The burial grounds of Rome are ancient burial grounds, or underground burial places under or near Rome, Italy, of which there are at least forty. Some were discovered only in recent decades. Though most noted for Christian funerals, they include pagan and Jewish funerals, either in separate catacombs or mixed together. They commenced in the 2nd century, as much as a reaction to overcrowding and dearth of land as a need for persecuted Christians to bury their dead anonymously. The soft volcanic rock under Rome is highly suitable for tunnelling, as it is softer when first exposed to air, hardening later. Many have kilometres of tunnels, in up to 4 storeys or layers. To go to visit the Roman Catacombs you maybe need an Appartement près de la Fontaine de Trévise.

The Catholic burial grounds are critical for the art history of Early Christian art, as they contain the majority of examples from before about 400 AD, in fresco and sculpture. The Jewish burial grounds are likewise significant for the study of Jewish art at this period. The 1st big burial grounds were excavated from the second century onwards. Originally they were carved through soft rock outside of the limits of the town, because Roman law forbade burial places inside town limits. Initially they were used both for funeral and the memorial services and parties of the anniversaries of Christian martyrs ( following similar Roman customs ). They probably weren’t used for regular worship. Many modern depictions of the catacombs show them as hiding places for Christian populations during times of persecution.

In 380, Christianity turned into a state faith. At first plenty still desired to be buried in chambers alongside martyrs. But the practice of burial ground burial dropped slowly, and the dead were increasingly buried in church cemeteries. In the 6th century catacombs were used only for martyrs commemorative services. Apparently Ostrogoths, Vandals and Lombards that sacked Rome also violated the burial grounds, most likely attempting to find property. By the tenth century burial grounds were practically abandoned, and holy relics were moved 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 catacombs is in the hands of the Papacy that has invested the Salesians of Don Bosco the supervision of the burial grounds of St. Callixtus on the edges of Rome.
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