Early morning walk and afternoon visit to the catacombs

 I went for a walk about 7:00 am the other day. I ended up at Rome's LDS temple square. Too early for other people to be there, I snapped this photo that almost seems like a painted postcard. A few years ago, I started post-processing all of my digital photos--but all my software for that stuff is at home in Salt Lake, so, this is what it looked like right from my Pixel 6 phone.  I decided not to bring my Sony or Nikon cameras, thinking that I wouldn't be in many situations that would call for a high-end camera.  I haven't been disappointed, mainly because the quality of this phone's camera is surprisingly good. I quite like how the shadows of the palm trees show up on the temple.

In the afternoon, we went to one of the catacombs along the Appian Way, the catacomb of Saint Sebastian. Although there aren't any cadavers visible (or hidden for that matter), it was fun to see; and our guide told me things I hadn't ever heard.  This is largely a burial site for Christians during the first several hundred years of the Christian era.  There apparently is historical validity to this being the original location of the burial of both Peter's and Paul's bodies.  Our guide mentioned that the lack of crosses among the excavations is due to the fact that the cross wasn't a Christian symbol until about the 5th century and this catacomb predates that era.  Before that, the popular symbols were below: an anchor (left), a fish (center), and the Chi Rho (right). He also said that Christians from that era prayed differently--with both arms raised above their heads.

The Chi Rho is a symbol obtained from superimposing the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ (third symbol above).  First century Christians used symbol of a fish because the Greek word for fish is "ichthys," and its letters served as an acrostic for Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter. (Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior.) I took a few photos before Robyn told me it wasn't allowed. In my defense, the guide explained the prohibition in English so I wasn't listening.  The anchor is said to have represented safety.

  

Above are remnants of an ancient Chrisitan sarcophagus, with men standing shoulder to shoulder with their right arms raised.  Below is a representation from inside the catacomb of the whale that swallowed Jonah.  

Our guide said these catacombs were also the location of funeral meals that took place at the time of burial--but as far as memory serves, there couldn't have been any potato casseroles 1,000 years before Columbus.

The tour ended in the chapel of a beautiful Catholic Church in the process of a mass being celebrated for a group from France. Bernini's final work of art, a bust of the head of Christ is displayed at the back of the chapel that he did at the age of 82--titled "Savior of the World."