Catacombe di San Sebastiano

Catacombe di San Sebastiano review

The name 'catacomb' originated in this spot, where a complex of underground burial sites situated near a tufa quarry was described as being kata kymbas - 'near the quarry'. The guided tour will take you into the crypt of St Sebastian, the martyr always depicted nastily pierced by a hail of arrows (though these were just one of several unpleasant tortures), who was buried here, probably during Diocletian's reign in the late third century; the base of the original monument to him can be seen. The Christian burials that followed his eventually formed three layers of tombs, the second of which is what's on show; this includes the piazzolo, where pagan mausoleums re-used by Christians were found.