The Catacombs of Santa Felicita or Catacomb of Maximus is a three-level complex of

catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

on the modern

via Salaria The Via Salaria was an ancient Roman road in Italy. It eventually ran from Rome (from Porta Salaria of the Aurelian Walls) to ''Castrum Truentinum'' ( Porto d'Ascoli) on the Adriatic coast, a distance of 242 km. The road also passed throu ...

in the modern Salario quarter of Rome. In the 17th century it was also known as the Catacomb of Sant'Antonio after the patron saint of the

Vienne Vienne may refer to: Places *Vienne (department), a department of France named after the river Vienne *Vienne, Isère, a city in the French department of Isère * Vienne-en-Arthies, a village in the French department of Val-d'Oise * Vienne-en-Bessi ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

which owned the land in which it fell.

History

It was originally named after Maximus, the owner of the land in which it was dug, but was renamed after its main burial, that of

Felicitas of Rome Felicitas of Rome (c. 101 – 165), also anglicized as is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. Apart from her name, the only thing known for certain about this martyr is that she was buried in the Cemetery of Maximus, on the Via Sa ...

, after the

edict of Milan The Edict of Milan (; , ''Diatagma tōn Mediolanōn'') was the February 313 agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. Frend, W. H. C. (1965). ''The Early Church''. SPCK, p. 137. Western Roman Emperor Constantine I and ...

of 313 made Christianity legal - it appears under her name for the first time in the ''

Liber Pontificalis The ''Liber Pontificalis'' (Latin for 'pontifical book' or ''Book of the Popes'') is a book of biography, biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' stopped with Pope Adr ...

''. The '' Depositio martyrum'' for 10 July records her martyrdom and that of another seven martyrs, all under

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

, stated in a legendary 5th century 'passio' to be her seven sons and daughters (of whom Martial, Vitale and Alexander were buried in the catacomb of the Iordani, Felix and Philip in that of

Priscilla Priscilla is an English female given name adopted from Latin '' Prisca'', derived from ''priscus''. There is a theory that this biblical character was the author of the Letter to the Hebrews. The name first appears in the New Testament either ...

, Januarius in that of Praetextaus and Silanus with his mother).

Pope Boniface I Pope Boniface I () was the bishop of Rome from 28 December 418 to his death on 4 September 422. His election was disputed by the supporters of Eulalius until the dispute was settled by Emperor Honorius. Boniface was active in maintaining churc ...

(418-422) built a small underground basilica on the site dedicated to Silanus (with his remains in an altar in its foundations) and an above-ground oratory dedicated to Felicitas. He himself was buried in a semi-underground tomb joined to the oratory. These form the first and earliest level on the site. All three buildings were still visible in the 16th century and appear in Bufalini's 1551 map of Rome. When

pope Leo III Pope Leo III (; died 12 June 816) was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 26 December 795 to his death on 12 June 816. Protected by Charlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor, Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlem ...

(early 9th century) translated Felicitas' remains to

Santa Susanna The Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian () is a Roman Catholic, Catholic parish church, parish and Cistercian conventual church located on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, Italy. There has been a titular church associated to its site as ...

within the city walls, the catacomb was little by little abandoned and forgotten. At the end of the 18th century it was rediscovered near a crumbling building, from which a staircase led down to the catacombs. Marble plaques with inscriptions and tomb inscriptions were found and thanks to

Giovanni Battista de Rossi Giovanni Battista (Carlo) de Rossi (23 February 1822 – 20 September 1894) was an Italian archaeologist, famous even outside his field for rediscovering early Christian catacombs. Life and works Born in Rome, he was the son of Commendatore C ...

's work in the 19th century the remains were found to be the catacombs of Felicitas. De Rossi G. B.
''Il cemetero di Massimo nella via Salaria nuova''
in ''Bullettino di Archeologia Cristiana'', serie I, 1 (1863) 41-46 In 1884 a late 7th or early 8th century picture was found in the small basilica showing Felicitas surrounded by her seven children - De Rossi commissioned a copy of it by Gregorio Mariani and only fragments of the original now survive due to a wall collapse.

References

{{coord missing, Italy Felicita category:Rome Q. IV Salario