The Catacombs of Rome are an extraordinary network of ancient underground burial tunnels stretching beneath the city and its surrounding countryside. Comprising at least 40 known subterranean sites, they were carved primarily out of tufa — a soft, easily excavated volcanic rock — beginning in the 2nd century AD. The most celebrated catacombs line the ancient Via Appia Antica (Appian Way), including the Catacombe di San Callisto, consecrated around 217 AD, and the Catacombe di San Sebastiano, one of the few open to visitors continuously since the Middle Ages. In total, the tunnels extend for hundreds of kilometers and once held the remains of hundreds of thousands of individuals, arranged in niched wall graves called loculi, stacked floor to ceiling along narrow corridors.
Early Christians adopted this form of communal burial in part because Roman law forbade cremation, and in part because these subterranean spaces offered private gathering points during periods of imperial persecution. The Catacombe di San Callisto became the official burial ground of the early papacy — nine popes and numerous martyrs were interred in its so-called Crypt of the Popes between the 3rd and 4th centuries. Jewish communities also constructed their own catacombs, notably at Villa Torlonia, decorated with menorahs, shofars, and Aramaic inscriptions. After Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, ending Christian persecution, the catacombs gradually ceased to be used for burial and became revered pilgrimage sites, visited for the relics of saints housed within.
Visiting the catacombs today is a genuinely atmospheric experience. Guided tours — the only way to enter — lead small groups through dimly lit corridors lined with empty loculi, past painted chambers (cubiculi) bearing some of the earliest known Christian frescoes, dating as far back as the late 2nd century. Iconography includes the Good Shepherd, the fish symbol (ichthys), scenes from the Book of Jonah, and portraits of the deceased rendered in a style blending Roman naturalism with Christian symbolism. The temperature underground remains a constant 15°C (59°F) year-round, a stark contrast to Rome's summer heat above ground.
The most accessible and well-documented sites are the Catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano on the Via Appia Antica, and the Catacombs of Priscilla on the Via Salaria — the latter containing what many scholars identify as the earliest known image of the Virgin Mary, dated to approximately the late 2nd or early 3rd century. All are managed by the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology or religious orders. Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are essential for the uneven stone floors, and a light jacket is advisable even in summer. Most sites are closed on Wednesdays or Mondays depending on the location, so check schedules before visiting.
