The church in the catacombs : a description of the primitive church of Rome : illustrated by its sepulchral remains . ion of light.* At the present time, many suchholes are found in the Campagna near Rome, prov-ing dangerous to the incautious rider. DAgincourtavailed himself of them on several occasions toenter the Catacombs. Some of those inspected bythe writer, seem to have been produced by the fall-ing in of the ground through the roof of a gallerytoo nearly approaching the surface. On the otherhand, it is probable that some of the air-holes, calledin the Acts of the Martyrs luminaria crypt
The church in the catacombs : a description of the primitive church of Rome : illustrated by its sepulchral remains . ion of light.* At the present time, many suchholes are found in the Campagna near Rome, prov-ing dangerous to the incautious rider. DAgincourtavailed himself of them on several occasions toenter the Catacombs. Some of those inspected bythe writer, seem to have been produced by the fall-ing in of the ground through the roof of a gallerytoo nearly approaching the surface. On the otherhand, it is probable that some of the air-holes, calledin the Acts of the Martyrs luminaria cryptce, werein existence during the persecutions. In the Actsof Marcellinus and Peter, quoted by Raoul Rochette,it is said, Candida, a saint and a virgin, havingbeen thrown down the precipice, (that is, the light-hole of the crypt,) was overwhelmed with stones.,,The corresponding passage in Baronius is somewhatdifferent, nor does it contain the word luminare. * Bunsens Rome, vol. i. p. 365. AS A CHRISTIAN CEMETERY, 51 In the subjoined view, copied from Boldetti, areseen two graves; one still closed by three slabs of. terra cotta, cemented to the rock by plaster; andthe other partially opened, so as to display theskeleton lying within. It must not be supposedthat in all cases the slabs were of terra cotta, orthat their usual number was three ; pieces of mar-ble, ofr the most irregular figure, were often em-ployed. The palm branch is scratched upon theplaster with a sharp instrument. The number of graves contained in the Catacombsis very great. In order to form a general estimateof them, we must remember that from the year 98A. d. to some time after the year 400, (of bothwhich periods consular dates have been found in E 2 52 THE CATACOMES the cemeteries,) the whole Christian population ofRome was interred there. As this time includesnearly a century after the establishment of Chris-tianity under Constantine, the numbers latterly musthave been very considerable. A city peopled bymore
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