THE CATACOMB OF S. GIOVANNI

The catacomb of S. Giovanni was started in the 4th century, after the Edict of Milan issued by Constantine in 313, a decree of tolerance towards Christianity. This place was created for a community which no longer needed to hide their Christian beliefs.
The different kinds of burial found are the canonic ones: loculi ( rectangular burial niches carved into the walls used for spare bones or little babies ); arcosoli ( more elegant, decorated with paintings, they could also contain an entire family ); fosse terragne ( carved into the ground, less noble, typical of the intensive exploitation of the necropoli ).
The catacomb of S. Giovanni has been designed following a pre-existing greek water system, according to the planning of a castrum ( roman military camp ). From the only possible entry, it starts the decumanus maximus, the main gallery, and from it five cardines spread to north and to south. These galleries lead to the rotundas, used for religious rites, carved in pre-existing cisterns. The first rotunda in the southern region is the so-called Marina rotunda, because of an inscription to Marina in the upper part of her arcosolio. Going to south, a short gallery leads to the arcosolio of Bishop Siracosio, where you can see the Christogram of Constantine and two boats in the shape of a fish. For the early Christians, the boat signified the Church, while the fish was an acrostic in greek language: ICTIUS becomes Jesus Christ Son of God the Saviour.
From Marina rotunda, you move to Adelfia rotunda. Here, in 1872, the archaeologist Saverio Cavallari found a sarcophagus in marble ( now saved in the “Paolo Orsi” Museum at Siracusa ) where 62 biblical characters from the Old and New Testament are carved; in the middle of it, a shell representing Adelfia and her husband Valerio.
Going forward, there is the Seven Sarcophagus rotunda ( or Seven Virgins rotunda ) where an iscription dedicated to the blessed virgins Filomena and Fotina was found; they were two women belonging to the first christian community.
Going back, there is a cistern of a square form, named Eusebius cubicle. Pope Eusebius was buried here until his body was moved to the catacomb of Callisto in Rome. In this cistern, a very important inscription dedicated to Euskia was found; she died on the day when St. Lucy was celebrated: this gives evidence to the devotion to the saint from the 5th century.
Following the decumanus maximus, we meet the arcosolio of Deodata, decorated with frescos. In the upper part, Christ is represented with St. Peter an St. Paul while he is coronating Deodata entering the Paradise.
In the northern part of the catacomb, following the decumanus minor, there is the Antiochia rotunda, a real pantheon, carved in the ground, where you get in through some stairs. Against the wall, there are some tracks of columns with capitals. At the beginning of the second northern gallery you find the so-called Tomb of the Saint. On its cover slab, there are three holes, used for the ancient rite called refrigerium: it was a funeral banquet celebrated in the dies natalis ( the anniversary of death ). Through holes carved in the stone and by three copper straws, wine, milk and honey were poured inside the deceased’s mouth.
The catacomb, as the near Basilica, has been sacked by several people like Vandals, Goths, Saracens. These repeted sackings have left only the “naked skeleton” of this necropoli, as the archaeologist Paolo Orsi said.
Only with Paolo Orsi, in the early years of the 20th century, this underground city of deads has methodically been explored.

THE CRYPT OF S. MARCIANO

According to tradition, in the 39 a.C. Marciano was sent by St. Peter to Siracusa to preach the gospel. The authorities were worried about the success of the new religion, but probably it was the jewish who killed the Bishop Marciano in 68 a.C. His body, now saved in the Cathedral of Gaeta, was buried in the same place of his martyrdom, and the tomb was realised in a special way that allowed people to touch his blessed body.
Starting from this place, the christians excavated some galleries in order to bury their deads; from here, it started the building of the catacomb where several bodies of people died during the roman persecution were buried.
The crypt represents the first christian place in the west, it is five meters underground and includes the tomb of S. Marciano. According to the Acts of the Apostles (ch. 28, vs 12 ), in 61 a.C. St. Paul stayed here when he stopped for three days in Siracusa during his journey in chains towards Rome.
During the Byzantine period, the crypt was enlarged, transformed in church ( greek cross planning ), with three apses, columns and ionian capitals. The remains of its ancient mosaic floor called opus sectile and some frescos representing St. Lucy, St. Marciano, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter and St. Paul are still visible.
Later on, the Normans partly rebuilt the crypt, adding four capitals each one decorated with the symbols of the four Evangelists. In the 12th century, the entry was adorned with an ogival vault, decorated with a falcon, symbol of the emperor Frederick II of Svevia.

BASILICA OF S. GIOVANNI EVANGELISTA

The Basilica of S. Giovanni was built in the 6th century by the Byzantines. The church was oriented east-west, divided in three naves with twel