORIENS MISIT QVOD SPONTE
(Two hexameters and part of a third, the contractions expanded.)
"Here you are to know that saints once dwelt.
Every one who lookest for the names of Peter and of Paul alike.
That the East sent out the disciples spontaneously.
""
•
2. Heads of S. Peter and S. Paul in the same chapel, on a landing-
place of the stairs. These paintings are believed to be of the
eleventh century, from the style of drawing, the calligraphy of the in-
scription, and the costume of the heads, with beards, and long hair.

IN ECCL.S. SEBASTIANI PICTURE IN CAPELLA
THIC HAITS RETRISCOS COGNOSCERE
DEBES+NOTAQO PETRIPAVLI PARIGERO
RECARIS DISCIPIOSORTES MISTOD SPOTE


THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XXII.
BASILICA OF S. PETRONILLA.
ON THE VIA ARDEATINA, AND VIA DI SETTE CHIESE, ABOUT
HALF-WAY BETWEEN S. SEBASTIAN'S AND S. PAUL'S.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXII.
BASILICA OF S. PETRONILLA.
ON THE VIA ARDEATINA, AND VIA DI SETTE CHIESE, ABOUT
HALF WAY BETWEEN S. SEBASTIAN'S AND S. PAUL'S.
1. The porticus, or porch and entrance, with part of the nave.
2. The apse, with an opening into the large catacomb of SS.
Nereus and Achilleus, Petronilla, &c.
The remains of this church were excavated in 1873-74 by the
Pontifical Government, at the expense of the late Monsignor De
Merode, who bought a large tract of ground in that part of the
Campagna. Monsignor De Merode unfortunately died before the
work was completed. In 1875, after the death of Monsignor De
Merode, his executors rebuilt the church, but the ancient remains
have been preserved as far as possible. The remains of the altar
are on the chord of the apse, and there is a communication from
that to the catacomb behind it, and this is now used again as the
entrance to it.
The building is of two periods. A small burial-vault or chapel
at the entrance of a great public cemetery has been rebuilt on a
much larger scale, probably by John I., in A.D. 523, who restored
so many of the catacombs or cemeteries round Rome. The words
“catacomb" and "cemetery" are both used in a double sense, one
general, the other special. In the general sense it signifies a public
burial-place, often of great extent, consisting of a great number of
cubicula, or burial-vaults, generally used as family vaults, connected
by long narrow corridors or passages, called also streets, in the walls
of which other interments were also made for persons who had not
The
separate vaults. The tombs cut in the rock are called loculi.
church was, no doubt, originally a cubiculum, situated near the en-
trance to one of the principal corridors. One entrance, very near
to the church, and some of the paintings near to it are probably of
the second or third century.
In the upper view we see the marble columns of the nave, some
lying about, others standing on their original bases, shewing a wide
nave and narrow aisles.
In the lower view the apse is seen more perfect, and the entrance
to the catacomb behind it. The bases of the columns are also seen
in situ, and remains of sarcophagi in the floor of the church. This
view was taken in 1874, when the excavations were in progress.

BASILICA PETRONILLA. PORTICUS

BASILICA S. PETRONILLE. APSIS
Photogravure Dujardin, Paris
THE CATACOMBS
PLATE XXIII
SS PETRONILLA NEREUS ACHILLEUS &c
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXIII.
SS. PETRONILLA, NEREUS, ACHILLEUS, &c.
A. PAINTING of Christ and the Apostles on the vault of a burial-
chapel or cubiculum, part of the restoration of John I., A.D. 523,
from a drawing 5.
B. Plan of that part of the Catacomb which connects this chapel
with the Church of S. Petronilla.
• Permission to take photographs in
the Catacombs is now (in 1875) refused
by the Pontifical authorities, on the
shallow pretext that the smoke of a
magnesian lamp may injure the paint-
ings, although the lamp must necessa-
rily be placed with the photographic
machine at the opposite end of the
chamber, in order to get a view at all,
whereas the wax tapers in the hands
of tourists frequently are so close to
the pictures as almost to touch them.

