Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire.[Other examples include a Neolithic long barrow, an necropolis, or modern underground vaults such as the Catacombs of Paris.]
Etymology and history
The first place to be referred to as
catacombs was the system of underground tombs between the 2nd and 3rd milestones of the
Appian Way in
Rome, where the bodies of the apostles
Saint Peter and Paul, among others, were said to have been buried. The name of that place in
Latin was
catacumbas (feminine nominative plural; the singular is
catacumba) — a word of obscure origin, possibly deriving from a proper name or a derivation of the Greek phrase
cata cumbas, "below the quarries". The word referred originally only to the Roman catacombs, but was extended by the 19th century to refer to any subterranean receptacle of the dead, as in the 18th-century Paris catacombs.
[" Catacombs", Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed 10 July 2010.] The ancient Christians carved the first catacombs from soft
tufa rock.
[World Book Encyclopedia, page 296]
All Roman catacombs were located outside city walls since it was illegal to bury a dead body within the city,
Around the world
Catacombs around the world include:
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Austria – Catacombs of St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
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Czech Republic – Znojmo Catacombs
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Bosnia and Herzegovina – Catacombs of Jajce
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Egypt – Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (or Kom al Sukkfa, Shuqafa, etc.) in Alexandria
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United Kingdom – Catacombs of London and others
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Finland – Catacombs of the Helsinki Orthodox cemetery at Hietaniemi cemetery
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France – Catacombs of Paris. Mine workings were used at end of the 18th century and had no religious purpose other than as an ossuary for storing the bones of cleared graveyards.
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Greece – Catacombs of Milos
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Italy – Catacombs of Rome; Catacombs of Naples; Capuchin catacombs of Palermo, Catacombs of Syracuse and others
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Israel – Beit She'arim necropolis
[Weiss, Z. (2010). Burial practices in Beth She'arim and the question of dating the patriarchal necropolis. Follow the Wise": Studies in Jewish History and Culture in Honor of Lee I. Levine. Winona Lake, 207–231.]
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Malta – Catacombs of Malta
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Peru – Catacombs of Lima
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Philippines – Catacomb of Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery
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Spain – Catacombs of Sacromonte in Granada
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Serbia – Petrovaradin Fortress catacombs
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Tunisia – Catacombs of Sousse
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Ukraine – Odesa Catacombs
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United States – Old St. Patrick's Cathedral
There are also catacomb-like burial chambers in
Anatolia,
Turkey; in
Sousse, Tunisia; in Syracuse, Italy;
Trier, Germany;
Kyiv, Ukraine. Capuchin catacombs of Palermo, Sicily, were used as late as the 1920s. Catacombs were available in some of the grander English cemeteries founded in the 19th century, such as Sheffield General Cemetery (above ground) and West Norwood Cemetery (below ground). There are catacombs in
Bulgaria near Aladzha Monastery
and in
Romania as medieval underground galleries in
Bucharest.
In Ukraine and Russia, catacomb (used in the local languages' plural
katakomby) also refers to the network of abandoned caves and
earlier used to mine stone, especially
limestone.
In Italy, possible Catacombs are also located in Alezio, beside the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Assunta, as well as the basement of .
Decorations
Catacombs, although most notable as underground passageways and cemeteries, also house many decorations. There are thousands of decorations in the centuries-old catacombs of Rome, catacombs of Paris, and other known, some of which include inscriptions, paintings, statues, ornaments, and other items placed in the graves over the years.
Most of these decorations were used to identify, immortalize and show respect to the dead. Decorations in the catacombs of Rome were primarily decorated with images and words exalting Christ or depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
Three representations of Christ as Orpheus charming animals with peaceful music have been found in the catacombs of Domatilla and St. Callista.
Inscriptions
Although thousands of inscriptions were lost as time passed, many of those remaining indicate the social rank or job title of its inhabitants; however, most of the inscriptions simply indicate how loving a couple was, or the love of parents and such. A common and particularly interesting one found in Roman catacombs is the
Ichthys, or "Monogram of Christ" which reads ΙΧΘΥΣ, standing for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior".
[
]
Bacteria
In recent years unique strains of bacteria have been discovered that thrive in catacombs, inducing mineral efflorescence and decay. These include Kribbella sancticallisti, Kribbella catacumbae, and three types of non-thermophilic (low-temperature) Rubrobacter.[ ScienceDaily, Bacteria Cause Old Buildings To Feel Off-Color
28 October 2008][ ScienceDaily, New Life Found in Ancient Tombs, 1 October 2008]
See also
Notes
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Enid Blyton "Five go to Smuggler's Top" Hodder and Stroughton (1945)
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Éamonn Ó Carragáin, Carol L. Neuman de Vegvar Roma felix: formation and reflections of medieval Rome Ashgate (14 March 2008) p. 33 Roma Felix: Formation and Reflections of Medieval Rome
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Nicholson, Paul Thomas (2005) "The sacred animal necropolis at North Saqqara: the cults and their catacombs" In Salima Ikram (ed) Divine creatures: animal mummies in Ancient Egypt. American University in Cairo Press, 2005 pp. 44–71.
External links
