Catacombe di Priscilla (Le)

Priscilla Catacombs

Underground frescoes

Description

On Via Salaria, near to Villa Ada, are the catacombs of Priscilla. Seven popes were buried here, victims of emperor Diocleziano's persecutions, along with various saints and three hundred presumed martyrs. The catacombs extend along two levels. Benedictine nuns act as tour guides. The older, upper level, dates from the beginning of the 3rd century - a date which is confirmed by the stamps on the building which are from the Caracalla era. In the vaults of the gallery of sarcophagi there is a famous painting depicting Mary with the Baby and the prophet Isaia, from the early 3rd century. The most important funerary monument is the Cappella Greca, so-called on account of the two inscriptions in Greek painted on the plaster of a nook. The catacombs are covered in frescoes with images taken from the Old and the New Testaments. Admission is EUR5.