Tour of Roman Catacombs

The catacombs are the ancient underground cemeteries, used by the Christian and the Jewish communities, above all at Rome. The Christian catacombs, which are the most numerous, began in the second century and the excavating continued until the first half of the fifth.

In the beginning they were only burial places. Here the Christians gathered to celebrate their funeral rites, the anniversaries of the martyrs and of the dead.

During the persecutions, in exceptional cases, the catacombs were used as places of momentary refuge for the celebration of the Eucharist. They were not used as secret hiding places of the early Christians. This is only a fiction taken from novels or movies.

After the persecutions, especially in the time of pope Saint Damascus (366 - 384) they became real shrines of the martyrs, centre's of devotion and of pilgrimage for Christians from every part of the empire.

In those days in Rome too there existed cemeteries in the open, but the Christians, for several reasons, preferred underground cemeteries. First of all, the Christians rejected the pagan custom of cremation; they preferred burial, just as Christ was buried, because they felt they had to respect the bodies that one day would rise from the dead.

This genuine belief of the Christians created a problem of space, which exerted a great influence upon the development of the catacombs. The areas owned by the Christians above ground were very limited in extent. Had they used only open-air cemeteries, since they as a rule did not reuse the tombs, the space available for burial would have quickly been exhausted. The catacombs came as the solution of the problem; and it proved to be economical, safe and practical. In fact it was cheaper to dig underground corridors and galleries than to buy large pieces of land in the open. As the early Christians were predominantly poor, this way of burying the dead was decisive.

But there were other reasons too for choosing the underground digging. The Christians felt a lively community sense: they wished to be together even in the "sleep of death". Furthermore such out-of-the-way areas, especially during the persecutions, were very apt for reserved community meetings and for the free displaying of the Christian symbols.

In compliance with the Roman law, which forbade the burial of the dead within the city walls, all catacombs are located outside the city, along the great consular roads, generally in the immediate suburban area of that age.

Information on the Catacombs

There are five catacombs that are open to the public:

1. The catacombs of St. Agnes, 00162 -Via Nomentana, 349 - tel. 06 861 08 40 ( closed on Sunday mornings and on Monday afternoons)
2. The catacombs of Priscilla, 00199 - via Salaria, 430 - tel. & fax 06 86 20 62 72 (closed on Mondays)
3. The catacombs of Domitilla, 00147 - via delle Sette Chiese, 282/0 - tel. 06 511 03 42 / 06 513 39 56 fax 06 513 54 61 (closed on Tuesdays)
4. The catacombs of St. Sebastian, 00179 - via Appia Antica, 136 - tel. 06 788 70 35 / fax 06 784 37 45 (closed on Sundays)
5. The catacombs of St.Callixtus,00179 - Via Appia Antica, 126 - (closed on Wednesdays) tel. 06 513 01 51 / 06 513 01 580 - fax 06 513 01 567

VISITING HOURS are the same for all catacombs, except for the catacombs of St. Agnes:

8:30 - 12:00 * 14:30 - 17.00 / 17:30 (in summer)
9.00 - 12.00 * 16.00 - 18.00 (only for St. Agnes )
====================
THE CATACOMBS OF SAINT CALLIXTUS
PRACTICAL ADVICES

LE CATACOMBE DI SAN CALLISTO
Via Appia Antica, 110/126 - 00179 ROMA - Italy
Tel. 0039 - 06 - 513 01 51
Fax 0039 - 06 - 513 01 567
E.Mail: scallisto@catacombe.roma.it

How to arrive:
Facing the Old Appian Way (Via Appia Antica) from Porta S. Sebastiano, the Catacombs of St. Callisto are near the small church “Quo Vadis?” on one side and the Basilica of St. Sebastian on the other.

By public transport:

* From Stazione Termini
take Metro A (Anagnina) or bus 714 (Palazzo Sport) to the stop at St. John Lateran Square (Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano), then bus 218 and stop at Fosse Ardeatine. The entrance to the Catacombs is opposite (n. 2 on the map).
take Metro B (Laurentina) to the stop Circo Massimo. Then bus 118 (Lagonegro) and stop at Catacombe di San Callisto (after Quo Vadis? - church, entrance n. 4 on the map).
* From Piramide di Caio Cestio (Tube Piramide Metro B / Railway Station Ostiense) take bus 118 (Lagonegro) on to the Catacombs of St. Callisto (after Quo Vadis? - church, entrance n. 4 on the map).

By coach or chartered bus:
The access to the private parking area is only possible by the entrance in front of the Quo Vadis? - church (n. 1 on the map), coming from Porta S. Sebastiano. Therefor you are advised to ride:

* from Via Cristoforo Colombo to the end (Porta Ardeatina, Mura Latine), then turn right as far as Porta S. Sebastiano, where Via Appia Antica starts, on the right.
* Or, from the centre to Viale delle Mura Latine as far as Porta S. Sebastiano and there, at the traffic lights, turn left to Via Appia Antica.

The parking area inside is large, located at about 1000 m near the entrance to the Catacombs.
There is also a small public parking area near the Fosse Ardeatine, beside the entrance n. 2. To this parking you can arrive