THE MASS:

1
THE MASS Underground
Part IVb The Mass of the Catacombs

250-313
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700
1800 1900 2000
2
The Martyrs of the
Catacombs In the catacombs, the martyrs are
buried who were killed during the cruel
persecutions willed by Emperors Decius,
Valerianus and Diocletian. Around the tombs of
the martyrs, a form of devotion developed rapidly
among the pilgrims who left their graffiti and
prayers at these exceptional burial places. The
Christians tried to arrange the burial places of
their deceased as close as possible to the
martyrs tombs because it was thought this would
also establish a mystical nearness in heaven.
3
Catacombs of San Callixtus (via Appia Antica)
These are the largest catacombs of the city.
They originated as private tombs of the second
century and become the official tombs of the
Roman bishops in the third century. They extend
over four floors. Burial recesses carved into the
rock line both sides of the corridors. Some
recesses that were created to hold many bodies,
for many members of the same family, have also
been excavated. By way of a fourth century
ladder, the Crypt of the Popes can be reached,
one of the oldest nucleuses, where various
pontifical martyrs, recorded in the Greek
inscriptions, were buried.
4
The catacombs of St. Callixtus are among the
greatest and most important of Rome. They
originated about the middle of the second century
and are part of a cemetery complex which occupies
an area of 90 acres, with a network of galleries
about 12 miles long, in four levels, more than
twenty meters deep. In it were buried countless
martyrs, 16 popes and very many Christians. They
are named after the deacon Callixtus who, at the
beginning of the 200s was appointed by pope
Zephyrinus as the administrator of the cemetery
and so the catacombs of St. Callixtus became the
official cemetery of the Church of Rome. In the
open area are two small basilicas with three
apses. In the Eastern one were perhaps laid to
rest pope Zephyrinus and the young martyr of the
Eucharist, St. Tarcisius. The underground
cemetery includes several areas. The Crypts of
Lucina and the area of the Popes and of St.
Cecilia are the most ancient areas (2nd century).
The other areas are named after St. Miltiades
(half of the 3rd century), St. Gaius and St.
Eusebius (end of 3rd century), the Western Area
(first half of the 4th century) and the Liberian
Area (second half of 4th century).
5
The St. Callixtus complex, between the second and
third mile of the ancient Appian Way, is made up
by above ground cemetery areas with an annexed
ancient underground burial chamber that can be
dated to the end of the second century. The
se were originally independent from one another
and were later connected to form one vast network
of community catacombs. The complex owes its name
to the pope and martyr St. Callixtus (217-222)
who before his papacy, was entrusted by Pope
Zephrinus (199-217) with the administration of
the cemetery which was considered the pre-eminent
cemetery of the Roman Church, the burial place of
many pontiffs and martyrs.
6
One of the most ancient and important regions of
the catacombs is that of the Popes and of St.
Cecilia. Along one gallery of this region the
cubicula called of the Sacraments developed
(first decades of the third century A.D.), which
preserve some of the most ancient paintings in
the catacombs. In one crypt of the region,
almost all the pontiffs of the third century were
buried Pontain, Anterus, Fabian, Lucius,
Stephen, Sixtus II, Dionysius, Felix and
Eutychian. Next to the crypt of the Popes, the
crypt of St. Cecilia is found to whom a cult was
attributed especially in the high middle ages.
Some other regions with catacombs of importance
are those of Pope St. Cornelius (251-253), who
died in exile in Civitavecchia Pope St.
Miltiades (311-314) Popes Sts. Gaius (283-296)
and Eusebius (309), and the so-called Liberian
catacomb because of the many inscriptions from
the era of Pope St. Liberius (352-366
7
The Crypt of the Popes It is the most important
and venerated crypt of the cemetery, called the
little Vatican as it was the official burial
place of nine popes and, probably, of eight
dignitaries of Rome's 3rd century Church. In the
walls you can still see the original
inscriptions, in Greek, of five popes. On four
tombstones, near the name of the pope, there is
the title of bishop, since the Pope was
regarded as the head of the Church of Rome, and
on two of them there is the Greek abbreviation of
MPT for Martyr. Here are the names of the
five popes Pontianus, Antherus, Fabian, Lucius
and Eutichian. In the front wall was laid to rest
Pope Sixtus II, a victim of emperor Valerian's
persecution. In front of his tomb pope Damasus
(4th century) placed a marble slab, with a Latin
poem celebrating the glorious memories of the
Martyrs and Christians buried in these catacombs
8
(No Transcript)
9
It originated towards the 2nd century as a
private crypt. When the first area came under the
direct dependence of the Church of Rome, it was
thought suitable to transform that burial chamber
into the cemetery of the Popes. In its lower
part the crypt had four niches containing
sarcophagi, and twelve tombs, six on each side
sixteen sepulchers in all. In front of the
end-wall, a table-tomb (a mensa) was built The
sepulchers, now empty, once contained the remains
of nine Popes and of eight Bishops of the 3rd
century. Still seen are the original
inscriptions on the wall, though broken and
incomplete, regarding five of the Popes. Their
names are written in Greek, following the
official usage of the Church in that time.
