Fourth Century Images Found in Catacomb of S. Tecla, near St Paul’s outside the Walls, Rome

Thanks to The History Blog, and to Zenit

Oldest Known Depictions of Andrew and John

By
Carmen Elena Villa

ROME, JUNE 22, 2010 (Zenit.org).-
In what is thought to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman in the Catacombs of St.
Tecla, the oldest known images of the Apostles Andrew and John have been
discovered.

The find was presented today a a press conference led by the president of the
Pontifical Council for Culture, Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi.

The images are part of a set of four apostles — Peter, Paul, Andrew and John
— surrounding Christ the Good Shepherd. The discovery of Paul, also thought to
be the oldest known image of him, was announced last year. There are known
images of Peter thought to be older.

The restoration of the images was possible because of laser technology, which
eliminated layers of white c arbon calcium collected on the images over the
centuries. The project was particularly delicate due to the humid, dark
environment of the catacombs.

Barbara Mizzei, director of the project, explained how the restoration took
place without haste and how the laser was able to vaporize the layers of grime.

The noblewoman is thought to have been of the Roman aristocracy of the late
fourth century. Pious women and virgins of the Roman aristocracy promised a
devotion to the martyrs and the apostles, at the time of Pope Damasus I
(366-384).

According to Archbishop Ravasi, the presence of the apostles in this sepulcher
“evokes a kind of devotion and protectorate alternate to that of the Roman
martyrs.”

Monsignor Giovanni Carru, secretary of the Pontifical Commission of Sacred
Archaeology, pointed out that these works “have brought back, both to
experts and visitors, a very important iconographic patrimony to reconstruct
the history of the Christian community of Rome, that, with the paintings that
decorate its cemeteries, expresses its culture, its civilization and its
faith.”