Tomb Raiders

Today I tagged along with Dr. Dawson's Liturgical Art and Architecture class to the Catacomb of Priscilla. Located on the Via Salaria, the oldest road in Rome, this catacomb is a Christian burial site dating back to the second century! Going into the catacomb was creepy and morbid, but actually an amazing site to see. It's basically a cave that goes several stories below the ground and continues for 140 kilometers. Our tour guide led us through portions of the dank cave with a flashlight, pointing out the significant ancient artwork in the tombs and on the walls and ceilings. The catacomb was filled with beautiful frescoes dating back as early as the year 220. These paintings depicting important Biblical events were actually in pristine condition. They have been cleaned over the years, but never retouched, yet the colors are still so vibrant and the details so clear. It was here that we saw the world's oldest image of Mary holding baby Jesus! It's incredible that 1,800 years later, the image is still so colorful and clear!

Seeing these ancient and historical frescoes was amazing, but being in the catacomb was pretty creepy, since the narrow passageways are lined with bodies! Dr. Dawson explained to us that although the catacombs seem morbid to us, early Christians celebrated there because they saw death as a reunion with Christ. The remains of Christians from the second to fourth century are in the thousands of tiny tombs throughout the catacomb. The guide explained that ancient Romans were short in stature, which explained why the tombs were only about four feet long. Most of the tombs were excavated, but some tombs are still closed, with the remains intact and the person's name painted on the front at the time of burial. We all wondered where the remains are, and our tour guide explained that until recently, visitors could view the remains in a gallery, but it has since been closed to the public because tourists would steal bones as souvenirs! So sorry to disappoint any of you who were expecting bones from ancient Romans as souvenirs, because it looks like you'll just have to settle for magnets and keychains!