The 6th Annual Fall Catacomb Day was held on October 7th. To this end, the Pontifical Council for the Archeology of the Holy Land is promoting free access to some sites in Rome and its suburbs, as well as in other parts of Italy. Father Iacobone, chairman of the committee, said: “The art and history preserved in the crypt make us more confident about the future.”
(Vatican News) The semi-annual Crypt Days are here again, and this is the sixth fall event. Like the spring event, the theme this year is still “The Road to Peace.” This event aims to spread the importance of Christian crypts in the history of Christianity and commemorate the origins of the earliest Christian groups, especially the martyred saints. For this reason, the Pontifical Council for the Archeology of the Holy Land promotes free admission and visits to some of the sites in Rome and other crypts scattered throughout Italy.
Father Iacobone, who was appointed president of the Pontifical Commission for the Archeology of the Holy Land a few months ago, told Vatican News about the planned activities for adults and children and the goals behind them, which are to raise awareness and promote education. , while also reviving faith through the example of Christian martyrs.
On Saturday, October 7th, the 6th Annual Fall Crypt Day was held. Father Iacobone, what is the theme of this event?
Like the spring event, the theme this year is still “The Road to Peace.” This year, coinciding with the tragic situation of war, we wanted to emphasize through images, inscriptions and symbols one of the most common themes in our crypt, that of peace. It seems most appropriate to raise this topic with visitors.
Specifically, what arrangements does the Pontifical Commission for the Archeology of the Holy Land, which you chair and which is responsible for promoting this activity, have on this day?
The Pontifical Commission for the Archeology of the Holy Land has planned a rich series of activities: starting with the free opening of crypts in Rome that are usually closed to the public and inaccessible. Then comes the opening of all the other crypts in Italy associated with this event in Rome, also free to visit but reservations required. There is also a range of very interesting related activities, starting with children’s workshops which are always a success as the children are very curious and interested in our topics. The kids will even try their hand at making an oil lamp…
The deep meaning of the crypt, in addition to the theme of this event “peace”, also includes joy.
For in the catacombs, with rare exceptions, we see few private burial places, signs of mourning, grief, death, and anxiety. The decoration of the crypts, from graffiti to frescoes or sculptures on the coffins, always depicts the joyful moments of liberation that God brings to those who trust in Him. Therefore, we can always see heavenly scenes, happy and peaceful lives, and joyful banquets. This atmosphere makes us more hopeful and calm about the future.
The Days of the Catacombs are not only a festival in Rome, but are now increasingly being extended to other parts of Italy…
Compared with previous years, there are some new changes this year, but the number of underground tombs is more. The crypt day we planned gradually expanded like an “oil droplet effect.” Initially we started this on a trial basis in Rome and then we gradually expanded it to all the other crypts as it received a lot of attention and was a lot of success. We have many crypts that are small in size but of great significance. Extremely important in Lazio and then everywhere else…. Here, we want to involve everyone, as we believe this experience should be shared as widely as possible, including friends from other regions with crypts.
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2023-10-07 07:17:00
