Catacomb of Callixtus

Coordinates: 41°51′19″N 12°30′53″E / 41.85537007437893°N 12.514801025390625°E / 41.85537007437893; 12.514801025390625

A 19th-century depiction of early Christians worshipping in the Catacomb of Callixtus

The crypt of Pope Cornelius, near the Catacomb of Callixtus

The Catacomb(s) of Callixtus (also known as the Cemetery of Callixtus) was one of the Catacombs of Rome on the Appian Way, most notable for containing the Crypt of the Popes (Italian: Capella dei Papi), which contained the tombs of several popes from the second to fourth centuries.^[1][2] The crypt fell into disuse and decay as the remaining relics were translated from the catacombs to the various churches of Rome; the final wave of translations from the crypt occurred under Pope Sergius II in the ninth century before the Lombard invasion, primarily to San Silvestro in Capite, which unlike the Catacomb was within the Aurelian Walls.^[1]

The Catacomb is believed to have been created by Pope Callixtus I, then a deacon of Rome (future Pope Callixtus I), under the direction of Pope Zephyrinus, enlarging pre-existing early Christian hypogea. Callixtus himself was entombed in the Catacomb of Calepodius on the Aurelian Way. The Catacomb and Crypt were rediscovered in 1854 by the pioneering Italian archaeologist Giovanni Battista de Rossi.^[1]

Papal tombs

At its peak, the fifteen hectare site would have held the remains of sixteen popes and fifty martyrs. Nine of those popes were buried in the Crypt of the Popes itself, to which Pope Damasus I built a staircase in the fourth century. Among the discovered Greek language inscriptions are those associated with: Pope Pontian, Pope Anterus, Pope Fabian, Pope Lucius I, and Pope Eutychian. A more lengthy inscription to Pope Sixtus II by Furius Dionisius Filocalus has also been discovered.

Outside the Crypt of the Popes, the region of Saints Gaius and Eusebius is so named for the facing tombs of Pope Gaius ("Caius") and Pope Eusebius (translated from Sicily). In another region, there is a tomb attributed to Pope Cornelius, bearing the inscription "CORNELIVS MARTYR", also attributed to Filocalus.^[3]

A plaque placed by Pope Sixtus III (circa 440) lists the following popes: Sixtus II, Dionysius, Cornelius, Felix, Pontianus, Fabianus, Gaius, Eusebius, Melchiades, Stephen, Urban I, Lucius, and Anterus, a list not including any second century tombs.^[4] The Crypt of the Popes quickly filled up in the fourth century, causing other popes to be buried in related catacombs, such as the Catacomb of Priscilla (underneath San Martino ai Monti), the Catacomb of Balbina (only Pope Mark), the Catacomb of Calepodius (only Pope Callixtus I and Pope Julius I), the Catacomb of Pontian (only Pope Anastasius I and Pope Innocent I, father and son), and the Catacomb of Felicitas (only Pope Boniface I).^[5]

2nd century

Pontificate	Portrait	Common English name	Pre-Callixtus translations	Location within Callixtus	Post-Callixtus translations	Notes
155–166		Anicetus Saint Anicetus	Vatican Hill (some sources say he was originally buried in the Catacomb of Callixtus)	Unknown	Altemps Palace (Piazza Navona)	Sarcophagus which may have once contained remains is extant in the Altemps Palace[6][7]
c.166–174/175		Soter Saint Soter	None	Unknown	San Silvestro in Capite San Sisto Vecchio Toledo, Spain San Martino ai Monte	Possibly never buried in Catacomb of Callixtus and confused with a martyr buried in 304[8]
199–217		Zephyrinus Saint Zephyrin	Private cemetery ("in cymiterio suo")[9]	Not in the Crypt of the Popes	San Silvestro in Capite	First pope buried in the Catacomb, which he ordered Callixtus to organize[10]