10
In chronological order, their names were St.
Pontianus (230-235) - banished by the Emperor
Alexander Severus to forced labor in the
Sardinian mines, where he died from ill
treatment. Pope Fabian had his remains brought
back to Rome and laid within the crypt. St.
Antherus (235-236) - his 43 day pontificate was
spent in prison where he died. St. Fabian
(236-250) - the large part of his pontificate was
during a period of little persecution. He was
decapitated when the persecutions of the Emperor
Decius began. St. Lucius (253-254) - his short
pontificate was during a period of violent
persecutions. St. Stephen (254-257) - he was
pope during the violent persecution of the
Emperors Valerian and Gallienus. St. Sixtus II
(257-258) - beheaded along with his deacons by
soldiers of the Emperor Valerian. St. Dionysius
(259-268) St. Felix (269-274) was martyred under
the Emperor Aurelian. St. Eutichian (275-283)
11
The companions of Sixtus are the four deacons
Gennarius, Magnus, Vincent and Stephen, who were
martyred with him. The group of the elders, who
keep guard of the altars of Christ are clearly
the popes buried in this catacomb. The bishop
who lived through the long peace refers to a
pope who lived before the great persecutions
roused by Diocletian between the end of the 3rd
and the first years of the 4th century he is
either Fabian or Dionysius or Eutichian. The
holy confessors sent to us from Greece are
probably a group of martyrs Martia, Neon,
Hippolytus, Adria, Paulina, Martha, Valeria,
Eusebius and Marcellus, who were buried in the
Callixtian Complex.
http//www.catacombe.roma.it/index.html
12
The Crypt of St. Cecilia
In a crypt is found the tomb of Saint Cecilia,
martyred at the beginning of the third century.
Her remains were transferred to the Church of
Saint Cecilia in Trastevere. The cubicle is
decorated with frescoes from the fifth to ninth
centuries.
13
The Cubicles of the
Sacraments Passing through imposing galleries
full of loculi, there are five small chambers,
truly family tombs, commonly known as the
cubicles of the Sacraments, and particularly
important for their frescoes. The frescoes can
be dated to the beginning of the 3rd century
(200s) and represent symbolically the sacraments
of Baptism and of the Eucharist. Also depicted is
the prophet Jonah, a symbol of the resurrection.
14
Apostles Peter, Paul, John and Andrew
15
The Fractio Panis (Breaking of the
Bread) Catacomb of Priscilla A very good example
of the painting of the Eucharist, the fractio
panis, in the catacombs of Priscilla which
reminds us of the important rite celebrated in
all the tituli, in the various domus ecclesiae,
such as those which existed here in Trastevere
(tituli of Cecilia, Chrysogonus and Callixtus).
The Breaking of Bread was not just the opening
gesture of the agape as such, but was surrounded
by a complex liturgy there were psalms, readings
from the prophets, homily of the celebrant,
etc.    Returning to the painting of the
fractio panis in the catacombs of Priscilla, the
eucharistic gesture is indicated and brought out
well by the presence of the one shown seated at
the head of the table in the banquet (in the
ancient world, the most important person was
seated at the head of the table). The presider at
the feast in this picture holds a strange posture
for a communal meal but one very well suited to a
eucharistic celebration his outstretched hands
are breaking the bread. In front of him is a
chalice. It is clearly a painting of a
eucharistic banquet. Many are the eucharistic
paintings preserved in the catacombs.
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18
(No Transcript)
19
From under the Earth to above the Ground
the Basilicas
20
End of The Mass of the Catacombs, Part IVb Go
to The Mass of the Basilicas, Part Va