Catacombs of Domitilla - Rome, Italy
N 41° 51.523 E 012° 30.344
33T E 292967 N 4637098
The Catacombs of St. Domitilla are spread over 17 kilometers of underground caves, some of which are inaccessible. They are laid out on four levels - one on top of another.
Waymark Code: WMPPQ1
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 10/03/2015
Views: 5
The catacombs of the Eternal City offer one of the most complete and eloquent pictures of the Christian community in Imperial Rome, and of Catholicism in the city between the 2nd and 9th centuries. Until the 2nd century, in fact, the early Christians didn’t have their own cemeteries but were buried alongside the pagans in communal burial grounds outside the city along the main consular roads. The Apostle Peter was buried on the Vatican hill and St. Paul along the road to Ostia.
From the end of the 2nd century on, burial space ground was getting hard to come by and so small underground tombs were dug. These were often connected by short tunnels and were called hypogeums. It was a practice widely used by the Christians insofar as it allowed them to create several tombs in a confined space and at low cost. It also meant they could accommodate poorer members of the community either in private hypogeums or in Church-run cemeteries which had been donated by private citizens.
Such was the case with these catacombs : inscriptions indicate that the land originally belonged to Flavia Domitilla. One such inscription bearing her name, can be seen on the righthand wall of the Basilica at the foot of the entrance stairway between the two sarcophagi. She was a noblewoman - the Emperor Vespasian was her grandfather and Domitian was her uncle. Her husband, Flavio Clemente, was a consul together with Domitian in 95 AD - but was condemned to death by the emperor that same year and Domitilla was exiled to the island of Ventotene.
The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
The attraction’s own URL: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
Visiting hours: 9:00 – 12:00; 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Closed Tuesdays
Admission Prices:
Admission fee: Full price € 8 - Reduced price € 5. The admission fee includes a guided visit.
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Up to 1 hour
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle or Public Transportation
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