The Catacombs reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Catacombs

The word catacomb comes from Greek kata kumbas, "near the low place" and originally it meant a certain burial district in Rome. It can refer to any network of caves, grottos, or subterranean place that is used for the burial of the dead, or it can refer to a specific underground burial place.

Famous examples are:

• Catacombs of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt
• Catacombs of Malta in the island of Malta.
• Catacombs of Paris, in Paris, France
• Catacombs of Rome, in Rome, Italy
• Catacombs of Salzburg

There are also catacomb-like burial chambers in Anatolia, Turkey; in Susa, North Africa; in Naples, Italy; in Syracuse, Italy; Trier, Germany; Kiev, Ukraine. Capuchin catacombs of Palermo, Sicily were used as late as 1920s.

See also: Burial mounds, Cemetery and Necropolis

In Ukraine and Russia, catacomb (used in local languges plural catacomby) also refers to the network of abandoned caves and tunnels earlier used to mine stone, especially limestone. Such catacombs are situated in Crimea and Black Sea coast of these two countries. The most famous are catacomby beneath Odessa and Ajimushkay, Crimea, Ukraine. They served as bases for Soviet World War II guerillas (see also Great Patriotic War). Ajimushkay catacombs hosted about 10.000 fighters and refugees. Many of them died and buried here, so memorial and museum were later established (now it is a territory of Kerch city).

External link

• About the Roman Catacombs

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