Today we started with a long trip to the other side of the ancient city to visit the catacombs. The catacombs are not monolithic structures, but were burial grounds in various parts of of the city. We visited the Catacomb of Priscilla, which was a Christian burial place for 300 years from 200 to 500. A Catacomb is a web of tunnels, 20-30 feet underground, very humid, with niches cut into the side of the walls. Every so often, there are chambers that open onto the tunnel where families were buried. This may not seem important, but in the Catacomb of Priscilla, there were 200-300 martyrs buried during this period (they were removed mostly by the 900's to fill the Roman churches), including 4 of the first 7 popes. As with most Roman structures, they were covered in frescos, and so with what remains, we have many of the firsts in Christian imagery, including the first Madonna and child. Sadly, there are no photos allowed.
To make up for this lack of photos, a couple of my classmates wanted to go shopping for all things clerical this afternoon. There are two major sections of priestly goods, one near the Vatican and one near the Pantheon. We went to the one near the Pantheon and while going and coming, I convinced them to stop by some of the very important/pretty churches around there.
Tomb of St. Catherine of Sienna. So I have seen her foot
and her body, now for the head in Sienna
Pantheon at dusk
Ceiling of the Gesu, the main Jesuit church in Rome
The tomb of St. Ignatius of Loyla
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