The area of Pope Gaius and Pope Eusebius

The Crypt of Pope Gaius

Pope Gaius is from Dalmatia, Eastern Europe. Consecrated Pope on 17 December 283 and died on the 22nd of April 296. Most probably he was not martyred but died as "confessor of faith". He came from a noble Roman family and probably had any family relation with emperor Diocletian.

The Crypt of St. Gaius had a special consideration in this catacomb for its exceptional proportions. This crypt can contained more than 60 persons. In fact this was projected to favor Christian community meetings. Probably most of the community gatherings and Eucharistic celebrations were held here. Through the skylight situated in nearby gallery assures light and ventilation.

In 1856 when De Rossi discovered this crypt it was partly destroyed and collapse. Grand part of the crypt was restored then and even today it is used as underground church to host many pilgrims who intend to celebrate the holy Eucharist in honor of the martyrs. During the period of barbaric invasion this crypt was also desecrated, destroyed and looted like others.

The Crypt of Pope Eusebius

According to the book Liber Pontificalis, Pope Eusebius was originally from Greek and son of a doctor. Probably he had a very short pontificate from 18 April - 17 August 309 or 310. According to Depositio Episcoporum, St. Eusebius was buried in the catacomb of St. Callixtus on 26 September but with no precise year. According to his biographical data, during his pastoral ministry he faced hard moment in the history of the Church in order to solve the critical question of Lapsi. Eusebius was exiled to Sicily at Siracusa. He undergone physical hard work and heroically defended the Christian faith (Cf. Antonio Baruffa, Le Catecombe di San Callisto, 94-95).

Lapsi

Toward the end of the Pontificate of Pope Cornelius (253) the Church had to face the crucial problem of Lapsi. Who are Lapsi? They were Christians who denied their faith in order to avoid martyrdom or any form of persecution from the part of the emperor. The denial of their faith consisted of burning incense to the gods of the emperor, offered sacrifices to the pagan idols and by sign a certificate called libellus for having obeyed the decreed of the emperor. They were also called libellatici. This practice was introduce fist time during the reign of Decius (249-251). Later on they made easier the denial of faith by just signing the libellus without burning incense or offering sacrifices to the gods. Unfortunately many Christians took this easy way to deny their Christian faith and signed the letter in order to avoid the martyrdom. The Church considered these Christians who denied their faith as apostati.

When the persecution ended, many of them decided to returned and be accepted back into Church. This situation brought great conflict and division from within the Church. Few members of the hierarchy of the Church did allow them back within the Mother Church without any long period of penitence while the hardliners imposed long and hard period of penitence. This situation created a big conflict inside the heart of the Church in Rome and in the East (Le Catecombe di San Callisto, 98-99).

Types of Tombs in the Catacomb

1. The Crypt: Generally it is designated for the martyrs or the hierarchy of the Church like Popes or Bishops. Initially this was a family tomb but then was transformed into a bigger room and most often it was transformed into an underground Church.

2. The Loculo: Along the walls of the galleries were excavated "loculi", they are rectangular types of tombs designated to one person. At times you may find more than one but those were rare cases. The dead were laid inside the loculo without coffin but wrap with a mantel or a shroud. In some cases the corps were sprinkled with lime or perfume. There at times some aromatic vases were collocated inside the tomb. After deposition of remains of the deceased person the loculo was closed with tiles, bricks or thin marble slabs. This will be sealed with lime or mortar. Two small oil lamps made of terracotta were located inside the small wholes curved at the side of the tomb and sometimes they also put a glass flask filled with perfume. Almost 90% of tombs were belonged to the poor people and to the slaves converted to Christianity (A. Barrufa, Le Catacombe di S. Callisto, 45).

3. The Cubiculum (Family Tomb): There were few tombs that are dedicated to the well-off families, those who donated their lands to the Church. Inside the cubiculum there are "loculi" and "arcosolium". Cubiculum has the form of square or polygonal. They were often decorated with Christian symbols and paintings.

 4. The Arcosolium: It is a special tomb dedicated to important people such as the martyrs, hierarchy of the Church (Diacons and presbyteries) and wealthy families. It is a tomb with an ark on top: Solium sub arcu. The marble slab will be collocated horizontally on top of the tomb. It can only contained one person or sometimes the entire members of the family. They were decorated with Christian paintings and sometimes also with pagan mythologies. It is a type of tomb from the 3rd and 4th century (Le Catacombe di S. Callisto, 45-46).

5. The Forma: These are the tombs excavated on pavement of a crypt, cubicula or along the galleries. Seldom we find them near the tombs of the martyrs or the Popes (Le Catacombe di S. Callisto, 45).

6. The "Mensa": It is a bigger loculo. It won't be closed in a vertical way but in a horizontal way like a table or an altar. It is often used in the 2nd century (Le Catacombe di S. Callisto, 45).

7. Sarcophagus: This type of burial was very rare in the catacombs, because it is very expensive. Only the rich families could afford to have them. Most often they were made out of a marble stone. At times they were sculptured with biblical personalities (Le Catacombe di S. Callisto, 46).

Identification of the Tombs

Most of the Christians who were buried in the catacombs were poor and from humble condition of life. There were also slaves. Most of the tombs had no identification. The Church provided for them free tombs in order that they may also be buried in a dignified manner. Few of the tombs had identifications with inscriptions of their names or Christian symbols. At times we find little lamps, jewelry, coins, glasses or shells to be recognized (Le Catacombe di S. Callisto, 46).