Archaeologists have used lasers to burn away centuries of grime in the Roman catacombs to reveal “stunning” frescos, more than a millennium and a half old.
The Catacombs of St. Domitilla are believed to be the world's oldest existing Christian cemetery and are among the largest in Italy with a total of some 150,000 burial spots.
The majority are small niches carved into the tunnel walls for poorer Christians; the niches were sealed with a slab of marble or walled up with brick. The round and sumptuously decorated cubicula rooms were built by wealthier families and trade cooperatives, whose members pooled their money for a more dignified resting place.
