Catacomb visits are free but must be booked in advance.

Rome's seven catacombs open to the public will offer free guided tours on Saturday 2 March as part of the spring 2024 edition of Day of the Catacombs.

The catacombs included in the initiative are those dedicated to S. Callisto, S. Sebastiano, Domitilla, Priscilla, S. Agnese, SS. Marcellino and Pietro, and S. Pancrazio.

Organised by the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, the seventh Giornata delle Catacombe has as its theme "From Remembrance to Prayer" which organisers say is "part of the preparatory journey" to the Jubilee Year 2025.

• Rome opens Catacombs of Commodilla

Catacombs were developed between the end of the second and start of the third century AD for the burial and funeral commemoration of Christians.

Outside of Rome there are Christian catacombs in several Italian regions including Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Campania, Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily.

• Short guide to the catacombs of Rome

The guided tours included in the Giornata della Catacombe on 2 March are free but advance booking is required. There will also be conferences and children's workshops on the day.

Full details can be found on the the "catacombeitalia" pages on Facebook and Instagram as well as the Giornata delle Catacombe website.

Photo: Alessandra C84 / Shutterstock.com.