Piazza Santa Lucia is one of the most cherished places for the people of Syracuse, as in the city where she was born, the Holy Patroness suffered martyrdom in the year 304, becoming an example of virtue and courage for all. The area where the monumental complex of Santa Lucia Extra Moenia stands had acquired a symbolic value for followers of the Christian religion even before the 3rd century AD, as evidenced by the presence of catacomb clusters where Christians celebrated their rites and buried their dead. According to hagiographic tradition, moreover, the body of the Syracusan martyr was buried precisely in an arcosolium of the catacomb group, which from that moment became a designated place for religious celebrations held in the city. The Catacomb, located beneath the present Piazza Santa Lucia, is characterized by a rather complex morphology. It is in fact made up of a community cemetery and some private right hypogea attributable to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries and contains archaeological evidence dating back to the Byzantine age and the Norman age. Archaeology thus attests to the continuity of the cult of the Saint in the underground cemetery and in the upper Basilica.
Information on the Catacombs of Santa Lucia
Piazza Santa Lucia, snc
96100 Syracuse (Syracuse)
(+39) 0931.67946
pcas@catacombesiracusa.it
https://www.catacombesiracusa.it
Source: MIBACT
