I See Dead People

Today was an adventure to say the least. The four of us (Bonnie, Sasha, Christina, and myself) found ourselves outside the Roman walls at the Catacombs of St. Priscilla. Out of the five of sixty catacombs available to the public, the catacombs of St. Priscilla contain the most well-perserved frescos dating from the 2nd century. We were in awe. We were led through a small fraction of a three level, 14 kilometer labyrinth containing more than 30,000 buried Christians. Our tour guide showed us the the different tombs depending on status and religious devotion. The tombs of the wealthy were sealed off by marble while those of the poor were closed off by terracotta. The frescos surrounded the tombs of martyrs and the wealthy depicting their life stories and accomplishments. We plan on making a trip to see the other four catacombs available to the public because even though eerie, the catacombs were amazing. The fact miles and miles of mazes were constructed underground for the protection of Christians from persecution and for their dead during the 2nd and 3rd centuries blows my mind.

These are a few pictures from outside the catacombs. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures while touring the crypts.