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The Catacombs of Domitilla on the Via Appia Antica in Rome (named after Saint Domitilla) spread over 17 kilometres of underground caves. They are the oldest of Rome's underground burial networks, and the only ones to still contain bones. They are also the best preserved and one of the most extensive of all the catacombs.
The photo shows the arcosolium (an arched cell designed to receive a sarcophagus) of Veneranda in the catacombs of Domitilla. The fresco decoration of the grave from the second half of the fourth century shows the entry of the deceased (named Veneranda) into heaven accompanied by the martyr Petronella. This scene shows the expectations bound up with an 'ad sanctos' burial - that is a burial close to the grave of a venerated martyr.
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