Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
here by the emperor Constantine was mostly destroyed by Saracen raids in the 9th cen-
tury, and the church you see today mainly dates from the reconstruction initiated by Car-
dinal Borghese in the 17th century. It is dedicated to St Sebastian, who was martyred and
buried here in the late 3rd century. In 826, his body was transferred to St Peter's for safe-
keeping, but he was re-interred here in the 12th century. In the Capella delle Reliquie
you'll find one of the arrows used to kill him and the column to which he was tied. On the
other side of the church is a marble slab with Jesus' footprints.
Catacombs
A warren of tunnels that lie beneath the church and beyond, the Catacombe di San Se-
bastiano were the first catacombs to be so called, the name deriving from the Greek
kata
(near) and
kymbas
(cavity), because they were located near a cave. During the persecution
of Christians by the emperor Vespasian from AD 258, it's believed that the catacombs
were used as a safe haven for the remains of St Peter and St Paul and became a popular
pilgrimage site. A plastered wall is covered with hundreds of invocations, engraved by
worshippers in the 3rd and 4th centuries, featuring personalised entreaties such as 'Peter
and Paul, pray for Victor'. However, it may be the case that the remains were never kept
here, and the catacombs simply served as a focus for worship during those difficult times.
Mausoleums
Within the catacombs there are three beautifully preserved, decorated mausoleums. Each
of the monumental facades feature a door, above which are inscribed symbols and the
names of the owners. The first mausoleum belonged to Marcus Clodius Ermete, while the
second one is named 'of the innocentiores', which is thought to have been the name of an
association. During the 3rd century the area was filled in to build a place of pilgrimage
where visitors could come to honour St Peter and St Paul, which is why the delicate
stucco has remained so immaculately well preserved.
