The crypt of St. Cecilia

The Patron Saint of the Musicians

St. Cecilia came from a noble roman family. She used to live at Trastevere. When she was teenager she converted to Christianity. Married to a roman soldier Valerianus not according to her will. She converted him to Christianity and consecrated her virginity to Christ. Due to her faith she was sentenced to death by the prefect of Rome and she was martyred. She undergone all shorts of tortured and latter she was beheaded. According to the Passion of St. Cecilia written in the 7th century, they tried to cut-off the head three times but unable to cut-off the whole head so the saint was left in agony for three days and died later. Her body remained here from the 3rd AD - 9th AD. In the 9th century Pope Pascal I (817-824) rebuilt the Basilica of St. Cecilia dedicated to her at Trastevere right on the top of her house, so the body was translated there.

In 1599, Cardinal Paulo Sfondrati (1561-1618) ordered to open the sarcophagus of St. Cecilia and miraculously they found the body was intact and in the position as what we see here now. Stefano Maderno a renowned artist sculpted a marble statue to refigure the martyr. The original statue is now located at the basilica at Transtevere, a copy located in the catacomb was donated by a family from New York (USA).

The sculptor highlighted the cut in the neck, because according to the testimony and based on the "passion of St. Cecilia" the head was not wholly decapitated but the saint was left in agony for three days and died later. While in agony she pointed out one finger in the right hand and on the left hand with three fingers. These signs represented her believe in One God and Three Divine Persons: The Holy Trinity.

History

There are more than 60 catacombs in Rome. This is the biggest complex and was declared as the official cemetery of the Church in the third century by Pope Zephyrinus I.

In the early first century, the first Christian community didn't have their own cemeteries here in Rome, most of the martyrs were buried in "Necropolis", including St. Peter and St. Paul, the two pillars of the Church.

In the Second century, few of the Roman wealthy families and the aristocrats converted to Christianity. They started to donate their lands and belongings to the Church. Few of these lands were utilized to bury the martyrs and their Christian brothers and sisters, in particular way the poor and the slaves.

Pope Callixtus I

In the third century, Pope Zephyrinus I (199-217) acquired a land along the oldest road of Roman Empire in "Via Appia Antica", and built the actual catacomb. This was declared as the "official cemetery of the Church".

He appointed deacon Callixtus to be the first administrator of this Catacomb. Callixtus came from a very poor family and was an ex slave (Liberti). According to some sources, he worked for a Roman rich person by administrating a bank, however this bank got bankrupt and was accused as the cause and eventually was imprisoned in Sicily with hard labor in a mine. Later he was freed. He was ordained deacon by the Pope and assigned as the first administrator of the catacomb for 20 years. After years of dedication in the catacomb, deacon Callixtus (217-222) was elected Pope succeeding Pope Zephyrinus. Eventually this Catacomb was named after him. He was buried in the catacomb of Calepodius on the Aurelian way. At present his remain believed to be found in the basilica of St. Mary at Trastevere.

St. Cecilia martyr

In the 4th century, Christianity reaches its golden era. Emperor Constantine with the edict of Milan (313 AD) gave the freedom of Cult to the Christians. Eventually, this catacomb became very important to the first Christian community, and became a pilgrim place and turned to be an underground shrine. There were 16 Popes of the third century buried underground and more than 70 martyrs buried underground too, including the young martyr St. Cecilia. The catacomb contained half a million deceased people buried from the 3rd-century till 5th-century.

Welcome

Welcome to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus!

The catacomb of st. Callixtus is situated along the Appian way, just few miles away from the Aurelian wall. Nearby we can also visit other Christian Catacombs such as, the catacombs of St. Sebastian, Domitila and Pretestato. Other interesting monuments that can be visited: Quo Vadis Church, Circus of Maxentius and Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella.

This Christian site attracts many pilgrims from all over the world, in a special way during the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy declared by Pope Francis (2015-2016). Everyday almost one thousand pilgrims and visitors are visiting this site. Each and everyone who visited this place will experience the history of the Church in it's early existence. As you pass through the galleries underground you actually entering the reality lived by the first Christian community in the early first century and you will absorb the spirit of the protomartyrs who defended their faith by offering their lives during the persecution period started from the first century until fourth century.

The Catacomb offers you history, arts, great engineering work, archeology and above all great faith in God of the first Christian community. You'll be amazed and wondered by many surprises underground.