They frighten with their eerie black failures, but they allure with the unknown. Many of them stretch for hundreds of kilometers and are fraught with surprises, terrible secrets and untold treasures … The name "catacombs" comes from the Latin ad Catacumbas - "at the descent to the graves." In the Greek language there is a corresponding word katakona, which translates as "doom, death". And in many cities of the world, catacombs and cemeteries are closely related …
Cemetery near Paris
Some of the most famous in the world are the Parisian catacombs - a giant cemetery with a "population" of more than six million people. Among the unknown dead near Paris are buried such French celebrities as Charles Perrot and François Rabelais, Antoine Lavoisier and Blaise Pascal, Nicole Fouquet and Jean-Baptiste Colbert.
The French, apparently, are quite easy about the proximity of death, and therefore, not far from the graves, you can find cafes and mushroom farms (temperature conditions are suitable).
The exact length of the dungeons (which dates back to the 10th century) has not yet been established. It is believed that this figure is about 300 kilometers. About 2.5 kilometers of catacombs are open to tourists. You can get there through the pavilion located near the Danfer-Rochereau metro station. But thrill-seekers find old passages through basements or sewers and try to explore the government-closed area. Since 1980, there have been special "underground" police brigades to prevent illegal visits to the catacombs, but this does not deter the diggers.
Despite the fact that since ancient times in the catacombs there has been a "thread of Ariadne" - a black strip on the ceiling leading to the nearest exit, it is quite easy to get lost in them. Most instructive is the story of the caretaker of the Val-de-Gras church, Philibert Asper. In 1793, he went downstairs in search of wine cellars belonging to the same church. His remains were found only 11 years later.
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During the Second World War, the headquarters of the French Resistance was located in the catacombs - 500 meters from the secret bunker of the Nazi command.
For the glory of the empire
Talking about the catacombs, one cannot fail to mention the Roman burials. After all, it was the graves located along the ancient Appian Way that, in fact, were the first to receive the name “catacombs”.
According to some researchers, the Roman catacombs were built and used mainly by Christians. There they hid from persecution, buried their martyrs there and conducted divine services on their graves. This is where the Christian tradition of celebrating liturgies on the relics of saints came from.
The Roman catacombs are a real treasure for historians. There are more than 60 of them, and the total length of the dungeons is about 170 kilometers. And these are not just gloomy corridors carved into the rocks. Many caves are decorated with frescoes and mosaics depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The richest in paintings are the catacombs of Saints Peter and Marcellinus (III-IV centuries).
Only six catacombs are open to visitors (and then with an obligatory guide). In the rest there is not even electricity, and you can get there only with the special permission of the papal commission on sacred archeology.
Not only pyramids
The Egyptian catacombs Kom-el-Shukaf (Alexandria) were discovered quite by accident. In 1900, under one of the researchers, the earth literally collapsed, and the dungeons opened to the eyes of scientists, which, as it later turned out, were one and a half thousand years old.
The Egyptian catacombs, like the Parisian ones, were used mainly for burial. And, judging by the design of the halls and the discovered remains, complete democracy reigned in the dwelling of death. Here you can find elements of the Greek, Roman and Egyptian styles. Nearby lie the remains of pagans, Christians and Arabs, which are only separated by eras.
Visits to the Alexandrian catacombs have been open to the general public since 1995, but only a small part of them is available to tourists. The fact is that a huge part of the dungeons is flooded with groundwater, pumping them out and strengthening the walls costs incredible money. (And the latest events in Egypt are not conducive to archaeological work). Therefore, it is still unknown what is hidden in the lowest floors of the Alexandrian catacombs.
For Francis of Assisi
The catacombs of the monastery and the cathedral of San Francisco (Lima, Peru) are not widely known in Europe. Their construction began in 1542. That is, of course, a cathedral and a monastery dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi were erected, and even where the stone was taken for construction (directly next to the church complex), catacombs appeared.
Together with Christianity, the tradition of burying the dead in churches and monasteries came to South America. So the dungeons immediately began to be used for their intended purpose - as tombs for believers. A total of 25,000 people were buried in the Peruvian catacombs.
The study of underground corridors began only in the middle of the 20th century. And soon their very interesting features became clear: it turns out, willingly or unwillingly, the builders created catacombs that could withstand the strongest earthquakes, the frequent manifestation of which, unfortunately, is the territory of Peru.
Odessa underground
Odessa catacombs are the youngest of those presented in this article - they are only two centuries old. In addition, unlike European and South American dungeons, which have long become a museum attraction, work is in full swing in the Odessa catacombs - shell rock is still being mined there, so they are also increasing in size.
During the war, they were shelters for many Odessans, battles were fought here, partisans were hiding.
No one really knows the length of the Odessa catacombs. The approximate length of the catacombs near Odessa is about one and a half thousand kilometers, near the Odessa region - up to four thousand kilometers. Until now, they remain the least explored and most dangerous on the planet, and therefore the most attractive for cavers and thrill-seekers. By the way, every year at least one of these "amateurs" remains in the Odessa catacombs forever. For example, a student of the Odessa National Polytechnic University who disappeared in January this year. Searches for him did not give any results.
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Konstantin Fedorov