Death has always been a source of mystery for people around the world. But what happens when we erase that invisible boundary and turn the dead into objects of worship?
Never far from every major event, religion is always powerful and never seeks followers. But every religion depends on faith, and faith must be maintained in every possible way.
That’s why today we touch on one of the creepiest secrets in history. As if straight out of a turn-of-the-century horror movie, the mysterious and slightly scary Catacomb Saints will not only make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up but also make you ask some pretty taboo questions.
Death on display? Ancient mysteries and long-forgotten burial chambers? Mysterious Christian martyrs? The gripping story of the Catacomb Saints has it all – and then some! Get ready to delve into intrigue, mystery, and the morbid veneration of long-dead martyrs – as we uncover the dark secrets of religious worship.
Entombed: The origins of the saints in the catacombs
The story of the Catacomb Saints takes us back in time, to the beginnings of Christianity in Rome. We all know that the story of one of the world’s great religions had a very difficult beginning. From their first steps, Christ’s followers had to endure great suffering. Persecution, exile, martyrdom and massacre – these were the sad and chaotic features of the first few centuries of Christianity.
But things change, the great landscape of the world changes and moves, and what was once persecuted – is finally accepted. And so, Christianity became the state religion of Rome. In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius I issued the Edict of Thessalonica, ending the cruel fate endured by Christians and ushering the people of Rome into a new era of religious worship.
As soon as the new religion was formed and accepted, the pagan custom of cremation became obsolete. People turned their faith to stories of resurrection, and soon inhumanity became the popular choice. Tombs, sarcophagi, and elaborate tombs for the rich quickly took over and Rome’s officials were running out of burial space.
That’s when the creation of vast, vast and often complex catacombs began. These cave tunnel systems are nothing new – the Etruscans established them before Roman times and it gave people something to work with.
Catacombe di San Pancrazio under the basilica in Trastevere, Rome. (Frankix/Adobe Stock)
Soon after, many separate catacombs were built, snaking beneath the streets of Rome, secret and filled with mystery – and some of them stretched for up to 12.5 miles (20 km). And within them, sleeping quietly beneath a city full of life and earthly joy, were the bodies of Christians, martyrs and devout citizens, silent mysteries buried in the eternity to come.
The Storm of Beelden: Europe’s Great Iconoclasm
Our creepy story takes a big leap and enters 16th century Europe. Rome’s strange catacombs are long forgotten and shrouded in mystery, but the events take place many centuries ago. The next century still gives them an important role.
From 1522 to 1566, Europe was increasingly rocked by a series of attacks on the Catholic church – attacks that were part of the infamous Protestant reformation. Centered on the Netherlands, these attacks, also known as the Great Iconoclasm, were led by Calvinist Protestant rioting mobs and they quickly spread to other areas of Europe.
This great iconoclasm was a series of outbreaks involving the destruction of the religious image of the Catholic church. The results of these riots were severe for the artistic heritage of Catholic Christianity, with many precious works and relics irretrievably lost.
The destruction of religious images by the Reformation in Zurich, 1524. (Uploaded / Public domain)
Altar fragments, ancestral monuments, roadside crosses and relics of saints are all targeted and rarely saved. Over a period of several years, the Catholic Church had suffered a severe blow to both its reputation and the power of its followers – and the faith needed to be restored.
Return from Darkness: Saints in the Crypt
There is power in macabre imagery, and what is more morbid and mysterious than long-dead martyrs and ragged skeletons that exude an atmosphere of long-forgotten time? With the sudden loss of many relics and works of art, Catholic officials decided to take advantage of the recent discoveries of Rome’s underground catacombs in 1578, creating a unique plan to revive the shaky faith of Catholics across Europe.
And so, in the decades following the Great Iconoclasm, Vatican officials systematically exhumed thousands of skeletons buried in Rome’s labyrinthine catacombs – sending them to the towns and churches across Europe. These skeletons are often of no significance – they are the remains of early Christian citizens of Rome, only a few may be the remains of Christian martyrs.
However, church officials went to great lengths to decorate these remains, covering them with the most expensive jewels, crowns, pearls, gold and silver threads, and in such a way Somehow, they created complex and rich works of art – with an unmistakable note of the macabre.
Skeleton of Saint Catacomb – Saint Innocentius. (Neitram / CC BY-SA 4.0 )
The mystery and popularity of these new-found ‘saints’ quickly spread throughout the wealthy Catholic towns of Europe, and soon every major city had its own mummy of the martyr. me. Saints and martyrs such as Demetrius, Pancras, Vibiana, Saturninus, Verena, Munditia and Honoratus, soon became proud monuments of towns in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – despite their remains of mostly ordinary and anonymous people. Some of these were even copied, with different towns having the remains of the same ‘saint’.
But people often rely on faith – and a good story full of mystery is always easy to believe. With a bit of carefully guarded secrecy, the Catholic Church managed to strengthen the faith of parishioners across Europe and give new meaning to the ancient dead in Rome.
Despite Faith: Saint Pancras of Rome
One saint is especially important to the story of the Saints in the Crypt – a story full of early Christian mystery and its symbolic stubborn faith. That story is about Saint Pancras, an early Christian martyr whose remains are said to have had a wild journey that lasted centuries.
