subject: The Early Art Of Christians In The Catacombs [print this page] During the early Christian period art in the Church was nearly completely in the Roman Catacombs. Why and for what reason? Christians during that time were being persecuted. They were being hunted down like dogs and eradicated. But the more they attempt to wipe them out the greater their number grew. They were hated in the "eyes of the gods" and the pagans. There is a certain saying among Christians that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith.
These Christians refused to worshiped devils as the apostle states the gods of the gentiles are devils. Many of these glorious Christians suffered martyrdom. What is a martyr? A martyr is defined as a witness. St. Stephen who was stoned by the Jews is a witness to the teachings of Christ and His holy doctrine. The Apostles are considered witnesses for nearly all of them suffered martyrdom for Jesus Christ. We put the situation partly into context. We can write many books explaining the histories of what went on.
The question arises did the Romans at the time knew where Christians buried their dead? The answer is yes they did. Under Roman law and custom every body was guaranteed a burial place. Now the emperors Decius and Diocletian, declared that since the above ground belong to the state the catacombs became a property of the state which made it impossible for Christians to enter the Catacombs normally done through routine. The successors of Decius and Diocletian repealed these laws on the grounds that they were contrary to the spirit of the Roman State and Law.
We now can see that the Catacombs were a safe haven for Christians. Every dead Christian was guaranteed a spot for burial under the law of the Roman Empire. We could assume that these Christians could not be molested either in burying their fallen brethren.
The Catacombs itself became holy sanctuaries. They became refuges for these persecuted Christians. That is why Christian iconography flourished during the early centuries of the Church in the Catacombs. No pagan could bother them. It was a needed oasis in a hot desert. That is where the Requiem Masses and ordinary Masses were said. During these times many of the Catholic faithful painted many frescos. These frescos depicted many of the stories of Christ, for example the Good Shepherd. But also many of the paintings were of the second coming of Christ to remind Christians to be always prepared to suffer their lives for Christ.
The odor of decay especially during the summer grew to such an height and intensity that it was a very great sacrifice and painstaking action for the excavators and other family members to bury the dead. After the victorious battle of the Milvian Bridge Constantine declared that the Roman Empire should tolerate the Christian religion. He commissioned a Basilica be built in over the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul. The Church proceeded to build churches and chapels over the graves of martyrs. Then the custom began to have the bodies be buried above ground in cemeteries as we see today.