A
CATACOMB OF SS. PETRONILLA, NEREUS, ACHILLEUS ETC. FRESCO A.D. 523
B
A. CHRIST AND THE APOSTLES-B. PIN OF CHURCH AND PART OF CATACOMB
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XXIV.
S. PRISCILLA.
PLAN.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXIV.
S. PRISCILLA.
PLAN.
A. Original entrance by a flight of steps.
B. Present entrance by a modern passage.
C. Capella Græca, or early chapel in the form of the Greek cross,
with paintings on the walls.
D. Another early chapel, of which the altar is the sarcophagus
of a martyr.
E. Luminarium.
F F F. Other burial-vaults.

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THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XXV.
NATURAL SECTION OF S. CYRIACA.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXV.
NATURAL SECTION OF S. CYRIACA.
THIS subject has already been partially shewn in Plate I., as it
appeared in 1870, but the process of enlarging the present cemetery
of S. Lorenzo has been continued down to 1875, and some more
of the hill has been cut away, bringing to light other remains of the
ancient cemetery long concealed in that hill. This gives a better
idea of the manner in which these ancient cemeteries were made
than any architect's drawing could do. We see here the corridors
or streets ascending and descending, as the tufa rock was hard or
soft; the loculi for single bodies cut on each side of this passage,
the arco-solia for the burial of man and wife, and the cubicula for
family burial-vaults.

CATACOMB OF S. CYRIACA.-NATURAL SECTION.
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XXVI.
CHURCH OF S. URBAN, OR S. URBANO
A LA CAFFARELLA.
VIEW OF THE INTERIOR.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXVI.
CHURCH OF S. URBAN, OR S. URBANO
A LA CAFFARELLA.
VIEW OF THE INTERIOR.
WHATEVER the original use of this building may have been, re-
specting which there are different opinions (see p. 141), it is so
close to part of the great catacomb or cemetery of the family of
Prætextatus, and there is so much probability of its having been
a tomb over one of the entrances to it, that the account of that
catacomb would be hardly complete without it. One of the many
names given to this great catacomb or cemetery is S. Urban, pro-
bably because that martyr was interred in one of the cubicula, and it
is very probable also that the steps under the altar of the church de-
scended into it. Some of the tombs on the Via Appia and the Via
Latina are as large as this, and one over the well-known painted
chambers on the Via Latina has also a portico to it, as this has.
The paintings indicated in the view are those attributed to the
hermit Bonozzio, in 1011, upon an inscription, and they have very
much the same character as the later pictures in some of the Cata-
combs. The pictures at the two ends have been restored, those on
the sides are genuine, and are of the usual Scriptural subjects;
a whole series of engravings would be necessary to illustrate them,
and this has been done in a separate work by Canina.

CHURCH OF S. URBAN
VIEW OF THE INTERIOR
รักในการ
THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XXVII.
CHURCH OF S. URBAN.
CONFESSIO UNDER THE Altar, and Fresco PaintTING IN IT.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXVII.
CHURCH OF S. URBAN.
CONFESSIO UNDER THE ALTAR, AND FRESCO PAINTING IN IT.
THIS small chapel is very much deeper than the confessio usually
is, and has all the appearance of having been made on the staircase
descending into a catacomb, in a similar manner to the chapel on
the stairs to the Platonia at S. Sebastian's (see Plate XXI.). The
steps have all the appearance of going further down, though the
passage is stopped by a wall built across it. The painting over the
chantry-altar is unusually well preserved, and is one of the best of
the later catacomb pictures. In the centre is the Madonna, with
Christ as a boy, with the cruciform nimbus, not as an infant; this is
after the Byzantine fashion, as at Ravenna. On her right is S. Urban,
with a jewelled book in his hand; on her left, S. John, with another
book of the same kind, probably both intended for the Gospels.
The drawing of these figures agrees with the time of Pascal I. and
of Charles the Great, when there was a great revival in Rome, and
when many of the catacombs were restored and altered. The pro-
bable communication between this and the Catacomb of Prætextatus
has been shewn in another Plate (IX.), with a plan of the district.

