Catacomb of Villa San Faustino
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Catacomb of Villa San Faustino

The Catacomb of Villa San Faustino is located in the hamlet of Villa San Faustino, in the municipality of Massa Martana, a short distance from the ancient route of Via Flaminia and Ponte Fonnaia.

A blend of history, archaeology, and spirituality, the catacomb is today a cultural heritage of great value. It is the only testimony of an underground Christian tomb in Umbria, and although it does not have the dimensions of the famous Roman catacombs, it represents a precious testimony of the spread of Christianity in the Umbrian territory, which began in the 4th century AD thanks to Via Flaminia, offering an insight into the life and funeral practices of rural communities between the 4th and 5th centuries AD.

Historically, these burial places were called “coemeterium”, a term derived from Greek meaning “dormitory”, reflecting both the sense of community that animated the early Christians and the conception of death as a temporary sleep awaiting resurrection. Only later was the term “catacomb”, originally used only for the large complex of San Sebastiano on Via Appia, extended to all Christian cemeteries.

Underground corridor inside the Catacomb of Villa San Faustino. Along the corridor walls, built with a combination of bricks and stone, several burial niches, or loculi, can be seen, stacked on top of each other.

Catacomb of Villa San Faustino

Entrance to an underground corridor of the Catacomb of Villa San Faustino. In the foreground, a narrow staircase with an iron handrail descends into a long corridor where burial niches and loculi can be observed carved into the brick and stone walls.

Catacomb of Villa San Faustino

Interior of the Catacomb of Villa San Faustino. In the foreground, an underground corridor with natural rock walls where several burial niches of various sizes are carved. The corridor opens onto a staircase with an iron handrail leading to an upper level.

Catacomb of Villa San Faustino

Rediscovery and excavations

The Catacomb of Villa San Faustino was discovered in 1900 but was already known to local scholars of the 17th century as the “Grotte di Traiano”. In the 1940s, two intense excavation campaigns cleared most of the galleries of soil, revealing an extraordinarily important complex. During World War II, these galleries were used as air raid shelters. Later, between 1996 and 1997, further renovations made the hypogeum accessible to the public, unveiling new areas linked to a small funerary basilica intended for cult ceremonies.

The structure

The catacomb extends through a straight corridor about 22 meters long that penetrates into the hill, reaching a depth of about 7 meters. From this main corridor branch off four lateral galleries, two on each side, one of which has a semicircular path. The galleries, about 1.50 meters wide, are characterized by a flattened vaulted ceiling.

Along the walls, there are numerous burial niches, small burial recesses, stacked and of various sizes, often sealed with large terracotta tiles. Such burials, devoid of decorations, reflect usage predominantly by the rural population of the area. The absence of inscriptions, which usually bore the name of the deceased, suggests that the catacomb was used by an illiterate class.

Recently, traces of a single-nave building, probably connected to the catacomb itself, have been discovered outside the catacomb. This building, whose floor is occupied by numerous burials of different types, includes a monumental tomb with a masonry arcosolium located in the apse area. The finds recovered, including coarse-made lamps and ceramic fragments, belong to the same period as those found in the catacomb.

Information:

Visits to the Catacomb of Villa San Faustino are by appointment only. For more information, please consult the website of the Tourist Office of the Municipality of Massa Martana.

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