THE ROMAN CATACOMBS A History of the Christian City Beneath Pagan Rome by FR. JAMES SPENCER NORTHCOTE

Description

Enter into the Roman Catacombs, where early Christians attended Mass and hid in fear from Roman soldiers seeking their death for refusing to renounce the Christian Faith. For over three centuries, Christians buried their dead in often elaborate crypts hollowed out for them underground by fossors–designated diggers whose status was just below that of deacons and priests. With scores of maps and illustrations, you’ll see that the architecture of many crypts was as elaborate as buildings above ground, creating a Christian city in the very heart of pagan Rome. The catacombs were central to the vibrant life of the early Church. Here their history is retold from their creation to their eventual decline, loss, and then, hundreds of years later, their rediscovery. Paper.