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THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XXVIII.
PLAN OF S. CALIXTUS.
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXVIII.
PLAN OF S. CALIXTUS.
A A. VIA Appia.
B. Pagan tomb at the entrance; from this a steep staircase de-
scends into the Catacomb, and seems to have been one of the
original entrances, but is not now used.
C. A modern staircase at the entrance, now used.
D. A second floor under C.
E. A third floor under C and D.
F. Sections of this part of the Catacomb.
The line of pavement of the Via Appia is shewn in the fore-
ground; one of the corridors appears to pass under the road, but
it has not been excavated any further. It is the opinion of some
persons who have given attention to the subject, that there was at
one period a connection with the great cemetery of Prætextatus on
the other side of the great road, and that all these were connected
by subterranean passages with S. Sebastian's, which formed a general
entrance to the whole; but there is no evidence of this now visible;
and De Rossi, whose opinion carries great weight, does not believe
that there ever was any such general entrance for this whole
district.

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THE CATACOMBS.
PLATE XXIX.
S. GENNARO, OR JANUARIUS, AT NAPLES.
PLAN.
f
THE CATACOMBS.
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXIX.
S. GENNARO, OR JANUARIUS, AT NAPLES.
PLAN. (See p. 125.)
A. LARGE hall, now used as the entrance.
B. Entrance from the church, not now used.
C, D, E, F. Halls cut out of the rock.
G, H. Corridors or streets.
I. Passage now passing under houses.
The arco-solia, or sepulchral recesses, and the cubicula for family
burial-vaults in these Catacombs, are seen on all sides on the Plan.
This catacomb being made in an old stone-quarry of hard stone,
they are not merely low corridors, as in the tufa of Rome, but lofty
halls with the graves cut in the walls. The effect is much finer
than in those of Rome, but there is not the same historical interest
attached to it. The paintings are of very similar character to those
of Rome, but rather finer and better art in general, though of about
the same period.

SETRA
CATACOMBS AT NAPLES.-PLAN.
1214
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THE CATACOMBS.
GILT GLASS VASES
THE CATACOMBS-GILT GLASS VASES.
PLATE I.
THESE vases being now all preserved in museums, it is almost
impossible to ascertain from which catacomb each had come. There
are seldom any catalogues of the museum to be had, and the keepers
themselves frequently do not know from which catacomb each has
come. We have therefore only the style of drawing as our guide to
their dates, but as the mosaic pictures in the churches are all dated
by inscriptions, or by the figures of the Popes who have given them,
and the style of drawing of each century is the same whether ex-
ecuted in mosaics or in frescoes, we can arrive pretty nearly at the
date of each. The subjects are so generally the same as those of
the frescoes in the catacombs, that one throws great light upon the
other. That these vases were found in the catacombs by Bosio and
those who worked with him, in the sixteenth century, there is no
doubt, and they were very soon collected in museums. Others
were found in the beginning of the eighteenth century by Boldetti,
who published a work on the Catacombs in 1718, and a few may
still be met with occasionally for sale. That the Lombards, who,
according to Anastasius, annihilated the Catacombs in the seventh
century, should have respected the gilt glass vases found there, is
incredible. The greater part of those found in the sixteenth cen-
tury must have been the imitations made by the popes and the
priests for the pilgrims in the eighth and ninth centuries, and the
drawings generally agree with that period better than any other.
The corrupt mode of spelling the name of Jesus, as ZESES, also in-
dicates a very ignorant age, such as the ninth century. These gilt
figures, it may be as well to mention, are on the flat bottom of the
round vases. The upper one of these plates has the head of Christ
in the centre, with miracles round it. The three upper figures are
the youths in the "burning fiery furnace;" to the right is the para-
lytic carrying his bed; beneath that is Christ with the rod of power,
performing the miracles. On the opposite side is Christ again with
the rod, performing the miracle of the water changed into wine at
the marriage of Cana; and below these two is Tobias, with the
fish in his left hand, the right hand raised in the attitude of
speaking. The lower vase has Moses striking the rock, and the
inscription round it—
CVM TVIS PIE ZESES IN DEO HILARIS.
"All faithful people in God rejoice."

