Victor R. Claveau, MJ
The hostility which the Roman rulers showed toward Christianity led in this age to an institution that will be remembered with reverence as long as history lasts. This was the catacombs: Underground chambers hollowed out by the Christians for which to bury their dead—so often Martyrs—with Christian rites, and on occasion they would celebrate Mass without fear of detection. The chief catacombs were constructed outside the walls of the city of Rome, forty in number, but others were found in some of the scattered Christian centers of the empire. As time passed and the number of the Christians, living and dead, increased, these subterranean chambers were extended systematically into a great series of labyrinthine passages 360 miles long with networks of galleries as much as five layers deep. Perhaps as many as 750,000 Christians found their final resting place beneath the city of Rome.[1] Ventilated from above, they were capable of accommodating great numbers of the faithful at meetings and devotions.
The catacombs were visited by devout pilgrims long after the actual need for them ceased. Many of them may still be visited today. We venerate them, not only because they were the cradle of the Christian mysteries and the tomb of the holy martyrs, but also because they contain a wonderful record of early Christian belief and practice. The epitaphs upon these subterranean tombs and the symbols and prayers inscribed upon the walls of the passages clearly express every belief which is held by Catholics today.
Constantine the Great was the first ruler to extend recognition to Christianity. His Edict of Milan marked the end of the Christian persecutions and brought the Church out of the catacombs. Great churches were built in Rome, including the basilicas of Saint Peter’s on Vatican hill at the site of Saint Peter’s martyrdom and grave, and Saint Paul’s Outside-the-Walls at the site of Saint Paul’s martyrdom.
It is impossible for such a concise booklet as this, to provide even a cursory guide to the writings of the Early Church Fathers. I therefore invite the reader to personally search out the numerous writings that attest to the reality of the Catholic Church and the apostolic foundations for Catholic doctrine.
[1] Christopher Kleinhenz, Edit., Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia. (New York: Roultedge, 2004), p. 191