Catacombs in Rome

The Catacombs of Rome (Catacombe di Roma in Italian) are ancient underground burial places located under Italy’s capital city, Rome. The catacombs were a place where Christian, Jewish, and pagan burials would take place as a response to overcrowding and shortage of land thousands of years ago.

The Etruscans, which were members of ancient people from Etruria, Italy, used to bury their dead in underground chambers that are now known as catacombs. There are currently more than 60 (discovered) catacombs in Rome that are made up of hundreds of miles of underground passageways and thousands of tombs. However, there are only five catacombs that are currently open to the public. These include the Catacombs of San Sebastiano, the Catacombs of San Callisto, the Catacombs of Priscilla, the Catacombs of Domitilla, and the Catacombs of Sant’Agnese.