The and Christian Persecutions The are the ancient underground cemeteries used by the Christians and the Jewish people in Rome. The Christian began in the second century and the hollowing out continued until the first half of the fifth century. In the beginning they were only burial places, but later they gathered to celebrate their funeral rites, and the anniversaries of the saints and of the dead. During the persecutions the were used as places of momentary refuge for the celebration of the Eucharist. After the persecutions they beca ....