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THE CATACOMBS-GILT GLASS VASES.
PLATE II.
THE subjects represented in these two vases are parts of the his-
tory of Jonas. In the upper picture he is thrown overboard from
the ship, on which again is ZESES, and is received in the mouth of
a great fish, which in the English version of the Bible is called
whale, and in the Vulgate a sea serpent.
The lower picture is Jonah under the gourd, according to the
English version; or the ivy-bush, according to the Vulgate. The
drawing of both agrees with the eighth or ninth centuries.

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THE CATACOMBS-GILT GLASS VASES.
PLATE III.
THESE two vases may perhaps be as early as the fifth century; the
upper one must have come from the Jews' Catacombs, as the sub-
ject is the Ark, guarded by the lions of Israel and Judah, under
which are two of the seven-branched candlesticks, and a fish be-
tween them, also a jug or vessel for the holy oil, a horn, and leaves.
The lower vase has the Good Shepherd, with the inscription-
DIGNITAS AMICORVM VIVAS CVM TVIS FELICITER.

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III.
THE CATACOMBS-GILT GLASS VAses.
PLATE IV.
THE two vases in this plate have each a representation of one of
the miracles of our Lord; the upper one is the Miracle of the
Loaves, with the seven baskets of fragments, the figure of Christ in
the middle, with a nimbus round His head, and the rod of power in
His hand; round the margins are the words ZESVS CRISTV.
The lower one is the Raising of Lazarus. In this the figure of
Christ is without the nimbus. He has the rod of power in His right
hand, and holds up the folds of His cloak with the left. The figure
of Lazarus is wrapped up in swaddling-clothes, and lying on the
steps of the tomb, which is represented as a small temple (this
is common in the Middle Ages). Over the head are the words
ZESVS CRISTVS.

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1 V.
THE CATACOMBS-GILT GLASS VASES.
PLATE V.
Of these two vases the upper one represents the blessed Virgin
MARIA between PETRVS and PAULVS, with the names over their heads.
Maria is represented as of about double the size of the other two,
an indication of its late date, as this was the medieval idea of ex-
pressing grandeur. The two figures seem more likely to be intended
for the two local saints of these names, Peter the Exorcist and Paul
the Deacon, who were martyrs in the last great persecution, not the
Apostles.
The lower picture is of the busts of PETRVS and PAVLVS, with the
crown of martyrdom suspended between them. In this picture the
two heads have beards. Paul is bald, with a long beard, Peter has
hair on his head and a short beard. In the upper picture they are
represented as boys.
have the life of
In the first as
It has been suggested that in these four vases we
the great Apostles represented at different ages.
boys, under the protection of Maria, or the Church (?), (v. 1): then
as elder youths, preparing for the crown of martyrdom, (vi. 1):
then as old men, with their crowns suspended over them, (v. 2):
then after their martyrdom, with Christ crowning them.

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THE CATACOMBS-GILT GLASS VASES.
PLATE VI.
ON both of these vases are figures of PETRVS and PAVLVS, with the
names over their heads. In the upper picture is a laurel crown
enclosing the monogram of Christ, between the heads, but the two
figures are beardless youths without the nimbus; they are badly
drawn, seated, attired in cloaks, with bare feet. This picture may be
of the fifth or sixth century. Round the margin is the inscription
DIGNITAS. AMICORVM. VIVAS. CVM. TVIS. FELICITER.
The lower vase and picture is larger and in a rather different style
of drawing, and the lettering is also of a different character, more
like that of Plates IV. and V., and probably also of the eighth or
ninth century. The two figures of Peter and Paul are venerable
fathers with long beards, seated, and wrapped in cloaks, with bare
feet, as in the upper one. Between the heads of these two figures
is a smaller figure of Christ, with the plain crown of martyrdom in
each hand, which He is about to place on the heads of the Apo-
stles. S. Paul is represented with bald head; S. Peter has a good
deal of hair. They are on the opposite sides from what they are
in Plate II. Over the central figure is the name CRISTVS; over
that of Peter the... RVS remains, PET has disappeared; on that of
S. Paul the P.. only remains.
only remains. Round the margin the inscription
is broken, but a great part of it remains :
HILARIS
• •
M TVIS OMNIBV., FELICITER SEMPER IN PACE DEI.

