The early Christian catacombs are some of the most popular tourist sites in Rome. Inside the famous catacombs of Domitilla, some interiors have been restored. Visitors to the site can experience revived images from the lives—and deaths—of Rome’s early Christian community.
The catacombs of Domitilla are located close to the also-famous Appian Way. They were named for a member of a Roman family that had commissioned the space as burial grounds. For most cultures at the time, dead bodies were burned. But due to the Christian belief in the resurrection of the physical body, cremation was rejected. Burial for the believing dead required much space—and that had to be outside the city limits. Decaying flesh could introduce disease to communities.
But the rapid spread of Christianity created a very real problem by the second century: Where could the young church find space to bury all its dead, as the need arose? It chose to go underground.
The catacombs of Domitilla were excavated out of a soft volcanic rock outside of Rome. Droves of workers went underground to carve out tunnels and chambers. As the soft rock was exposed to air, it underwent a hardening process that left it strong and sturdy. The resulting network is the largest series of catacombs in Rome. It stretches out more than 7.4 miles, all beneath the Earth’s surface. The catacombs descend four levels, with 26,250 tombs dating from the second to the fifth centuries.
Now, after decades of delays, two separate areas in the vast labyrinth are open again. This time, they are for public viewing.
The renovated areas were restored by German and Austrian archaeological institutes. Laser and scanning technology, revealed and repaired ancient frescoes on the chamber walls. Even remnants of some frescoes that had been ripped away by thieves could be detected and recreated.
The images show how intertwined into daily life pagan mythology still was with the spreading Christian faith at that time. Bible scenes show Noah’s ark and Daniel being saved from lions. But there are also likenesses of Cupid over the crypts of children, for example. And there are images from daily life, as shown in the “room of the bakers.”
Here, laser technology revives vivid depictions of Christ and the Apostles. They are woven in with scenes from the life of a regular bread baker in Rome. Perhaps for the baker, the symbolism of communion bread and fellowship with Christ Himself took on a uniquely personal meaning.
Catholic cardinal, Gianfranco Ravasi, says, “These tombs represent the roots of our deepest identity—the roots of Rome and of Christianity.” They also show how challenging it must have been for believers to live out their new faith in a culture immersed in falsehood.
To an Israelite at the time of Jesus, Rome represented the entire pagan world. It was into that world that the apostles took the gospel. The images in the catacombs show that the news of the Savior was reaching and changing unbelieving cultures—even those steeped in hedonism (the constant pursuit of pleasure) and the idolatry of false gods. They also show the Christ who goes after His own—even into the grave.
“If I make my bed in Sheol [the abode of the dead], you are there,” says Psalm 139.
Almost 2,000 years after the tombs were built, Christians today can visit. We can see the same hope we have in our culture—with its own forms of darkness and idolatry—on display as it was for those believers. Christ the Savior alone overcomes the hopelessness and darkness of the fallen world. He redeems from every culture and overcomes the grave!
One area within the renovated catacombs is set aside as a small museum, which opened in late June. Visitors can view ancient Roman statues, parts of sarcophagi which held bodies of the dead, and other artifacts from the tombs. While reflecting on the reality of death, however, they will also see the greater reality of the hope of eternal life.