3rd century

Pontificate	Portrait	Common English name	Pre-Callixtus translations	Location within Callixtus	Post-Callixtus translations	Notes
222/223–230		Urban I Saint Urban	None	Unknown (see notes)	None known	Not to be confused with a non-Roman bishop Urban buried in the catacomb of Praetextatus; slab in Crypt of the Popes bears the Greek words: OYPBANOC E[pivskopoV] ("Urban, Bishop"), but identification is not certain[11]
21 July 230 - 28 September 235		Pontian Saint Pontian	Sardinia	Crypt of the Popes	None known	Translated from Sardinia (the "Isle of Death") by Pope Fabian in 237, buried in the papal crypt on November 12; two extant engravings: IIONTIANOC EIII M[αρτυ]ρ ("Pontianus Bi[shop] M[arty]r") and ENθEΩN [αγιωv 'Eπισχοπωv] IIONTIANE ZHCHC ("Mayest thou live, Pontianus, in God with all")[12]
21 November 235 - 3 January 236		Anterus Saint Anterus	None	Crypt of the Popes	San Silvestro in Capite	Possibly the first pope in the Crypt of the Popes; inscription reads ANΘEPΩC EIII ("Anterus, Bishop") and is broken such that it could have once mentioned him as a martyr[13]
10 January 236 - 20 January 250		Fabian Saint Fabian	None	Crypt of the Popes	San Martino ai Monti Old St. Peter's Basilica San Sebastiano fuori le mura	Greek inscription from the Catacomb of Callixtus is extant; translated to San Martino by Sergius II (Liber Pontificalis) or combined with Sixtus II in Old St. Peter's (Petrus Mallius); sarcophagus inscribed with ΦABIANOC EIII MP ("Phabianos Bi[shop] M[arty]r") in San Sebastiano fuori le mura[13]
25 June 253 - 5 March 254		Lucius I Saint Lucius	None	Crypt of the Popes	Santa Cecilia in Trastevere San Silvestro in Capite Santa Prassede	Extant inscription reads "Lucius, Bishop" (Greek: ΛOYKIC) sarcophagus that once held remains is extant in Santa Cecilia in Trastevere [7][14]
30/31 August 257 - 6 August 258		Sixtus II Saint Sixtus II	None	Crypt of the Popes	Old St. Peter's Basilica San Sisto Vecchio	Translated from the Catacomb of Callixtus to Old Saint Peter's by Paschal I; translated from Old Saint Peter's to San Sisto Vecchio by Leo IV; lengthy epitaph discovered in the Catacomb of Callixtus[14]
22 July 259 - 26 December 268		Dionysius Saint Dionysius	None	Crypt of the Popes	San Silvestre in Capite	Alleged relics of Popes Sylvester I, Stephen I, and Dionysius were exhumed and enshrined beneath the high altar of San Silvestro in Capite in 1601; no archaeological evidence in the Catacomb of Callixtus[15]
5 January 269 - 30 December 274		Felix I Saint Felix	None	Crypt of the Popes	None known	According to legend buried in the "Cemetery of the Two Felixes", which as never been located[15]
4 January 275 - 7 December 283		Eutychian Saint Eutychian	None	Crypt of the Popes	Abbey of Luni (Sarzana) Sarzana Cathedral	Last pope buried in the Crypt of the Popes; inscription reads: EYTYXIANOC EIIC ("Eutychian, Bishop")[15]
17 December 283 - 22 April 296		Caius Saint Caius	None	Crypt of St. Eusebius	San Silvestro in Capite Church built over his original house Sant'Andrea della Valle (Barberini chapel)	Inscription reads: I [AIO]Y EIII[CKOIIOY] / KAΘ / [IIPO I] KAΛ MAIΩ[N] ("The deposition of Caius, Bishop, the 22nd day of April")[15]

4th Century

Pontificate	Portrait	Common English name	Pre-Callixtus translations	Location within Callixtus	Post-Callixtus translations	Notes
c.309 - c.310		Eusebius Saint Eusebius	Sicily	Crypt of St. Eusebius	None known	Inscription and lengthy epitaph extant[16]
2 July 311 - 11 January 314		Miltiades Melchiades Saint Miltiades	None	Unknown	San Silvestre in Capite	Only pope entombed in the Catacomb of Callixtus during the "long peace"; buried in a large sarcophagus with a roof-shaped cover[17]
1 October 366 - 11 December 384		Damasus I Saint Damasus	None	Unknown	Old St. Peter's Basilica San Lorenzo in Damaso	Buried with his mother, Laurentia, and sister, Irene; sarcophagus inscription extant; head allegedly in a reliquary donated by Clement VIII to St. Peter's[18]

Notes

References

• Reardon, Wendy J. 2004. The Deaths of the Popes. Macfarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 0786415274
• Carragáin, Éamonn Ó; Neuman de Vegvar, Carol L. (2007). Roma felix: formation and reflections of medieval Rome. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. pp. 59. ISBN 0754660966. http://books.google.com/books?id=aW-LnIpVgFQC&pg=PA59&dq=%22Catacombs+of+Callixtus%22&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a. Retrieved May 26, 2009.