File:The church in the catacombs - a description of the primitive church of Rome - illustrated by its sepulchral remains (1846) (14759048816).jpg

Identifier: churchincatacom00mait (find matches)
Title: The church in the catacombs : a description of the primitive church of Rome : illustrated by its sepulchral remains
Year: 1846 (1840s)
Authors: Maitland, Charles, 1815-1866
Subjects: Catacombs Christian art and symbolism Church history
Publisher: London : Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
after your death, in order to pre-serve it with spices and ointments? But I will findsome way of exterminating your very dust.* Bol-detti relates that an odour of spices was perceivedon opening some of the graves. Tertullian, in an-swer to the objection made by the political econo-mists of his day, that the new religion was unfa-vourable to commerce, exclaims, Is not incensebrought from a distance? If Arabia should com-plain, tell the Sabeans that more of their merchan-dise, and that of a more expensive quality, is em-ployed in burying Christians than in fumigatingthe gods. f * Ruinart. Acta Taraclii, Probi, &c.•)■ Apologetic us, cap. 42. AS A CHRISTIAN CEMETERY. 47 It is time to set before the reader the appearanceand construction of the cemeteries from which thesemonuments have been taken. In the greater num-ber of galleries the height is about eight or tenfeet, and the width from four to six : in the annexeddrawing the author has attempted to express theirusual appearance.
Text Appearing After Image:
INTERIOR OF A CATACOMB. 48 THE CATACOMBS The graves are cut in the walls, either in a strag-gling line, or in tiers, represented by dAgincourtas occasionally amounting to six in height. Thelarge grave at the bottom of the drawing is a biso-mum, cut downwards as well as inwards in thetufa. Further back is seen a branch of the gallerywalled off to prevent accidents, which still occa-sionally happen to those who penetrate much be-yond the entrance. The daylight finding its wayinto the mouth of the cavern, as described by Pru-dentius, serves to render visible the rifled sepulchres.There is seen in the more distant part of the gal-lery a small square hole, in which was originallydeposited a cup. Antiquarians have not succeeded in explainingthe fact, that most of the graves near the entranceof the catacombs are so small as scarcely to allowroom for the body of a child. The want of soli-dity in the material prevented the excavators, orfossors, as they were termed, from completing thegraves b

Note About Images