Catacombs of Saint Sebastian in Rome, Italy - reviews,open hours,photo spots,things to do

Italy Lazio RomeCatacombs of Saint Sebastian

Catacombs of Saint Sebastian

Via Appia Antica, 136, 00179 Roma RM, Italy

4.6(2K)

Open 24 hours

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Phone

+39 06 785 0350

Website

catacombe.org

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Posts

Carolina FerraroCarolina Ferraro

UPDATE FOR THE OWNER AND FUTURE VISITORS The owner replies in a harsh tone, but he is obviously referring to another person. I am Italian and I followed the tour in Italian. It is very bad to confuse a person like that. Please ask the owner not only to correct his answer but also to apologise. I will call the management and point out the incident. Those responsible for the company's Google Maps profile have once again demonstrated their unprofessionalism. LO RIPETO ANCHE IN ITALIANO, IN CASO NON FOSSE ABBASTANZA CHIARO. IL PROPRIETARIO DIMOSTRA DI NON AVER LETTO LA MIA RECENSIONE. LA SUA RISPOSTA MI LASCIA MOLTO PERPLESSA. NON SO CHI SIA LA SPAGNOLA O CREOLA DI CUI SI PARLA NELLA RISPOSTA. SONO CONVINTA TUTTAVIA CHE CHIUNQUE ABBIA RISPOSTO MANCHI DI COMPETENZA. Allego le foto della mia recensione e della risposta del proprietario. RECENSIONE ORIGINALE “This review of only one star is not about the catacombs themselves, a wonderful place, rich in history, interesting in all its facets. It is about the service offered by the facility. 10 euro ticket for a very quick and not at all detailed tour. Our guide was very uncertain, I would say inaccurate, and in some cases totally wrong. In addition, two people from our group had to leave before the tour even started (one of them did not feel well). The organisers would not refund the tickets, but neither did they allow my friends to donate them to those who perhaps could have taken their place in the tour. To sum up, the service really needs to be reviewed, and I would beg those in charge to be sure about the skills of the guides before putting them to work. P.s. I am referring to the Italian language tour (I usually write public reviews in English).”

Craig RichardsonCraig Richardson

A fascinating dive below the surface to experience the burial chambers of the early Christians. You can very quickly understand why they only allow guided tours, as the catacombs are vast and winding, and a great many visitors would be left wandering aimlessly without someone to lead the way. The catacombs themselves are at times quit narrow and low, so anyone who suffers from claustrophobia may be best to avoid, but the highlight of the tour must surely be the three pagan mausolea that feature towards the end of the tour, shortly before you ascend into the church that stands today. My wife and I are not great fans of guided tours, and generally prefer to wander freely around sites, but here, our guide (I believe her name was Greta) was truly excellent, and greatly enhanced our experience of the visit; I cannot praise her highly enough. We arrived without booking, and only had to wait about 20 minutes for the next tour in English, which gave us just enough time for a very reasonably priced coffee. It is worth noting that photography is strictly prohibited in the catacombs themselves, although you are welcome to take pictures within the church. Once in the church, be sure to look up, the ceiling (as so often seems the case in Rome) is incredible. Overall, well worth a visit, and only a 15-20 minute journey on the 118 bus from the Colosseum.

Arvin ToursArvin Tours

If you find yourself walking along the ancient Appian Way, surrounded by tall pine trees and a peaceful hush that feels full of secrets, you’ll come across a place that seems to belong to another world: the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian, just “outside the walls” of old Rome. Why “outside the walls”? Back in Roman times, burials weren’t allowed inside the city, so both pagans and early Christians laid their dead to rest out here — in the quiet countryside. These catacombs are named after Saint Sebastian, a young Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was later martyred for his faith. He was buried here, and soon after, this underground cemetery became a sacred site. In fact, legend has it that even the remains of Saint Peter and Saint Paul were temporarily placed here during times of persecution. As you descend into the narrow, dim corridors — surrounded by ancient tombs and symbols carved into stone — you can really feel the spirit of the early Christians. It’s cool and silent down there, mysterious but also filled with a sense of peace. For those believers, death wasn’t the end — it was just the beginning of something greater. ——————————————— Se ti trovi lungo la Via Appia Antica, tra pini secolari e silenzi pieni di storia, c’è un luogo che sembra portarti in un altro mondo: le Catacombe di San Sebastiano, “fuori le mura” dell’antica Roma. Ma perché fuori? Perché, ai tempi dell’Impero, questa zona era fuori dalla città, e i romani — pagani e cristiani — seppellivano i loro morti lì, lontano dal centro abitato. Le catacombe prendono il nome da San Sebastiano, un giovane soldato romano convertito al cristianesimo che, dopo essere stato martirizzato, fu sepolto proprio qui. Ma la cosa affascinante è che questo posto, prima ancora di diventare cristiano, era un luogo sacro: c’erano delle grotte usate come cave e poi trasformate in tombe, e si dice che persino San Pietro e San Paolo siano stati temporaneamente sepolti qui, durante le persecuzioni. Scendendo nei corridoi sotterranei, stretti e silenziosi, circondati da loculi e simboli antichissimi, si ha davvero la sensazione di camminare nella fede dei primi cristiani. È buio, fresco e pieno di mistero, ma anche pieno di speranza: per i primi cristiani, la morte non era la fine, ma un passaggio. ——————————————— اگه یه روزی قدم‌زنان در امتداد جاده‌ی باستانی “ویا آپیا” (Via Appia Antica) در رم راه بری، بین درختای کاج بلند و سکوتی پر از راز، یه جای خاص بهت چشمک می‌زنه: «کتاکومب‌های سن سباستیانو» — یعنی سردابه‌های سن سباستین که «خارج از دیوارهای شهر» رم قدیم قرار دارن. چرا “خارج از دیوارها”؟ چون توی دوران امپراتوری روم، دفن کردن مرده‌ها داخل شهر ممنوع بود؛ برای همین هم کافران و هم مسیحیان اولیه، مرده‌هاشونو بیرون از دیوارهای شهر دفن می‌کردن — جایی مثل اینجا. این سردابه‌ها اسمشونو از «سن سباستیانو» گرفتن، یه سرباز جوان رومی که مسیحی شده بود و به خاطر ایمانش شهید شد. پیکرش رو همینجا دفن کردن و کم‌کم اینجا تبدیل شد به مکان مقدس. حتی توی بعضی روایت‌ها اومده که جنازه‌ی پطرس و پولس، دو حواری معروف، برای مدتی در همین مکان پنهان شده بودن تا از دست آزارها در امان بمونن. وقتی از پله‌ها پایین میری و وارد راهروهای تنگ و تاریک زیرزمینی می‌شی، با دیوارهایی پر از قبر، نمادهای باستانی و حس عجیبی از آرامش روبه‌رو می‌شی. گرچه محیطش ساکت و اسرارآمیزه، ولی پر از امید هم هست. برای مسیحیان اولیه، مرگ پایان نبود — بلکه گذر به زندگی جاودان بود.

