San Callisto Catacombs

Introduction

During the ancient Rome, it was popular to cremate a person once he was dead. The ashes were preserved in urns and then stored in houses and sacred places. However, the Christians did not practice cremation since they believed in the resurrection. Thus, they preferred to bury each other but burying dead bodies required large areas of land which they did not have at the time due (Athnos, 300). Therefore, they settled on catacombs which were like underground cemeteries. Besides strengthening their belief in the resurrection, the Christians used the Catacombs to display their art and symbols. Some people held the perception that the catacombs were hiding places an assumption that easily dismissed since the catacombs were located near the main roads and the rotting bodies must have made the conditions unbearable (Athnos, 367). Making the catacombs was accessible given that they were established on grounds with soft rocks, making it easy to dig tunnels. Eventually, when Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire, the purpose of the catacombs changed significantly. Catacombs became a place of pilgrimage besides being a burial place. After the establishment of cathedrals, the catacombs became a memorial place for prosecuted Christians. The catacombs are home to a diverse collection of Christian art (Gough, 313).

Description and History

The Catacomb of San Callisto is one of the most prominent of the catacombs. It occupies approximately 15 hectares of land with over 500,000 graves and stretches for over twenty kilometres. Established in 150 AD, it was named after Saint Callixtus who oversaw its extension between 217and 222 AD. Later, in his effort to honour the Roman martyrs, Pope Damascus expanded the catacomb of San Callisto to make it easy for worshipers to access the martyrs’ graves. San Callisto catacomb consists of four levels with five sections with only the second level open to visitors. Channels interconnect the rooms, and the walls of the chambers have holes big enough to bury two to three people.

Figure 1

Besides the holes, some cubicles were large enough that were reserved for burying people from the same family (see fig, 1). Other than that, there are cubicles large sufficient to bury several people. These cubicles were used to bury people belonging to one family (see fig. 1). However, the most visited areas of the catacomb are the graves of the popes, Saint Cecilia and sacraments. The end of the third century saw the construction of Saint Gaius and Eusebius sections of San Callisto catacomb (Gough, 389). Subsequent centuries saw the development of the western section and the Liberian section which had different designs. For instance, Pope Damasus replaced the stairway to the crypt of the popes with a more contemporary one. In the tomb of the popes, nine affiliates of the major seminary of priests were buried there together with eight legislatures of the clerical hierarchy. On the walls near the affiliate’s graves, their names have been inscribed in the Greek language. A variety of artistry is displayed in the catacombs ranging from frescos representing baptism and Eucharist to a child’s coffin with relief sculptures showing various events in the bible.

Artworks

The type of art found in this catacomb is dissimilar from the traditional Roman art of the time, which could be interpreted as a sign of anticipation and optimism in times when death crept in the Christian society. The paintings try to depict the religious experience of the Christians under the Roman regime with most symbols representing their hardships (Lassus, 455).

The art represents Paleochristian art that existed between first to sixth centuries influenced by the ancient Greek and Roman art. The paintings in the catacomb are perceived to reveal about the lifestyle of the Christians of that era (Milburn, 2017). The Christian leaders employed the artists, and their works communicated the message that there was hope in resurrection (Lassus, 501). Based on the number of colours, the artists had limited colours to choose from and used aggressive brushstrokes. The images on the walls evoke purpose, but some are worn out due to free movement of air and varying temperatures in the catacomb. The sculptures were made from stone materials and were well preserved while the coffins were made from limestone (Milburn, 376).

Some of the coffins had reliefs on the sides and even on the top marble (see figure. 2). Others only had one or two side sculptures, especially the front side. The relief sculptures on the coffins showed a part of Jesus’ life, a significant event in the bible and not so often, a figure of the departed. Also, there are inscriptions, symbols and signs in Latin and Greek on the walls of the catacomb (Lassus, 602).

The catacombs have Christian messages written by the first pilgrims that worshipped in the catacombs.

Most of the catacombs, especially in the crypt of the pope, have both known and unknown figures represented by the frescoes and sculptures. An illustration depicting a praying person with the arms spread out. (Lowden, 322).

