A vineyard, deep-ploughed in 1905, opened onto a thousand forgotten burials: the cemetery of a small Roman village on the Via Latina, ten miles out from the city.
At a glance
The Catacomba Ad Decimum takes its name from its position on the ancient Via Latina, at the tenth Roman mile from the Porta Capena — roughly where the modern Via Anagnina now runs, at Grottaferrata in the Castelli Romani. Discovered by chance in 1905, it served as the burial ground of the vicus Angusculanus, a small Christian settlement in the territory of ancient Tusculum, from the third to the fifth century.
Key facts
- Discovered — 1905, by chance, during deep ploughing of a vineyard
- Excavated — two campaigns, 1912–13 (led by the Cistercian Father Sisto Scaglia) and 1916–19 (led by the archaeologist Iosi)
- Size — about 225 m of galleries, five main tunnels (A–F) with eleven side passages, cut into tufa
- Burials — roughly 1,000 tombs, 3rd–5th century
- Community served — the vicus Angusculanus, a Christian village in the territory of Tusculum, and the estates around it
- Ownership — acquired around 1912 by the Greek monks of the Abbazia di Grottaferrata, to stop looting and allow proper excavation
History
Nothing above ground marked the site until 1905, when workers deep-ploughing a vineyard broke into the galleries below. What they found was the cemetery of the vicus Angusculanus, a Christian village that stood in the countryside of ancient Tusculum, on the Via Latina roughly ten Roman miles from Rome — the “ad decimum” of the name. Word of the discovery brought looters before it brought archaeologists, and around 1912 the Greek Basilian monks of the nearby Abbazia di Grottaferrata bought the land specifically to stop the damage and put the site under proper control.
Two organised excavations followed: the first, in 1912–13, directed by the Cistercian Father Sisto Scaglia; the second, in 1916–19, led by the archaeologist Iosi. Between them they cleared and recorded a cemetery of roughly a thousand burials, in use from the third to the fifth century, and a staircase entrance nine metres deep — thirty-one steps — that reused an older Roman well shaft as a light shaft for the galleries below.
What you see
The catacomb runs through five main galleries, labelled A to F, with eleven smaller side passages branching off them, all cut into the local tufa in the standard technique of Roman catacombs. Several of the burial chambers keep late fourth-century frescoes: a college of the apostles gathered around Christ, a traditio legis scene showing Christ handing the law to Peter, Daniel among the lions, and the Good Shepherd — the confident, public Christian imagery that became common after Constantine, rather than the more guarded symbolism of earlier catacombs.
Practical information
The catacomb is visited by guided tour only, currently offered on Sunday mornings from 10:30 to 12:30; visits are managed by GAL Martellotta on behalf of the site (tel. +39 06 9459854 or +39 348 4066708). Because the schedule and booking arrangements can change, it is worth checking directly before planning a visit.
Getting there
The entrance is on Via Anagnina 4, Grottaferrata, on the modern road that follows the line of the ancient Via Latina out from Rome into the Castelli Romani, close to the Abbazia di Grottaferrata itself.
Sources & resources
- Catacomba Ad Decimum — Roma Sotterranea, for the 1905 discovery, the two excavation campaigns, the vicus Angusculanus, the gallery layout and length, the entrance staircase, the burial count and the frescoes
- Catacombs Ad Decimum — Visit Castelli Romani, for the address and current visiting arrangements
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