Dalla morte ci è vita

After spending all of yesterday fending off a cold, I ventured to the Catacombs of San Callisto this morning with the Italian Culture Club.

We traveled down an archaic set of stairs to what was only the second of five layers of the catacombs. We were lead through a small fraction of the 15 miles of graves, all of which have not yet been excavated. I learned that what was the first official cemetery of the early Christians had been discovered only to be forgotten again until archaeologist Giovanni Battista de Rossi began excavations in the 19th century. It was amazing that such a vast expanse of bodies of popes, saints, and loved ones could have ever been forgotten.

The bodies had been removed from the part that we toured and I couldn't help but feel badly for the bodies who got the short end of the rope - you thought you found your eternal resting spot, well, tough luck, looks like we're going to have to move those bones of yours so the tourists can get through. Noseyness trumps death. I almost picture their bones in some discarded shoe box in the visitor center's basement. Nike, perhaps. Hopefully they threw in a rosary as an apology.

They even cleared out St. Cecilia for us. The move went a little better for her. After being buried a martyr in her cubiculum in the catacombs, she was moved to a tomb in the Basilica instead of the aforementioned shoe box fate. Maybe we're the ones breaking her heart and shaking her confidence daily. (I couldn't resist.)

We were lead through the papal crypt which still contained the original inscriptions of popes including St. Pontianus, St. Anterus, etc.

There were several frescoes still in tact (barely) and apses perfectly sculpted for the family remains that they harbored. We saw those of the Raising of Lazarus and several others with Christian symbols.

Perhaps the saddest part of the tour was realizing why so many of the rectangles dug into the volcanic rock were significantly smaller than their neighbors. We were told that 30 percent of children born during the 3rd century died, thus requiring the abundance of small shelves before me.


As we concluded our walk through the cool narrow halls, we ascended toward the daylight, realizing that the surrounding fields that had previously appeared to be mere grazing grounds for the neighborhood sheep, were actually proof of the life that can grow even atop so many miles of death.

(I apologize for the lack of pictures from within the catacombs, they were not permitted.)

Tips for future visitors:

1. Try to arrive earlier in the day as it gets progressively crowded as the day goes on.
2. The tours are done by language, after getting your (5 euro) ticket, wait in the open area for your language to be called.
3. The tour is not long, a half hour tops.
4. The 118 bus stops right outside the entrance (though the buses are few and far between), the 75 connects nicely to the 118 before the Circus Maximus.
5. Listen when they tell you not to take pictures. Don't be the stupid American tourist that so many people expect us to be.
6. No matter what your religion, take in what they are telling you about Christianity as it pertains to the catacombs. They are educating you, not trying to convert you.
7. Bring a sweater, it is obviously much cooler underground.
8. For those claustrophobic travelers, there are some tight spaces during the tour. Mentally prepare.
9. Obviously, be respectful of the dead that surround you as well as the many nuns and priests that will be present. (Disrespect is one of those things that transcends the language barrier.)