Catacomb of Saints Marcellinus and Peter

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Fresco in the catacomb of hll. Marcellinus and Peter on the Via Labicana . Christ between the apostles Peter and Paul . Among them the martyrs Marcellinus, Petrus, Gorgoninus and Tiburtius, in between the lamb on the Paradise Mountain.

The catacomb of Saints Marcellinus and Peter is an underground burial area in Rome , which was largely built from the second half of the 4th to the 6th century. The catacomb is named after the martyrs Peter and Marcellinus, who died during the Diocletian persecution of Christians . The catacomb has about 17 km long corridors with an area of ​​18,000 m² and a maximum depth of 16 m.

Location and history

The catacomb is located on Via Casilina , the third milestone of the ancient Via Labicana , in the Roman district of Prenestino-Labicano. According to the written sources, it probably grew together from several parts. The martyr Gorgonius was buried in an initially unnamed part . Another area called ad comitatum is named after a former burial place of the Equites singulares located there. After the unity was dissolved, the Roman Emperor Constantine was able to build a basilica and the mausoleum of his mother, St. Helena , erect. In the Liber Pontificalis at the end of the 5th century the term “inter duos lauros” is handed down. The relics of Marcellinus and Peter were 827 under Einhard removed and in the Basilica after Steinbach at Michel city transferred . After a short time he moved to what is now Seligenstadt .

archeology

Numerous inscriptions are known from the catacomb. An epigram of the saints ascribed to Pope Damasus I has come down to us in a copy from the 6th century. A Clemens belonging to a group of four martyrs ( Quatuor Coronati ) is also mentioned in a graffito . The loculus graves , carved into the side walls of the catacomb, were closed with plates that sometimes bore grave inscriptions. The paintings also occasionally have additional inscriptions. In frescoed Arkosolgräbern numerous representations found in the Old and New Testaments, but also Mahldarstellungen. The catacomb is open to the public as part of a guided tour.

  • Arkosol tomb from the catacomb

  • Agap meal

  • Adam and Eve after the fall

  • Jonah is thrown into the sea

  • The healing of the bloody woman

  • Baptism scene

  • Workers in the catacombs

literature

  • Johannes Georg Deckers, Hans Reinhard Seliger, Gabriele Mietke: The catacomb "Santi Marcellino e Pietro". Repertory of Paintings. Pontificio Istitutio di Archaeologia Christiana. Città del Vaticano / Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung Münster 1987. ISBN 3-402-05280-6 (text and plate volume).

Web links

Commons : Catacomb of Saints Marcellinus and Peter  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 41 ° 52 ′ 44.5 "  N , 12 ° 32 ′ 56.7"  E