The Catacombs of Priscilla Guided Tour

Tour overview

The Catacombs of Priscilla

Immerse yourself in an exclusive guided tour of the Catacombs of Priscilla, an important historical sight in Rome that is located near Via Saleria, next to the beautiful Villa Ada. The catacombs are named after the woman who donated the land on which to build them: she was part of the senatorial class, from the Acilius family. The catacombs were carved into tough rock from the 2nd to the 5th century AD. The galleries underground are about 13 km long, and are also known as the Queen of Catacombs because of all the important Christian martyrs who were buried there.

Where we will be

The Catacombs of Priscilla, including the Cubicle of the Veiled, the Greek Chapel, the Virgin Mary, the basilica and the monastery. We will visit all of the Popes buried in the catacombs during the persecution of Christians in Rome. Most of the bodies of important Christian figures were laid to rest in these catacombs, like the bodies of Pope Marcelino and other Popes much later on. The size of the catacombs is vast, including 40,000 burials in 3 levels, 35 meters below the ground.

What we will do

You will hear stories told of all the Christians who founded this place because they couldn't live in peace with their own faith. At that time, Romans were expected to worship their own gods, not Christ, so the Christians were forced outside of the city gates of Rome. There they started digging underground to build their first chapels where they could perform their own Christian liturgy. The catacombs grew so much that they ended up living there as well as dying there. In these spaces you will explore all of the beautiful frescos depicting the first Christians adoring Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Duration of the guided tour

2.5 hours. Our guided tours are done daily in some of the most impressive catacombs in Rome.