Early Christian Art

Catacombs

Early Christian art is somewhat deceivingly hidden in history between the second century after the birth of Christ until the year 313, when Constantine came to power and stopped the persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire. Catacombs are the name given to "subterranean galleries cut into the tufa beds outside of Rome," (Gough, p.24). They were rediscovered by the modern world during the nineteenth century and the few that have been excavated provide information about the world in 250 AD.  The catacombs contain most of what we know about Early Christian art in wall paintings called frescoes, (wall paintings made by mixing paints with wet plaster and creating a virtually indestructible work of art)  Contrary to some modern beliefs, these catacombs were not  a secret to anybody in Rome; indeed, the catacombs were used as Christian cemeteries not because they needed secrecy. In reality, the Roman law strictly protected tombs from violation. So why the mysterious atmosphere?

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Pagan practice in Rome was to cremate dead bodies before burying; however, early Christians did not believe in this practice and preferred to bury their dead, unburned, outside of the city. Catacombs were relatively inexpensive ways to bury Christians so that they were "physically united in death" with other Christians in order to be better prepared for the "Last Day," or day of judgment (Gough, p.24). The frescoes  in the catacombs exhibit that the "optimism of Christian faith, in its early years, had taken some of the sting out of death…"(Milburn p.22).

As Rome was predominantly a pagan society where unorthodox beliefs were persecuted, there was a need for discretion in the art of the catacombs. "The depiction of the cross was avoided" because it was an indisputable sign of the death of Jesus Christ. In some cases the differences between Roman mythology and Christian art in the frescoes lie beneath the murky waters of time.

The Good Shepherd

In the summer of 1997 I visited the Catacombs of Priscilla outside of Rome while on an Art History/Chamber Singers tour of Italy under North Park University of Chicago. Professor Gregory Athnos who, for many years, has studied the catacombs and achieved expert knowledge of their intricacies, led the tour. To understand the beauty and significance of the catacombs we will look in detail at two frescoes found in the Catacombs of Priscilla just outside of Rome: the "Good Shepherd" and the "Virgin and Christ Child with Prophet."