In the Roman city of Villa Torlonia, there were over 4,000 graves of Jewish people found in this famous catacomb of the city. "It contain just under 4,000 burial niches spanning about 150,000 square feet and remain both intact and visitable, boast characteristic iconographic Jewish symbols that constitute a treasure trove of information about Jewish life a few centuries after the birth of Christianity in Rome two millennia ago. It [The catacomb itself] was discovered by chance in 1919 during construction work on the estate at the site, where the general area had been known through the Middle Ages as Campo dei Giudey (“Field of Dreams”), and its first exploratory campaign was directed by Roberto Pariben of the Royal Superintendency of Archaeological Excavations and Museums who, much to his chagrin, discovered that most the tombs had already been looted." says JewishPress.com.
" It was from this villa that Il Duce announced his racial laws stripping Jews of their citizenship and barring them from the professions. One reason for his closing the site to visitors may have been because of his designation of the catacombs as a conveniently accessible underground bunker in the event that he had to protect himself and his family. (Rather than hide in the catacombs, however, he attempted an escape and was caught by an Italian partisan in northern Italy, who summarily executed him on April 28, 1945.)".
Torlonia catacombs: Pathway and Loculi
The catacombs are said to include many things from drawings and paintings of animals, temples and messages relating to the Jewish community. It provided what was a great history lesson to those who found it. Perhaps what life was like 1,500 years ago!
The findings of the catacombs in 1919 were when a Prince has offered his villa to Mussolini, only a few years later was this cemetery of the Jewish discovered. Likely used within the 3rd and 5th centuries there were thousands of graves discovered on multiple levels. It was insane. With these catacombs, Mussolini later saw an opportunity and used them for his bunker to keep him and his family safe.
Inside one of the chambers in the catacomb (Times of Israel)
“The responsibility for the preservation of the Jewish catacombs rests with the state. However, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities has also been consulted. Many years ago, I was tasked with looking after the issue by its rabbinic consulting body,” Di Segni said, who added the project was funded by private donors from abroad. (Times of Israel)
“The first time I visited the catacombs [at Villa Torlonia] we found a disaster, with literally thousands of tombs opened and human remains exposed [due to grave robbers and centuries of neglect]. Some of the barriers closing the tombs excavated in the walls had collapsed. At the same time, many chambers and corridors featured incredible frescoes and inscriptions,” Genach told The Times of Israel via telephone.
After Genach’s initial survey of the Italian catacombs, he gave a presentation for the Italian authorities detailing the scope of the work he and his team had carried out in the similar catacombs at Beit Shearim. Rabbi Chizkiya Kalmanovich from the European Committee for the Protection of Jewish Cemeteries also participated in the presentation. The expertise of Kalmanovich and that of another specialist in the preservation of ancient Jewish cemeteries, Rabbi Levi Shmaya, proved to be essential in conceiving and carrying out the project. (Times of Israel)
So forth, they continued investigations to learn the history behind the catacomb. In all aspects like tourism, archeology and so on.
To read more on these catacombs please visit: https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-rome-spectacular-ancient-jewish-catacombs-opening-haunted-by-delays/
Have you visted a Catacomb?
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