CATACOMBS. GILT GLASS VASES
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THE CATACombs-Vases.
PLATE VII.
THE upper vase has a singular picture upon it; part of a colon-
nade of the composite order, with twisted flutes on the columns,
and festoons hanging from one to the other; between the columns
are small figures, each with a roll of parchment in his hand, signi-
fying some work he has written. The first small figure to the left-
hand has no name over it, the second has PAVLVS written vertically,
the third sysTvs, the fourth LAVRENTIVS. Over the colonnade is
the word PIE ZESES. Below the colonnade are three half-length
figures, with their names: the first on the left hand is IPPOLITVS,
the central figure CRISTVS, the third TIMOTEvs. Christ has a roll or
book in his hand, Timotheus has one behind his shoulders, pro-
bably to signify the epistle sent to him by S. Paul; they all have
short beards and are bald. This picture is different from the others,
and may be of the sixth century.
The lower picture has three figures; the central one is a lady
richly attired in the costume of the eighth or ninth century, wearing
a cap, and with the hands uplifted in the oriental attitude of prayer ;
over her head is the name AGNES. This figure reminds us of the
fine mosaic picture over the altar in her church near Rome, over
her catacomb, which is of the seventh century. On her right hand
is a figure, with the right hand in the attitude of speaking, and He
appears to wear a wig; His feet are bare; by His side is the name
CRISTVS. On the other side is a small figure, but with the hands
crossed, and one holding a roll, and by the side the name LAVREN-
The manner in which the figure of Christ is mixed up with
that of Saints, as if all on the same level, appears very irreverent in
the eyes of an Anglo-Catholic.
TIVS.

IPPO
LIT
VS
CATACOMBS. GILT GLASS VASES
CRISTYS
SALE
L
PIFLESES
1231-
SAF
CRI
STV
S
TIM
VOTE
PAYS
CONTAMIN
AP. SANCLEMENTI
AGNE
178
Lik
LAV
337
AP. OLIVIERI
VII.
THE CATACOMBS-VASES.
PLATE VIII.
THESE two vases are distinctly pagan although found in the cata-
combs, and therefore affording strong evidence that these cemeteries
were not exclusively Christian. In the upper picture are two half-
length figures, the right-hand is a male, the left-hand female. Their
costume is singular and very much alike, both seem to wear a cloak
crossed over the breast; the lady has a necklace, with jewels hang-
ing from it. Between them is a small idol upon a round table or
stand for it, he carries a club and a lion's skin and head, the usual
attributes of Hercules. Over the shoulders of the figures is an
inscription written in a singular manner, the words divided to fit
the spaces:
AGERENT INFELICES BIBATIS.
Round the margin are the words-
IN NOMINE HERCVLIS ORFITUS ET CONSTANTIA.
The lower picture is evidently the Three Graces in an engrailed
border, and the words-
CELASIA LECORI COMASIA IS ANNIS PIETEZES ET EMVLT VIVATIS.

THE
RCVLIS
H
CATACOMBS. GILT GLASS VASES
Lady's
O
CELAST
By
TE
LECORT
1/2
ORFITS
TANTIA
IN
NOM
LIC
COMASIA
IS ANNIS
AP PASSERI
On
0000000000000000
33
77
PIETEZ
ETC
AP. FABRETTI
NIVATIS
ETEMVLT
www
40400000000
VIII.
THE
CATACOMBS
OF
ROME.
BY
JOHN HENRY PARKER, C.B.
HON. M. A. OXON., F.S. A. LOND. ;
KEEPER OF THE ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES
IN THE UNIVERSITY OF Oxford, etc.
OXFORD:
JAMES PARKER AND CO.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET.
1877.

FOR FEMA
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
989
AUG 29 1991
JUN ✪ & 1992
9 1989
APRIO
Pag hier des
AUG 7 1995
CITRU
IN 0 2 1998
ipri
G C K
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