Guide to Rome's Monumental Cemeteries: Catacombs, Legends, and Famous Tombs
The burial sites of Rome, encompassing everything from 3rd-century catacombs to grand cemeteries, showcase a profound historical narrative. The Catacombs of San Callisto, established in the late 2nd century along the Via Appia, represent the first official Christian burial ground, covering 15 hectares with nearly 20 kilometers of tunnels and containing the remains of over 50 martyrs and 16 popes. Notable inscriptions in the Cripta dei Papi commemorate Popes Pontian, Anterus, Fabian, Lucius I, and Eutychian. Established following the 1804 Edict of Saint Cloud, the Monumental Cemetery of Verano spans 83 hectares and is the resting place of prominent individuals like Goffredo Mameli and Grazia Deledda. The Non-Catholic Cemetery, overseen by foreign diplomatic missions in Italy, is the final resting place of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Key facts
- Catacombs of San Callisto date to late 2nd century along Via Appia
- Catacombs span 15 hectares with nearly 20 km of galleries
- Over 50 martyrs and 16 popes buried in San Callisto
- Cripta dei Papi has original Greek inscriptions of five popes
- Verano Cemetery founded after 1804 Edict of Saint Cloud
- Verano covers 83 hectares with pre-Roman necropolis
- Designed by Giuseppe Valadier, built under Virginio Vespignani
- Filippo Severati patented enamel-on-lava funeral portraits in 1857
- Legend of Pietro Galletti buried alive after catalepsy
- Non-Catholic Cemetery near Pyramid of Cestius in Testaccio
- John Keats died of tuberculosis at 25 in Piazza di Spagna
- Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned off Lerici in 1822
- Antonio Gramsci, Carlo Emilio Gadda, Andrea Camilleri, Giorgio Napolitano buried there
- Rosa Bathurst drowned in Tiber in 1824, possibly inspired De André song
- Cemetery managed by foreign diplomatic missions in Italy
Entities
Artists
- Goffredo Mameli
- Grazia Deledda
- Giacomo Balla
- Alberto Moravia
- Gianni Rodari
- Trilussa
- Sibilla Aleramo
- Eduardo De Filippo
- Vittorio De Sica
- Alberto Sordi
- Vittorio Gassman
- Nino Manfredi
- Ettore Petrolini
- Filippo Severati
- John Keats
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Antonio Gramsci
- Carlo Emilio Gadda
- Andrea Camilleri
- Giorgio Napolitano
- Rosa Bathurst
- Fabrizio De André
- Henry James
- Luisa Gaiardoni
Institutions
- Catacombe di San Callisto
- Cimitero Monumentale del Verano
- Cimitero Acattolico
- Artribune
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Via Appia
- Via Tiburtina
- Piazza di Spagna
- Lerici
- Testaccio
- Pyramid of Cestius
- Tiber