(01) The Catacombs

From the Early Church

The Catacombs

If you are in Rome, don't miss the catacombs. The sheer size and extent is amazing. 70,000 Christians were buried there. There was a special chamber for the Popes of the 2nd-3rd centuries, which is still there.

They weren't actually called 'catacombs' by the Christians themselves, but 'The Cemeteries'. It was the Pagans who called them catacombs - 'dark caves'.

The Christians didn't hide in the catacombs. Everybody knew where they were. But being outside the city walls, the Authorities usually couldn't care less. Occasionally a new Emperor would order them rounded up, and they thought martyrdom was an honour. But they prayed. One wall near the Appian Way, close to the entrance to a major catacomb, has scratched on it (in bad Latin!), PAULE ED PETRE PETITE PRO VICTORE - "Paul and Peter, pray for Victor!" I saw another wall inside the catacomb with the word "PEACE" written in Greek - one letter spelt wrongly, and then written over, just like a modern schoolchild!

Eventually, burial in the Roman Catacombs became a status symbol, long after the Persecutions were over.

The priest would say Mass over one of the tombs, with a lamp on each side. Generally it would be the tomb of a martyr, hollowed out above in the form of an arch, to give room. The Sanctuary in Catholic churches built from 4th to mid-20th centuries is a direct copy of a room in the catacombs - the altar against the wall, six feet wide, with relics set into the 'altar stone' in the centre, and with a candle at each end. The words, from the Last Supper and these first gatherings before the Gospels were ever written down, are word-for-word with most of the traditional Latin Mass. It is some experience to stand there now and think on these things.