Overlake Latin Ancient Field Studies: The Catacombs of San Sebastiano

Written by Catherine

photos by Kelli and online sources where photography was not permitted.

Today we visited the San Sebastian catacombs, named after the twice-martyred Saint Sebastian who fought against Christian persecution by the Roman Empire. We saw carvings of Christian iconography and their excavated tombs, along with the extravagant mausoleums of three Roman citizens just outside the original ancient catacomb. Our tour guide regaled us with tales of saints and martyrs that had contributed to the long history of Christianity and paganism alike.

I entered the catacomb with little knowledge of the Christian-Roman conflicts of the first through fifth centuries and exited with a newfound appreciation for the context around the ancient studies I had practiced for so many years. The tour guide engaged us by letting us translate the Latin inscriptions left in the catacomb and discussing the stories about Rome that we had learned about in Latin and Art History. It was so gratifying to exercise my rusty translation skills—I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that aspect of Latin! However, what I enjoyed the most were the stories of San Sebastian and the dominus, quo vadis? tale. The tour guide's storytelling was enrapturing, and the statue of San Sebastian (made by one of Bernini's students) even more so. His form was dynamic and grandiose, his expression serene yet tragic—a classic and stunning model of the Baroque style. Although I hadn't studied art history in school, I felt an equal amount of academic and aesthetic appreciation for the passion and care that had gone into the sculpture. I could truly understand how much Saint Sebastian's martyrdom meant to people. In that basilica with a gorgeous cyprus wood carved ceiling, Bernini's last sculpture, and countless other grand frescos and relics, I was bowled over by the sheer human passion and history on display in that one room. It was a once in a life opportunity to see such a wide spectrum of life and death in one place. I truly feel as though my understanding of humanity as a whole has widened.

Photos from Catacombe.com