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Reviews of Catacombs of Saint Sebastian

4.6

(1,958)

5.0

They are very organised, having tours in Italian, English, French and Spanish. We had no idea how busy it would be on a weekend morning in January, but we were on a 40 minute English tour just 25 minutes later.

There are 12 kilometres of tunnels in the St Sebastian catacombs. They are over 3 levels: 3, 9 and 12 metres underground. In total there were 65,000 burials. The passages are cut into the soft volcanic tufa rock. The area was originally a tufa quarry. The Christian burials are from the 3rd and 4th centuries. There are three types: loculus (a narrow slit), arcisoleum (bigger and arch-shaped) and mausoleum (for families in a series of rooms). The bodies were wrapped in shrouds and covered with quicklime to speed decomposition. The entrance to a burial was covered with terracotta tiles or marble slab - depending on the person's wealth. After Saint Sebastian was martyred he allegedly appeared to a woman and asked that his remains be interred in the catacombs. That was done and in 340 a basilica built above the catacombs to his memory. A chapel to Saint Sebastian was also created in the catacombs. In the 17th century one of the Borgia's, Pope at the time, had those remains moved to a chapel in the basilica. It is also said that the remains of both St Peter and St Paul were kept in the catacombs for some time. During archaeological excavations in the 19th century three pagan tombs from the 2nd century AD were discovered under the basilica. They are in the form of small houses, each one split over two levels. They have excellently preserved frescoes and stucco ceilings. These would have been built in the quarry, cut into the tufa above ground.

It was an excellent tour and very informative. It was fascinating to see the catacombs in person having watched TV programs about them. No photos...

1.0

We arrived 10:20 at the ticket counter. They told us that the next available tour (mandatory to enter the catacombs) starts at 12:20. The next available after that would be 13:00. The ticket office told us, that we could buy tickets for 12:20 now for 10€ pP at the ticket counter. If we would like to buy tickets for 13:00 we would need to book online. They do net sell tickets for 13:00 at the counter. The ticket price online is 12€ pP. The homepage of the catacombs is partly in english but not well maintained. After asking for assistance, the ticket counter declined, even though they speak english. All in all they were not helpful, gave us judging looks and empowered a policy that is not reasonable or helpful to customers. Setting a tone like that before you go and see the sight, really effects the whole visit. We went to the next catacombs, where we were welcomed in a totally better manner.

As a response to your answer: I did not demanded something. I asked if there was an available slot for 13:00, which you confirmed. I wanted an even later slot (13:00). So there was no time pressure on my side. When I wanted to buy a ticket for that slot (13:00), you told me to buy it online, even though I was standing in front of you and the ticket counter. You just wanted to sell for 12:20 at the desk. When I tried to book online and needed assistance, you declined. This is not about me arriving spontaneously and demanding instant access. I was totally ok with waiting and being flexible, you clearly not. This is about you, your decision to sell tickets at the venue just for the next slot (instead of any other available slot) and your absent willingness to assist although nobody else was standing in...

1.0

RECENSIONE ORIGINALE “This review of only one star is not about the catacombs themselves, a wonderful place, rich in history, interesting in all its facets. It is about the service offered by the facility. 10 euro ticket for a very quick and not at all detailed tour. Our guide was very uncertain, I would say inaccurate, and in some cases totally wrong. In addition, two people from our group had to leave before the tour even started (one of them did not feel well). The organisers would not refund the tickets, but neither did they allow my friends to donate them to those who perhaps could have taken their place in the tour. To sum up, the service really needs to be reviewed, and I would beg those in charge to be sure about the skills of the guides before putting them to work. P.s. I am referring to the Italian language tour (I usually write public reviews...

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