Catacombs of Saint Sebastian

Today, Courtney and I decided to journey to the Catacombs that are located along the Via Appia Antica. In an earlier blog, I discussed in detail what the Appia Antica is and also how to get there. We chose to take Bus 118 which only cost one Euro each way. We went into the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian first. This offered a quick tour with a guide through a predetermined route through the catacombs. It was amazing to see tunnels that looked like they went on forever. It was eerie, though, being in the dark, cold silence of the catacombs. It was hard not to imagine what these walls had seen. My favorite part, however, was learning about Saint Sebastian. He was a Christian that rose to high ranks in the Roman army. However, when it was discovered that he was a Christian, he was ordered to be executed. He was shot with arrows, but did not die. After he was nursed back to health, he was found and beaten to death. St. Sebastian is the patron saint of soldiers, athletes and municipal police officers.