Perhaps the most beautiful and noteworthy frescoes in the Catacombs of San Callisto are the good shepherd, the Eucharistic, the procession, the baptism and one depicting fish and loaves. The excellent shepherd, who is hoisting a sheep, which is the most repeated theme, was painted in the middle of the third century.

Figure 3

The shepherd depicted in this fresco is Jesus Christ (see figure. 3). The story behind this painting is that Jesus was able to leave a large flock of sheep unattended to go and search for a single lost sheep. It shows the kind of loving attention that Jesus gives to individual amongst the multitude. What remains of this painting is simply a rough sketch composed of dull green and soil colours. The figure in itself is smaller compared to the other paintings on the same wall (Lowden, 423).

The baptism fresco shows one larger man pouring water on the head of a smaller man. The water and the bodies of the people in the painting have a brownish-red colour, with the water flowing on the other man being represented by faint lines.

The water’s layer is a greasy black paint, and it only rises to the ankle level of the two men (see figure. 4). The fresco is interpreted to represent the baptism of a Christian. The Christians considered baptism as a ritual where one publicly declared to be a Christian. Baptism was believed to be the only way in which a Christian could attain everlasting life.

This was a significant art to the early Christians since it was a reminder of when they were spiritually ‘born again’. That meant that they officially became Christians even though they could be prosecuted or killed as a result (Grout and Claude, 120).

Figure 4

The fish and loaves fresco have a mixture of brown, black and grey colour. The loaves are brown while the fish has a combination of different colours. Two fish are lying flat, and a basket of containing five loaves is placed on top of the fishes.

Figure 5

This fresco depicts an event in which Jesus was able to miraculously feed a multitude of people with just two fish and five loaves (see figure 5).

The paintings reminded the Christians of how their Lord was able to provide for them and was a source of great motivation for them.

The Eucharistic fresco in the Liberian section shows two people about to partake a meal consisting of bread and wine. The fresco painting is mainly maroon in colour with white areas.

There are dark areas which depict the outline of the images and the meal. The meal is placed on a table, and the two people are standing. According to Christians, eating of bread and drinking of wine symbolized eating of Jesus’ flesh and drinking of his blood.

The Christians were supposed to drink wine and eat bread as an act sacrifice which Jesus Christ gave. The painting was symbolic of Jesus’ love Jesus towards His people to the extent that he gave his life. Taking bread and wine helped the Christian to show their faithfulness to Christianity despite the prosecutions (Lowden, 567).

Other symbols found in the catacombs include a peacock, a dove and an anchor. The peacock represents the immortality of the spirit, the dove is a symbol for harmony and joy of the heart, and the anchor symbolizes the Christians’ trust in Jesus Christ (Grout and Claude, 562).

In the sea world, the anchor is supposed to hold a ship at a dock firmly. Likewise, the faith and hope Christians have in Jesus are meant to keep them healthy and firm. The anchor gained more meaning when it was turned such that it looked like across. Trust in Jesus depicted the safe harbour of deliverance which was a result of his renaissance after death (Lowden, 603).

Conclusion

The Catacombs of San Callisto are full of Christian historical information. In the catacombs, one can learn how the Christians developed from the time they were discriminated to the time when their religion was made legal. The extent of the persecution is very well depicted and also how the Roman regime influenced Christianity. Also, it is during these harsh times that some of the symbols used up to today were formulated. The pagan worship might have influenced them, but in modern time, it does not seem to matter.

The fresco paintings themselves were not pieces of art to be adored. Compared to what was done by the Romans, Christian art was crude and outdated. Despite this, these artworks are s because of the history they hold.

Works Cited

Athnos, Gregory. Reflections at the Catacombs. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1997. Print.

Gough, Michael. The Origins of Christian Art London. London: Thames and Hudson, 1973. Print.

Grout, Donald J and Palisca V Claude. A History of Western Christianity. New York: WW Norton and Company, 1996. Print.

Lassus, Jean. The Early Christian and Byzantine World. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1967. Print.

Lowden, John. Early Christian and Byzantine Art. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1997. Print.

Milburn, Robert. Early Christian Art and Architecture. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988. Print.