Persecutions of Christians

The history confirmed that the persecution against the Christians in Rome was started with Emperor Nero. He took advantage of the popular hatred against the Christians by the roman citizens by burning part of the city of Rome to build his ambitious residence Domus Aurea. It was in his time that St. Peter and St. Paul the two main pillars of the Church were martyred (67 AD and 68 AD).

The persecution of the Christians actuality was not programmatic and sequential, there at times when they live in peace under few roman emperors. The fieriest persecution came under the emperor Decius, Valerius and Dioclesianus. 

During the persecution particularly during the time of Emperor Valerian, many thought that the Christians took refuged in the catacombs in order to escape the persecution. However there was no evidence that could demonstrate that the Christians were hiding underground during difficult moments of persecution.

The Christians did not used the Catacombs to be their hiding place, because the Catacombs were a public cemetery and known to the public authorities including the emperors. The main reason was because the Roman law protected all types of cemeteries and necropolis including that of the Christians. Respect towards the dead was highly observed and it was prohibited under the law to live side by side with the dead. The temperature underground is 15 degree Celsius and there is high humidity underground, more or less 90% all the time.

One thing was certain that during the persecution, especially during the time of Emperor Valerian under the decree of the emperor it was prohibited to perform any gathering in Domus for any religious services such as Eucharist. Therefore the Christians decided to gather on Sundays underground in the catacombs to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Probably meetings, gatherings where held underground and the sacraments of baptism were imparted to the newly converted members of the Church, as narrated in the "Passion of St. Cecilia" during the time of Pope Urbanus I and Pope Sixtus II.