The Mystery of the Roman Catacombs

The Catholic Church harbors many secrets. One of them is the skeletons with lots of jewelry found in the catacombs of Rome. Scientists believe that this find can tell a lot about the lifestyle of religious leaders of the distant past.

In 1578, deep beneath the streets of Rome was found the first underground cemetery, called the Catacombs of Priscilla, where the burial chambers of early Christian martyrs were discovered. They contained human skeletons literally studded with precious stones.

Later, a whole underground labyrinth of many necropolises with its own streets, squares, and crossroads was discovered.

Scientists believe that such rich decoration on the skeletons is due to the fact that they were thought to be the remains of Christian saints.

That is why the underground city in Rome is often called the “Catacombs of the Saints”.

It is worth noting that not all of the skeletons found were originally covered with precious stones, some of them were decorated later, after the discovery of the catacombs.

Today the previously hidden “precious skeletons” can be seen in photographs by Paul Kuduranis, who managed to lift the veil on one of the mysteries of the Catholic Church.

The American art historian has not only been to Rome but has also visited some of the most closed religious institutions in Europe.