Catacomb of Priscilla

The Catacomb of Priscilla is an underground early-Christian burial complex on the Via Salaria in Rome, in use from roughly the 2nd through the 4th centuries. It is recognised for its series of painted chambers and early Christian iconography.

Visitors descend into a network of subterranean galleries containing burial niches, family tombs and decorated cubicula with frescoes and funerary inscriptions. Highlights include early Marian imagery and biblical scenes rendered in fresco.

The site served as a burial place for Christian families and communities in late antiquity and preserves examples of funerary art and inscriptions that illuminate early Christian beliefs and funerary practice. Archaeological work and conservation have made many of the decorated chambers accessible to the public under guided conditions.

The catacomb lies along the ancient Salaria road to the north-east of Rome’s historic centre, reachable by road from central Rome.

• Visits and access: Guided visits are generally required and the site is accessed via a visitor entrance on the ancient Via Salaria north-east of Rome.
• Notable art: Contains important early-Christian wall paintings, including an early depiction of the Madonna and Child and scenes from both Old and New Testaments.

What to See #

• Greek Chapel (Cappellina Greca): A small, decorated chamber known as the Greek Chapel contains well-preserved frescoes of biblical scenes and early Christian imagery, including a notable Marian depiction.
• Frescoed cubicula and burial galleries: Multiple frescoed cubicula and burial chambers displaying early Christian and some Jewish iconography, grouped along underground galleries.