Catacomb of Priscilla

Last updated
Catacomb of Priscilla
Madonna catacomb.jpg
Possibly an image of Mary nursing the Infant Jesus. 3rd century, Catacomb of Priscilla
Catacomb of Priscilla
Click on the map to see marker.
Location Rome, Italy
Coordinates 41°55′47″N12°30′31″E / 41.9297°N 12.5087°E / 41.9297; 12.5087
TypeCatacombs

The Catacomb of Priscilla is an archaeological site on the Via Salaria in Rome, Italy, situated in what was a quarry in Roman times. This quarry was used for Christian burials from the late 2nd century through the 4th century. This catacomb, according to tradition, is named after the wife of the Consul Manius Acilius Glabrio; he is said to have become a Christian and was killed on the orders of Domitian. Some of the walls and ceilings display fine decorations illustrating Biblical scenes.

Contents

The modern entrance to the catacomb is on the Via Salaria through the cloister of the monastery of the Benedictines of Priscilla. The Catacombs of Priscilla are divided into three principal areas: an arenarium, a cryptoporticus from a large Roman villa, and the underground burial area of the ancient Roman family, the Acilius Glabrio.

Artworks

The wall paintings in this catacomb include images of saints and early Christian symbols, such as the painting reproduced in Giovanni Gaetano Bottari's folio of 1754, where the Good Shepherd is depicted as feeding the lambs, with a crowing cock on his right and left hand. [1]

External videos
Good Shepherd Catacomb of Priscilla.jpg
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome, 11:03, Smarthistory [2]

Particularly notable is the "Greek Chapel" (Capella Greca), a square chamber with an arch which contains 3rd century frescoes generally interpreted to be Old and New Testament scenes, including the Fractio Panis. Above the apse is a Last Judgment. New, and somewhat controversial research has begun to suggest that the scenes traditionally interpreted as the deuterocanonical story of Susannah (Daniel 13) may actually be scenes from the life of a prestigious Christian woman of the 2nd century AD. [3] Near this are figures of the Madonna and Child and the Prophet Isaiah, also dating from the early 3rd century.

The Priscilla catacombs may contain the oldest known Marian paintings, from the early third century. [4] [5] Mary is shown with Jesus on her lap, and the catacombs may have a depiction of the Annunciation, though the latter has been disputed. [6]

Papal tombs

Because seven early popes and many martyrs were buried in the cemetery, it was known as the "Queen of the Catacombs" in antiquity. Two popes were buried in the Catacomb of Priscilla: Pope Marcellinus (296-304) and Pope Marcellus I (308-309). [7] Their martyrdom was represented in the iconographies made by order of the Popes Damasus, Siricius, Celestine and Virgilius. [5]

Alleged relics of Popes Sylvester I, Stephen I, and Dionysius were exhumed and enshrined beneath the high altar of San Martino ai Monti (founded as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti), in the Esquiline area of Rome. Pope Sylvester I was likely originally buried in San Martino ai Monti, although some sources say his remains were transferred there. An unidentified papal sarcophagus discovered during the demolition of Old Saint Peter's Basilica was attributed to Sylvester I and moved to Nonantola Abbey, near the altar that contains the remains of Pope Adrian III. Other sources describe a combination of Sylvester I and Vigilius in an altar in St. Peter's. [8]

Other relics

The bones of Saints Praxedes and Pudentiana were contained in the catacomb until they were moved in the 9th century by Pope Paschal I to be housed in the rebuilt Santa Prassede. [9]

It is also in this catacomb that the relics of saint Philomena were found.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Marcellus I</span> Head of the Catholic Church from 308 to 309

Pope Marcellus I was the bishop of Rome from May or June 308 to his death. He succeeded Marcellinus after a considerable interval. Under Maxentius, he was banished from Rome in 309, on account of the tumult caused by the severity of the penances he had imposed on Christians who had lapsed under the recent persecution. He died the same year, being succeeded by Eusebius. His relics are under the altar of San Marcello al Corso in Rome. Since 1969 his feast day, traditionally kept on 16 January by the Catholic Church, is left to local calendars and is no longer inscribed in the General Roman Calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Mark</span> Head of the Catholic Church in 336

Pope Mark was the bishop of Rome from 18 January to his death on 7 October 336.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catacombs of Rome</span> Ancient burial places in Rome, Italy

The Catacombs of Rome are ancient catacombs, underground burial places in and around Rome, of which there are at least forty, some rediscovered only in recent decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pudentiana</span> Christian virgion and martyr

Pudentiana is a virgin and martyr of the 2nd century who refused to worship the Roman Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus Pius as deities. She is sometimes locally known as "Potentiana" and is often coupled with her sister, Praxedes the martyr.

