Italian archaeologists and art restorers have discovered paintings depicting the apostles Peter, Paul, Andrew and John in a catacomb underneath the city of Rome. These frescoes, which date from the late 4th century, are believed to be some of the oldest depictions of these Christian saints.
Professor Fabrizio Bisconti, the head of archaeology for Rome’s numerous catacombs, which are owned by the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, told a news conference on Tuesday that “these are the first images that we know of the faces of these four apostles.”
The frescoes were found on the ceiling of the burial chamber of an ancient Roman noblewoman in the catacombs of Saint Tecla – the four images were covered in thick calcium carbonate deposits created over hundreds of years of humidity, but the art restorers were able to use new laser technology to remove the deposits. Barbara Mazzei, who was in charge of the restoration work, said “the laser created a sort of mini-explosion of steam when it interacted with the calcium carbonate to make it detach from the surface.”
The images have intricate details, such as wrinkles on Paul’s forehead, and whiteness in the beard of Peter. “As far as paintings inside catacombs go, we are used to very faint paintings, usually white, with few colours. In the case of the St Tecla catacombs, the great surprise was the extraordinary colours. The more we went forward, the more surprises we found,” Mazzei added.
This discovery was the result of a two-year project funded by the Vatican. Last year, the archaeological team announced they had found the image of Paul. “This is a very important discovery in the history of the early Christian communities of Rome,” said Bisconti.
