Catacombe di San Callisto

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About Catacombe di San Callisto

The Catacombe di San Callisto were the official cemetery of the Church of Rome in the 3rd century. The tunnels spread across several levels beneath the fields of the Via Appia Antica and around half a million Christians were buried there, including dozens of martyrs and sixteen popes. The name comes from the deacon Callistus, who managed the cemetery in the early 3rd century and later became pope.

The highlight of the visit is the Cripta dos Papas, where the tombstones of several pontiffs from the 3rd and 4th centuries are located. Beside it is the Cripta di Santa Cecilia, where the saint was buried before her remains were moved to the basilica in Trastevere. In the galleries you can see niches carved into the rock, called loculi, and paintings with symbols of the early Christians such as the fish, the anchor and the Good Shepherd.

The catacombs belong to the Holy See and the visit is conducted by the Salesians. Entry is only with a guide, in groups that depart every half hour and last about 40 minutes, in several languages. The temperature underground is cool year-round.

On the surface, the area is a park of cypresses and olive trees along the Via Appia Antica. The Catacombe di San Sebastiano are a few minutes' walk away, allowing you to see both or to combine one of them with a walk along the road.