the paintings, cross, and the sarcophagus I painted
spray painting walls to the catacomb
Starting to build the catacombs
One of the burial rooms
side view with the grass on top
Domitillas Catacombs
Colombarium Catacombs
Analysis
The catacombs in Rome were used as underground cemeteries by early Christian communities in the second century. There are at least sixty catacombs in Rome which include tens of thousands of tombs and hundreds of miles of galleries. Christians preferred to bury their dead as Christ was buried as opposed to the Roman tradition of cremation. One of the main reasons the Christians began creating catacombs was that they did not own enough land above ground, and they discovered that it was cheaper to dig underground tombs than it would have been to buy large plots of land. The tombs were constructed in rows, and there could be up to at least ten rectangular tombs or "loculi" on top of one another. The catacombs were covered in artistic designs and symbols which represented the Christian faith, and they were drawn on sarcophagus's exterior or in the larger rooms called Crypts. Many of the catacombs were destroyed when the barbarians attacked Rome, and over time the entrances were buried or hidden from sight. In 1575 an explorer named Antonio Bosio began a search for the lost catacombs in Rome and he was able to gather important information and evidence of the early Christian catacombs which were key components in Roman history.
Early Christian Catacomb Artwork
Works Cited
"Christian Catacombs of Rome." Part 1. The Standard Site. 16 July 2007. 13 Nov 2008 <http://www.catacombe.roma.it/>.
The Christian Catacombs were extremely important in Roman history and throughout the years many discoveries have been made by researchers and explorers. The early Christians who lived in Rome experienced difficulties expressing themselves culturally, and had to create their own structures and traditions in order maintain their religious beliefs. The Christians built catacombs outside the city of Rome, for they felt strongly about their burial customs and proceeded to fulfill their beliefs in the afterlife. In my paper I am talking about the basic description and reasons for the building of the catacombs to the specific artwork and paintings that were present within them.
Catacombs of Rome
Analysis
The catacombs in Rome were used as underground cemeteries by early Christian communities in the second century. There are at least sixty catacombs in Rome which include tens of thousands of tombs and hundreds of miles of galleries. Christians preferred to bury their dead as Christ was buried as opposed to the Roman tradition of cremation. One of the main reasons the Christians began creating catacombs was that they did not own enough land above ground, and they discovered that it was cheaper to dig underground tombs than it would have been to buy large plots of land. The tombs were constructed in rows, and there could be up to at least ten rectangular tombs or "loculi" on top of one another. The catacombs were covered in artistic designs and symbols which represented the Christian faith, and they were drawn on sarcophagus's exterior or in the larger rooms called Crypts. Many of the catacombs were destroyed when the barbarians attacked Rome, and over time the entrances were buried or hidden from sight. In 1575 an explorer named Antonio Bosio began a search for the lost catacombs in Rome and he was able to gather important information and evidence of the early Christian catacombs which were key components in Roman history.
Works Cited
"Christian Catacombs of Rome." Part 1. The Standard Site. 16 July 2007. 13 Nov 2008 <http://www.catacombe.roma.it/>.
"Corridor in the famous catacombs of Rome". Photograph. Roger Viollet/Getty Images. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/ancient/enlarge/domitillas-catacombs.html
"Double gallery in the catacombs of Rome". Photograph. Roger Viollet/Getty Images. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/ancient/enlarge/colombarium-catacombs.html
"Early Christian Catacomb". Photograph. G. Neri/Woodfin Camp and Associates, Inc. http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t065/T065226A.jpg
Abstract
The Christian Catacombs were extremely important in Roman history and throughout the years many discoveries have been made by researchers and explorers. The early Christians who lived in Rome experienced difficulties expressing themselves culturally, and had to create their own structures and traditions in order maintain their religious beliefs. The Christians built catacombs outside the city of Rome, for they felt strongly about their burial customs and proceeded to fulfill their beliefs in the afterlife. In my paper I am talking about the basic description and reasons for the building of the catacombs to the specific artwork and paintings that were present within them.