| During the early Christian period art in the Church was | | | | spirit of the Roman State and Law. |
| nearly completely in the Roman Catacombs. Why and | | | | We now can see that the Catacombs were a safe |
| for what reason? Christians during that time were | | | | haven for Christians. Every dead Christian was |
| being persecuted. They were being hunted down like | | | | guaranteed a spot for burial under the law of the |
| dogs and eradicated. But the more they attempt to | | | | Roman Empire. We could assume that these |
| wipe them out the greater their number grew. They | | | | Christians could not be molested either in burying |
| were hated in the "eyes of the gods" and the | | | | their fallen brethren. |
| pagans. There is a certain saying among Christians | | | | The Catacombs itself became holy sanctuaries. They |
| that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the | | | | became refuges for these persecuted Christians. |
| faith. | | | | That is why Christian iconography flourished during |
| These Christians refused to worshiped devils as the | | | | the early centuries of the Church in the Catacombs. |
| apostle states the gods of the gentiles are devils. | | | | No pagan could bother them. It was a needed oasis |
| Many of these glorious Christians suffered | | | | in a hot desert. That is where the Requiem Masses |
| martyrdom. What is a martyr? A martyr is defined as | | | | and ordinary Masses were said. During these times |
| a witness. St. Stephen who was stoned by the Jews | | | | many of the Catholic faithful painted many frescoes. |
| is a witness to the teachings of Christ and His holy | | | | These frescoes depicted many of the stories of |
| doctrine. The Apostles are considered witnesses for | | | | Christ, for example the Good Shepherd. But also |
| nearly all of them suffered martyrdom for Jesus | | | | many of the paintings were of the second coming of |
| Christ. We put the situation partly into context. We | | | | Christ to remind Christians to be always prepared to |
| can write many books explaining the histories of | | | | suffer their lives for Christ. |
| what went on. | | | | The odor of decay especially during the summer |
| The question arises did the Romans at the time | | | | grew to such an height and intensity that it was a |
| knew where Christians buried their dead? The | | | | very great sacrifice and painstaking action for the |
| answer is yes they did. Under Roman law and | | | | excavators and other family members to bury the |
| custom every body was guaranteed a burial place. | | | | dead. After the victorious battle of the Milvian Bridge |
| Now the emperors Decius and Diocletian, declared | | | | Constantine declared that the Roman Empire should |
| that since the above ground belong to the state the | | | | tolerate the Christian religion. He commissioned a |
| catacombs became a property of the state which | | | | Basilica be built in over the tombs of St. Peter and St. |
| made it impossible for Christians to enter the | | | | Paul. The Church proceeded to build churches and |
| Catacombs normally done through routine. The | | | | chapels over the graves of martyrs. Then the |
| successors of Decius and Diocletian repealed these | | | | custom began to have the bodies be buried above |
| laws on the grounds that they were contrary to the | | | | ground in cemeteries as we see today. |