The Day of the Catacombs, the fifth edition in October, is back. “Callistus and the Invention of the Catacombs” is the theme of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, which opens Rome’s ancient Christian cemeteries to the public, offering the opportunity to admire their preciousness and beauty.
Itineraries and guided tours, this year allows visitors to get to know the Pontiff, who included the burials of the faithful. On 16 October, the event will visit several Italian catacombs.
V Day of the Catacombs
CALLISTUS AND THE INVENTION OF THE CATACOMBS
18 CENTURIES SINCE THE DEATH OF POPE CALIXTUS (218-222)
Rome, 15 October 2022
On the occasion of the 18th Centenary of the death of Pope Callistus (218-222), the Day of the Catacombs, now in its fifth year, has as its theme ‘Callistus and the Invention of the Catacombs’. In fact, the first official cemetery of the Church of Rome, on the Via Appia Antica, which takes its name from him, and the Catacomb of Calepodium on the Via Aurelia, where he was buried and which will be one of the monuments that can be visited on the occasion of the Day, are linked to the pope.
The event intends to propose a series of itineraries through archaeological and artistic testimonies both to emphasize the centrality of the figure of Callistus, and above all to make visitors retrace the stages that led to the birth and development of underground cemeteries.
The Christian community, in fact, had soon felt the need for a space destined to accommodate the faithful in a common resting place and to guarantee all its members, even the poorest, a dignified burial, becoming the bearer of a message of equality and brotherhood. These spaces, called ‘cemeteries’, a term that derives from the Greek and indicates the ‘resting place’, accurately reflect the Christian conception of death as suspended time awaiting the Resurrection.
Thus, the first catacombs were born and developed, consisting of networks of underground tunnels that were excavated, sometimes re-using pre-existing spaces. These underground tunnels ensured the opening of several stacks of overlapping burial niches, as well as more articulated forms of deposition, such as the mensa tombs, arcosoli and cubiculae, often decorated with representations of episodes and characters from the Old and New Testaments, bucolic and paradisiacal scenes, and moments of everyday life.
In charge of the excavation and management of the underground cemeteries were the ditchers, chosen as the emblem of this fifth Day: with the dolabra, a kind of ‘pickaxe’, they shaped the tufa bank and with the ever-present lantern they cast light on the stories and symbols left by the early Christians to express their faith in Christ and hope in eternal life.
On Saturday 15 October, the Day will take place exclusively in Rome, while on Sunday 16 October it will affect several catacombs in Italy.
Reservations are required for the visits, which are always free of charge.
All the necessary information and the program for the Day can be found on the websites
www.giornatadellecatacombe.it – www.catacombeditalia.va.
EVENTS
© Vatican NewsOre 09:45
Esibizione della Banda Vaticana
Catacomba di Commodilla
Largo delle Sette Chiese – Largo Giovannipoli
Ore 10:00
Laboratorio per bambini (5-10 anni)
Gli antichi graffiti cristiani
Catacomba dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro
Via Casilina, 641
(info e prenotazioni: [email protected])
Ore 11:00
Laboratorio per bambini (5-10 anni)
Gli antichi graffiti cristiani
Catacomba dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro
Via Casilina, 641
(info e prenotazioni: [email protected])
Ore 11:00
Laboratorio per bambini (6-12 anni)
La lucerna del Fossore
Catacomba di Domitilla
Via delle Sette Chiese, 282
(info e prenotazioni: https://Laboratorio_Lucerne.eventbrite.com)
Ore 11:00
Esibizione della Banda Musicale del Corpo di Polizia Locale di Roma Capitale
Comprensorio Callistiano dal Quo Vadis? fino alla basilica di S. Sebastiano
Via Appia Antica, 78
Ore 14:00
Catacomba di Priscilla
Visita guidata nella lingua dei segni
Via Salaria, 430
(info e prenotazioni: [email protected])
Ore 15:00
Esibizione musicale “Filarmonica Città di Chiusi”
Comprensorio Callistiano
Ore 15:00
Laboratorio per bambini (6-12 anni)
Realizziamo un affresco
Catacomba di Domitilla
Via delle Sette Chiese, 282
(info e prenotazioni: https://Laboratorio_Affresco.eventbrite.com)
Ore 15:00
Laboratorio per bambini (5-10 anni)
Gli antichi graffiti cristiani
Catacomba dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro
Via Casilina, 641
(info e prenotazioni: [email protected])
Ore 16:00
Laboratorio per bambini (5-10 anni)
Gli antichi graffiti cristiani
Catacomba dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro
Via Casilina, 641
(info e prenotazioni: [email protected])
Ore 17:30
Concerto del coro “Vocalia Consort”
Catacomba di Domitilla Basilica dei SS. Nereo ed Achilleo
Via delle Sette Chiese, 282
Ore 17:30
Concerto del Trio d’Archi “Trasimeno String Trio”
Catacomba di Priscilla – Basilica di S. Silvestro
Via Salaria, 277
