The Romans catacombs | Go Back
The catacombs were a subterranean burial place for the Christians. All catacombs were outside the walls of the city, as there was a law forbidding the burial of bodies within the precincts of Rome. Prior to the Empire's acceptance of Christianity, Romans practiced cremation. The sixty known principal catacombs, can be found mainly along the Appian Way.

The bodies were fully clothed, wrapped in linen and sprinkled with ointments to offset the decaying odor and sealed with a slab inscribed with the name of the deceased, date of death and a religious symbol.

The Catacombs of St. Callistus served as the official burial grounds for the first bishops of Rome and the Crypt of the Popes contains the tombs of several pontiffs.

After A.D. 313, Christianity was established as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Consequently, the subterranean burial practice gradually declined as aboveground cemeteries became the custom.

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