Although they are small, these catacombs are very rich in meanings. The name was originally given ad catacumbas galleries here, then this name became common to all Christian underground cemeteries. In these catacombs are buried some martyrs century III: Eutichius, Quirinius, Maximus and Sebastian.

In the third century, the catacombs have become the most important meeting places for Christians because for almost 55 years, there has been provisionally tomb of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

In 257, the emperor Valerian, heavy persecutions against Christians started and forbade more meet in catacombs. How venues on Via Ostiense (where was buried St. Paul) and the Vatican (where was the tomb of St. Peter), were known to the Romans, to escape persecution, Christians have changed to a new venue Via Appia, where they moved and relics of the Apostles, in order to escape the profanity, but also to be able to gather around them. The frequent meetings of remembrance of the Holy Apostles were followed by a charity (refrigerium), and the hall where it held maintains over 600 inscriptions scrawled on the walls of Christians exhibitors from all over the empire.

During the Holy Emperor Constantine, the relics of the Holy Apostles were moved again in places where they had been buried before and those places amounted basilica great: St. Peter in the Vatican and Saint Paul on Via Ostiense, and are there until today. Via Appia, to remember that there has been provisionally tomb of the Holy Apostles, was raised Basilica Apostolorum, which the late sixth century, was named “Saint Sebastian”. This was so revered saint immediately after his death, that was considered the third patron of Rome, together with Saints Peter and Paul. (…)

Today, the catacombs are some of the most expensive pilgrimage sites of Christianity, is still shrouded in mystical light of the “golden age”. The inscription scratched by a pilgrim on the wall of a catacomb is as true for today’s “in this darkness is light, chants resound in these graves.”