Seven catacombs will be open in Rome on Saturday, March 2, for Catacombs Day. Free entry is planned for everyone, although it is necessary to book online on the sites to gain access. The catacombs open for the occasion are San Callisto, San Sebastiano, Domitilla, Priscilla, Sant’Agnese, Santi Marcellino and Pietro, and San Pancrazio.
Participants will also receive a voucher for two reduced admissions (valid for all of 2024) to one of the public sites. This year's edition (the seventh) is part of the journey towards the Jubilee 2025: the theme is From Memory to Prayer.
What are the catacombs
Underground galleries, the catacombs originated between the second and third centuries and were used for centuries as cemeteries. The term derives from the Greek “near the cavities”. Dug into tuff and pozzolana, they often consist of long galleries and cubicles on various floors. The large presence of tuff in central, southern Italy and the Islands means that they are more frequent in these regions. And in Rome in particular, where they were mainly used by the early Christians, who did not practice the incineration of bodies (as per pagan custom). The bodies, wrapped in a sheet, were placed in the niches, which were then closed with marble or clay. The name of the deceased was engraved on the slab, accompanied by a Christian symbol.
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