It's important to note here that personally, I am not the most religious person I know, and by my own standards I do not consider myself religious, but I am a christian who is deeply spiritual. For me, God and Christ in my life is a deeply personal experience. Visiting the Appian Way and the catacombs was such a moving experience that I wrote to the official site of the catacombs requesting to take a few photos off of their site to add to mine, so I could share them with you. The response was immediate, and my request was denied with no reasons offered. I've since requested the reasons for the denial.
You see, taking photos inside the catacombs is not permitted. I truly understand that and I completely abided by the rules when I visited, although sadly, many people in the back of my tour did not. The flash from cameras over years contributes to the decay and can ultimately ruin the precious frescos and drawings within the catacombs... I personally chose to not participate in the decay or demise in any way, and I reiterate - I did not take any photos inside - although I will admit that the temptation was strong and my resolve was tested with each step I took as we wandered through the underground passage-ways.
Given all that - what you will see on this page are some of my personal photos of the grounds and landscape. Beyond those you will see photos (clearly marked) that I did not take, but borrowed from the internet off of various sites...but not taken off of the official site of the Christian Catacombs of Roma. Surely, my using these photos will not in any way contribute to the decay of the catacombs... and hopefully they will encourage you to take a virtual tour of the official site, and perhaps someday visit Roma and tour these ancient and remarkable ruins.
Before I went to Roma I did a lot of research on Italy and came across the 6th photo below of the Old Appian Way, which eventually led me to the official site. I spent several hours online reading the articles from that site. The article that stood out most in my mind and certainly made the most impact on me, was the history of the persecution of christians... Being born and raised "Roman" catholic I learned more from the official site than when I went to parochial schools or catechism classes. In fact, before I found that site I knew more about Hitler's disgusting persecution of jews, than those of the christians - which lasted for centuries.
Left - Entrance to the crypts of the popes along the Appian Way - from the 3rd century
Right - Inside the crypt of the popes, Catacombs of St. Callixtus.
Note: This photo was found on the internet, not from the official site.
Click here to visit the official site:
Christian Catacombs of Rome
Old stonework on the original part of the Appian Way. This is the area we could not locate.
Note: Photos found on the internet
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