The oldest burial sites of Roman Jews that have survived are the catacombs, built from the 3rd century onwards during the Imperial period. These include the Monteverde catacomb on the Via Portuense (discovered in 1602), Vigna Apolloni on the Via Labicana, Vigna Cimarra and Vigna Randanini on the Via Appia (identified in the 19th century), and Villa Torlonia on the Nomentana (discovered in 1918). Only those of Vigna Randanini and Villa Torlonia have survived have survived to the present day; the others were lost to collapse or abandonment.
The only catacomb open to visitors today is Vigna Randanini, which stretches between Via Appia and Via Appia Pignatelli 2. Visitors enter through a large hall featuring arcosolia – loculi with lowered vaulted ceilings – and a black-and-white mosaic floor, datable no earlier than the 3rd century, which incorporates part of an earlier structure.
Inside the underground galleries, rows of loculi and arcosolia run parallel to the corridors, while one section contains kokhim – tombs perpendicular to the galleries, dug just beneath the floor – typical of the Middle East and unique among Roman catacombs.
The cubicula, or chambers for multiple burials, are of particular interest. Some are richly frescoed, and a few display Jewish symbols. Others, decorated with motifs common in contemporary pagan burials, predate the catacomb and were likely incorporated during its development. In total, the catacomb has yielded about 200 inscriptions, as well as sarcophagi, slabs, and marble fragments.
Via Appia Pignatelli, 2 – Rome
Information and contacts:
Direzione del Parco Archeologico dell’Appia Antica
https://www.parcoarcheologicoappiaantica.it/