Born in Phrygia around 289 AD, Pancras was orphaned as a child, eventually coming to Rome under the care of his uncle. In this vast metropolis, Pancras became a devout Christian, his faith marked by extraordinary zeal.
And so, during the infamous persecution of Christians under Diocletian’s rule in 303 AD, fourteen-year-old Pancras was captured and ordered to perform pagan sacrifices to Roman gods. A devout Christian, Pancras refused and defiantly stood by his beliefs, even when promised gold and riches. Ultimately, due to his defiance and steadfast faith, Pancras was martyred – beheaded by Roman soldiers on the Via Aurelia.
His body was eventually placed in the catacombs beneath Rome, and instead of being put to eternal rest, it endured quite a long journey. Today, these remains are laid to rest in a manner atypical of an early Christian martyr, but St. Pancras does not seem to mind that – if indeed it was him.
Armored Saints: The Last Vigil
In a defensive and defiant stance, an armored skeleton sits majestically inside the Church of St. Nicholas in Wil, Switzerland. The breathtaking display mesmerized all onlookers – elaborately wrought silver armor with rich gold detailing, expertly cast symbols and accessories, a wealth of beauty. From behind the fierce helmeted skull, a large golden halo radiated out in all directions, giving this armored saint a powerful and holy aura.
Posed Catacomb Saint – St. Pancras is exhibited in Wil, Switzerland. (Dbu / CC BY-SA 3.0 )
These are the supposed relics of Saint Pancras, which arrived in Switzerland in the 1600s, in the aftermath of the Great Iconoclasm. The astonishing and intricate way in which it is displayed makes this skeleton the most famous and recognizable of the Crypt Saints.
But Pancras is not the only place with such a reputation – Germany, Switzerland and Austria are full of remains believed to be of martyrs and great saints such as Saint Leontius, Saint Deodatus, Saint Maximus, Saint Domitian, and hundreds of other saints. the others – each richly decorated; a mute mirror of Catholicism’s rich and militaristic past.
In modern times, when keeping it a secret is no longer easy and there are rumors that many of these saints were not so saintly after all, a large number of churches have decided to destroy or no longer display them. present these so-called Saint Catacombs as well. And so the final leg of the Roman Catholics’ journey to find their remains ended in dusty basements and remote warehouses – away from the prying eyes of worshipers. .
Death and mystery: Art for acquired taste
Richly decorated and lavish, these monuments are considered by many to be a unique form of Christian art. In an effort to emphasize the holiness of these ‘saints’, Vatican officials went to great lengths to decorate them – nearly all of these Catacomb Saints were covered from head to toe in precious jewelry and expensive clothes. Both the Church and the European nobility were never short of money, so they did not hesitate to ensure that just a look at the relic would ignite a fire in the hearts of people with wavering faith.
The Catacomb Saints are covered from head to toe by the Vatican in precious jewelry and expensive clothing. (DALIBRI / CC BY-SA 4.0 )
And in the process, they’ve created macabre works of art, each unique and fascinating. In recent years, Catacomb Saints have again become popular, with many photographers and art writers, such as Paul Koudounaris and Christian Boss, rediscovering these works and promoting a form of ‘tourism’. new ‘dark’ .
On the brink: Blasphemy or something else?
For many Christians, the subject of the Catacomb Saints remains a source of debate and deeper questions regarding piety and holiness. We have an opportunity to ask some important questions here – does this ‘trade’ in mortal remains border on sacrilege?
In the 19th century, around the time when the authenticity of relics was being questioned, a lot of people brought up the subject of simony – the act of selling positions, offices and relics in the church. But the truth is that the church made explicit guarantees to avoid the sale of the cross, and instead raised funds by charging buyers for the costs of lavish decorations, shipping as well as the induction ceremony and bless.
Needless to say, a lot of money was spent and earned for the Catacomb Saints, even though many of them were just ordinary remains – a fact enough to anger some religious officials. In a way, the symbolic spirit of piety and spirituality was broken by these gold-encrusted and jeweled skeletons, which often represented the wealth of a particular town or family. family owns them.
Regardless, this truly macabre and disturbing form of worship, and some would say art, is enough to make us begin to wonder about the true nature of faith. Are gold jewelry and lace part of Christian piety? And should the honorable dead be allowed to rest in peace? Try and answer these questions – it may not be that easy.
Do the macabre cults and jeweled skeletons reflect the piety of the Catacomb Saints? (AndreasPraefcke / Public Domain)
Conclusion
The truth is, Catacomb Saints is not the only display of skeletons in the world. The partially preserved remains of the ancient dead have long been admired and acquired, to the point where it actually raises questions about the significance of the sanctity of earthly remains. Many sites are famous for their huge collections of skeletons or mummies – the Paris Catacombs, the Nazca mummies in Peru, the Fiesta de las Natitas in La Paz, Bolivia, the creepy Sedlec Catacombs in the Czech Republic, and the Catacombs Capuchin in Palermo – the list goes on.
But whichever way we look at it, the strange story of the Saints in the Crypt can give us a glimpse into a whole new world of art – an enchanting combination of wealth and death, the macabre symbiosis of two completely opposite sides. And there is no doubt that this combination is unforgettable – a combination that is very close to taboo and creates a sick fascination that leaves us wanting more!
