Lasers uncover first icons of Sts. Peter and Paul (from 4th century)

Yahoo News ^ | June 23, 2009 | NICOLE WINFIELD

[NYer]

ROME – Twenty-first century laser technology has opened a window into the early days of the Catholic Church, guiding researchers through the dank, musty catacombs beneath Rome to a startling find: the first known icons of the apostles Peter and Paul.

Vatican officials unveiled the paintings Tuesday, discovered along with the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew in an underground burial chamber beneath an office building on a busy street in a working-class Rome neighborhood.

The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were uncovered using a new laser technique that allows restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the brilliant dark colors of the paintings underneath.

The technique could revolutionize the way restoration work is carried out in the miles (kilometers) of catacombs that burrow under the Eternal City where early Christians buried their dead.

The icons were discovered on the ceiling of a tomb of an aristocratic Roman woman at the Santa Tecla catacomb, near where the remains of the apostle Paul are said to be buried.

Rome has dozens of such burial chambers and they are a major tourist attraction, giving visitors a peek into the traditions of the early church when Christians were often persecuted for their beliefs. Early Christians dug the catacombs outside Rome's walls as underground cemeteries, since burial was forbidden inside the city walls and pagan Romans were usually cremated.

The art that decorated Rome's catacombs was often simplistic and symbolic in nature. The Santa Tecla catacombs, however, represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity, Vatican officials said.

"The Christian catacombs, while giving us value with a religious and cultural patrimony, represent an eloquent and significant testimony of Christianity at its origin,"

[NYer]

Catacomb archeological superintendent Fabrizio Bisconti points to frescoes discovered with the earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul in a catacomb located under a modern office building in a residential neighborhood of Rome, Tuesday, June, 22, 2010. Restorers said Tuesday they had unearthed the 4th-century images using a new laser technique that allowed them to burn off centuries of white calcium deposits without damaging the dark colors of the original paintings underneath. The paintings adorn what is believed to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman and represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity.

[NYer]

[NYer]

[eleni121]

Spectacular! Incredible find and significant for the whole Christian world.

[trisham]

It’s thrilling!

[FoxPro]

That is so cool!

Thanks for posting this!

[pogo101]

From the 4th Century AD? Wow. Imagine someone who lived that long ago.

[rwfromkansas]

Really, really cool. As a history buff, I would love to go there.

[SevenofNine]

Hey NYER they think it may go back to 2th century that UK Telegraph reporting right now WHOA

[SevenofNine]

Hey NYER they think it may go back to 2th century that UK Telegraph reporting right now WHOA

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Better go soon. They won’t last 1600 years without being covered.

[Melian]

I wish I could find these photos labeled with the saints’ names.

One thing I love most is that this proves that by the 4th century, it was an accepted practice in the Church to create images of venerated saints. We can surmise that this was actually in practice before this recently discovered evidence.

Thank you for posting this.

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks NYer. 4th century icons of Peter and Paul found in Rome.... Roman archaeologists find oldest images of Apostles in a catacomb also of interest? St. Edward the Confessor, 1042-1065, (Catholic, Anglican Caucus) Church Bones 'Belong to Caravaggio', Researchers Say Roman dwelling find at Jersey church 'a first' Why So Few Gospels? Inquiring Muslims Want To Know! Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[SuziQ]

they think it may go back to 2th century that UK Telegraph reporting right now WHOA

WHOA, indeed! If that's the case, then the artist could have talked to people who actually KNEW the Apostles, and gave him great insight into their images. The could possibly even given the artist drawings of the apostles! Amazing to think about, isn't it?