A walk through the Catacombs of Naples will add some romance to any sightseeing program. There are lots of them in the city, and they are no less famous than the Paris Catacombs. They were built by early Christians. Due to attacks from the pagan Roman Empire, places of worship were erected here so that they could pray, perform rituals, and bury Christians. The most popular underground labyrinths are Catacombe di San Gennaro, Catacombe di San Gaudioso, and Catacombe di San Severo. A few words should be said about each of the above.
Catacombe di San Gennaro are the oldest of the catacombs dating back to the 2nd century AD. They consist of two levels - the upper one, where there is the grave of St. Januarius who gave the catacombs their name, and the lower one, famous for its ancient ceiling paintings (here you can even see the images of Adam and Eve, David fighting with Goliath) and a mosaic depicting peacocks and grapes. Today, the upper level is turned into an underground temple. Catacombe di San Gaudioso was erected at the turn of the 4th-5th centuries. The entrance can be found under the altar of Chiesa di Santa Maria alla Sanità. Frescoes of the 5th-6th centuries and mosaics are well preserved here, as well as ancient burials (horizontal niches) and the tomb of St. Gaudioso with perfectly visible inscriptions on the sarcophagus.
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