A pontifical academy is an academic honorary society established by or under the direction of the Holy See. Some were in existence well before they were accepted as "Pontifical."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Martino ai Monti</span> Church in Rome, Italy

San Martino ai Monti, officially known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti, is a minor basilica in Rome, Italy, in the Rione Monti neighbourhood. It is located near the edge of the Parco del Colle Oppio, near the corner of Via Equizia and Viale del Monte Oppio, about five to six blocks south of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Manius Acilius Glabrio was a Roman Senator who served as consul ordinarius in AD 91 as the colleague of Trajan, afterwards emperor. Although one of many senators executed during the reign of Domitian on the alleged grounds of plotting against the emperor, he was remembered by his contemporaries best for his strength. Domitian summoned Glabrio during the latter's consulate to his Alban estate during the festival of the Juvenalia to kill a large lion; not only did Glabrio despatch the beast, but he escaped all injury. Following his defeat of the lion, Glabrio was banished by Domitian, then executed while in exile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Praxedes</span> Second century Christian saint

Saint Praxedes, called "a Roman maiden", was a saint and virgin who lived in the Roman Empire during the 2nd century. Along with her sister, Saint Pudentiana, she provided for the poor and gave care and comfort to persecuted Christians and martyrs. Her veneration began in the 4th century and many churches have been dedicated to her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felicitas of Rome</span>

Felicitas of Rome, also anglicized as Felicity, is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. Apart from her name, the only thing known for certain about this martyr is that she was buried in the Cemetery of Maximus, on the Via Salaria on a 23 November. However, a legend presents her as the mother of the seven martyrs whose feast is celebrated on 10 July. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates their martyrdom on 25 January.

The Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology is an official board of the Vatican founded in 1852 by Pope Pius IX for the purpose of promoting and directing excavations in the Catacombs of Rome and on other sites of Christian antiquarian interest, and of safeguarding the objects found during such excavations. In 1925, Pope Pius XI declared that the Commission was Pontifical and its competencies were defined in detail and reaffirmed recently in the conventions between the Holy See and the Italian State.

The Pontifical Academy of Martyrs is one of the ten Pontifical Academies established by the Holy See. It serves to advance the cult of saints and martyrs and the study of related early Christian history, including the catacombs. It operates with guidance and support from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and the Roman Curia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catacomb of Callixtus</span> Ancient Roman site

The Catacomb(s) of Callixtus is one of the Catacombs of Rome on the Appian Way, most notable for containing the Crypt of the Popes, which once contained the tombs of several popes from the 2nd to 4th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catacomb of Pontian</span> Ancient Roman artifact

The Catacomb(s) of Pontian is one of the catacombs of Rome on the Via Portuensis, notable for containing the original tombs of Pope Anastasius I (399–401) and his son Pope Innocent I (401–417). The Catacomb was discovered by famed Italian explorer Antonio Bosio in 1618.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catacombs of Generosa</span> Ancient Roman site

The Catacomb of Generosa is a catacomb of Rome (Italy), located in Via delle Catacombe di Generosa, close to a big bight of river Tiber on the right bank, in the Portuense quarter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catacombs of Saint Agnes</span> Catacomb in Rome, Italy

The Catacomb of Saint Agnes is one of the catacombs of Rome, placed at the second mile of via Nomentana, inside the monumental complex of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura, in the Quartiere Trieste.

The Catacombs of San Valentino is one of the catacombs of Rome (Italy), placed at the 2nd mile of the via Flaminia, now in Viale Maresciallo Pilsudski, in the modern Pinciano neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catacombs of San Sebastiano</span> Cemetery in Rome, Italy

The Catacombs of San Sebastiano are a hypogeum cemetery in Rome, Italy, rising along Via Appia Antica, in the Ardeatino Quarter. It is one of the very few Christian burial places that has always been accessible. The first of the former four floors is now almost completely destroyed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catacombs of Domitilla</span> Catacomb in Rome, Italy

The Catacombs of Domitilla are an underground Christian cemetery named after the Domitilla family that had initially ordered them to be dug. Located in Rome, Italy, are the human-made subterranean passageways used for cemeteries and religious practice. They are among the largest catacombs in Rome, spreading out 17 km, largely along the ancient Via Ardeatine, laid out on four levels, and housing approximately 15,000 bodies underground. The Catacombs of Domitilla are the only catacombs in Rome that have an underground Basilica and are of one only five Roman catacombs open to the public. Constructed during the second and third centuries, this labyrinth of underground passages contains frescoes and a wealth of Christian iconography while also presenting masterful engineering skills and innovative architectural techniques.

References

  1. The Hymns of Prudentius, Aurelius Clemens Prudentius. p. 125, Publisher: Echo Library, 2008, ISBN   9781406866100
  2. "Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome". Smarthistory at Khan Academy . Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  3. Nicola Denzey, The Bone Gatherers: The Lost Worlds of Early Christian Women, Boston: Beacon Press 2007
  4. La prima immagine di Maria nelle catacombe di Priscilla (Roma) [The first image of the Virgin Mary in the catacomb of Priscilla] (in Italian). TV2000. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  5. 1 2 P.L.Imbrighi; M.Marocco; A.Migliorini (January 1, 2007). "Catacombe di Priscilla – Via Salaria" (PDF). Rubricatus della Pontificia Accademia Cultorum Martyrum (in Italian). Pontificia Academia Cultorum Martyrum. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2010.
  6. Vladimir Lossky, 1982 The Meaning of Icons ISBN   978-0-913836-99-6 p. 173; compare Mary Joan Winn Leith, "Earliest Depictions of the Virgin Mary," Biblical Archaeology Review, vol. 43, no. 2, March/April 2017, p. 49
  7. Reardon, 2004, p. 32.
  8. Reardon, 2004, pp. 33–34.
  9. "Praxedes and Pudentia". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 October 2010.

Sources