catacombs and the capuchin crypt

Catacombs

In ancient Roman times, no one was allowed to be buried within the walls of the city. While pagans (polytheism) Romans were into cremation, Christians preferred to be buried so they could be resurrected when the time came. But land was expensive, and most Christians were poor. A few wealthy, landowning Christians allowed their land to be used as burial places. The 40 or so known catacombs are scattered outside the ancient walls of Rome. From the first through the fifth centuries, Christians dug an estimated 375 miles of tomb-lined tunnels, with networks of galleries as many as five layers deep. The volcanic tuff that Rome sits atop — soft and easy to cut, but hardens when exposed to air — was perfect for the job. The Christians burrowed many layers deep for two reasons: to get more mileage out of the donated land, and to be near martyrs and saints already buried there. Bodies were wrapped in linen (like Christ's). Since they figured the Second Coming was imminent, there was no interest in embalming the body. Many scholars also believe that these catacombs came into existence to help persecuted Christians to bury their dead secretly.

The underground tunnels, while empty of bones, are rich in early Christian symbolism . Most of these catacombs are located on Rome's Via Appia Antica, Old Appian Way, outside the walls of Rome. There are many catacombs that can be visited- Catacombs of St. Callixtus, Catacombs of St. Domitilla, and Catacombs of St. Sebastian, are the most famous ones. Besides St. Priscilla's Catacombs, which is amongst the oldest can also be visited but it is not located on Via appia but on via Salaria. Via in roman means road or path.  All catacombs are not open all days. But one can find one of these open every day. So one needs to check which is open on a particular day before visiting. When I decided to visit the catacombs, Catacomb of St Sebastian was open and obviously I could visit that only. I took a bus from circa Massimo-the stop next to FAO but got down well before the stop near St Sebastian on the apian way under some confusion. I therefore had to walk a couple of kilometres, which seemed endless to me. The apian way is the longest road and an isolated area outside Rome. The apian way like a busy highway has all the speeding carsdirect.

Catacombs of St. Sebastian:  Catacomb of St Sebastian has about 11 km of tunnels but the tour is restricted to a very small area. Highlights of the catacombs include early Christian mosaics and graffiti. This cemetery, named after the martyr St. Sebastian, who is buried here, was originally called “ad catacumbas”. According to the widely acknowledged explanation, the name signifies “near the hollows”, because of the mines of tuff located in this area. The name was later used generally to indicate all subterranean Christian cemeteries. Another ancient name of the cemetery was “Apostolic Memorial”. The name derives from the liturgical celebrations, dedicated to the Apostles Peter and Paul, which took place here for a limited period in the first centuries.

From the first century, the site had been intensely exploited and constructed upon. The caves and the tunnels of the mines were used for Christian rectangular wall tombs as well smaller tombs (colombari) used to house urns.

Around the middle of the second century, a cave-in occurred, and in the square which was constructed above ground, three mausoleums were built, respectively belonging to Clodius Hermes, the Innocentores and “sub Ascia”. Later this area was again covered over and a portico enclosed by a wall was built. Along the wall, hundreds of graffiti writings, dedicated to Peter and Paul, have been deciphered. Around the year 258, the religious celebrations commemorating the two Apostles were transferred to the site, and the emperor Constantine had a basilica constructed in the honor of the Apostles. Meanwhile, the catacomb had been developing underground from the third century.

The church above the catacomb of St Sebastian is sacred in many ways. It has the “footprints” of Jesus .At the exact place where St Peter met Jesus after resurrection, it is believed Jesus miraculously left his footprints .The place now has a church but the original footprints are now kept in the St Sebastian Basilica. It will be interesting for me to briefly narrate the story here, which may interest my Christian friends.

The “Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis” is located on the spot where tradition says Saint Peter had a vision of the risen Christ while fleeing persecution in Rome. According to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, Peter was surprised to see Jesus and asked him:

Domine, quo vadis? ("Lord, where are you going?")

And Jesus answered:

Eo Romam iterum crucifigi ("I go to Rome to be crucified anew.")

This convinced Peter to turn around and face crucifixion himself in Rome.

Evidence for the presence of the Apostle Peter in this area, where he is said to have lived, includes an epigraph in the catacombs of Saint Sebastian that reads "Domus Petri" (house of Peter) and an epigram by Pope Damasus I (366-384): "You that are looking for the names of Peter and Paul, You must know that the saints have lived here".

Capuchin crypt 

 

 Another interesting place to visit in Rome is the Capuchin crypt. The Capuchin Crypt is a small space comprising several tiny chapels located beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini on the Via Veneto near Piazza Barberini. It contains the skeletal remains of 4,000 bodies believed to be Capuchin friars buried by their order. Large numbers of the bones are nailed to the walls in intricate patterns, many are piled high among countless others, while others hang from the ceiling as light fixtures. There are six total rooms in the crypt, five featuring a unique display of human bones believed to have been taken from the bodies of friars who had died between 1528 and 1870.. These rooms are -Crypt of the Resurrection, featuring a picture of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, framed by various parts of the human skeleton. The key to interpreting the crypt's displays of funereal art lies in the Christian belief in the Resurrection of the body and everlasting life .The other crypts include Crypt of the Skulls, Crypt of the Pelves, Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones and Crypt of the Three Skeletons .

While the catacombs do present a gory picture despite the fact there are no skeletons or bones left, the Capuchin crypt look all the more interesting with skulls, bones and skeletons .The Capuchin crypt was more interesting because of a pretty friend who accompanied me to the crypt.In fact it was her idea that made this visit possible. Although the crypt was adjacemt to my hotel, I never had any idea about this interesting place but thanks to “nats” that I discovered this place. Both the places do not allow pictures to be taken although Iwantoneofthose pictures inside. But thanks to Google , I have uploaded few pictures here to give idea abouth these interesting places.