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Have a look at the world's oldest Christian cemetery

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The catacombs of St. Domatilla are over 1,500 years old.

Take a trip into the world's oldest Christian cemetery, and have a peek at a few of the frescoes recently revealed by restoration.

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Experts have restored several frescoes in the Catacombs of St. Domatilla.

Highlights

By Marshall Connolly (CALIFORNIA NETWORK)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
6/2/2017 (6 years ago)

Published in Europe

Keywords: Catacombs, St. Domatilla, frescoes

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Archaeologists have used special lasers to clear away centuries of soot and grime covering some stunning frescoes painted on the walls and ceilings of the world's oldest known Christian cemetery.

The site is the Catacombs of St. Domatilla, and it dates back over 1,500 years. An estimated 150,000 people may have been buried in the catacombs over the centuries.

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The artwork blends both pagan and Christian symbolism, as was common at the time. Wealthier families would have niches carved out to create reserved resting places.

The paint is once more vivid, with reds and yellows streaking across the white, limestone backgrounds. Unfortunately, while the grime was removed by laser, nothing can be done about the graffiti left mostly in the 1600s and 1700s when the tombs were last popularly visited.

Today, the tombs are protected and serve as a tourist destination.

Most of the catacombs are closed, but a small area has been made available for the public to visit. It should be remembered that the catacombs still belong to the Christian dead.