The catacombs of Rome are traditional catacombs, or underground funeral places under or near Rome, Italy, of which there are at least 40. Some were discovered only in recent decades. Though most renowned for Christian burials, they include pagan and Jewish burials, either in separate burial grounds or mixed together. They began in the 2nd century, as much as a reaction to overcrowding and deficit of land as a need for persecuted Christians to bury their dead anonymously. The soft volcanic rock under Rome is highly acceptable for tunnelling, as it is softer when first exposed to air, toughening afterwards. Many have kilometres of tunnels, in up to four storeys or layers. To go to visit the Roman Catacombs you maybe need an Appartement près de la Fontaine de Trévise.

The Catholic catacombs are extremely important for the art history of Early Christian art, as they contain the majority of examples from before about four hundred AD, in fresco and sculpture. The Jewish catacombs are in a similar way vital for the study of Jewish art at this period. The 1st sizeable catacombs were excavated from the second century onwards. Originally they were carved thru soft rock outside of the limits of the town, because Roman law forbade funeral places inside town limits. Initially they were used both for burial and the memorial services and celebrations of the anniversaries of Christian martyrs ( following similar Roman customs ). They weren't utilised for regular worship. Many modern depictions of the burial grounds show them as hiding places for Christian populations in occassions of persecution.

In 380, Christianity changed into a state faith. At first plenty still desired to be buried in chambers alongside martyrs. Nonetheless the practice of catacomb funeral dropped slowly, and the dead were increasingly buried in church cemeteries. In the 6th century burial grounds were used just for martyrs commemorative services. Apparently Ostrogoths, Vandals and Lombards that sacked Rome also violated the catacombs, possibly searching for valuables. By the 10th century catacombs were practically deserted, and holy relics were transferred to above-ground basilicas. If you already know everything about Roma, another option is to take an appartement de luxe paris.
Now maintenance of the burial grounds is in the hands of the Papacy that has invested the Salesians of Don Bosco the supervision of the catacombs of St. Callixtus on the outskirts of Rome.
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