The Layered History of the Centocelle Necropolis

“How we keep these dead souls in our hearts. Each one of us carries within himself his necropolis.” - Gustave Flaubert

Technically, we can refer to any cemetery as a necropolis. But the term doesn’t exactly feel or sound fitting for the graveyards that we regularly pass in our home towns or in which we bury our loved ones.

Instead, the term necropolis implies the ancient worlds from civilisations ago - where famous or influential historical figures were laid to rest. Instead of headstones, we picture grandiose tombs, structured in an order intended to resemble streets. In Latin, necropolis essentially means “city of the dead” - so its unsurprising that these ancient graveyards were so elaborately constructed and steeped in history. 

The most famous of the necropolises would clearly include the Pyramids at Giza, or the Vatican Necropolis - yet, a relatively underrecognised one - the Centocelle Necropolis, may carry a very personal weight for those of us wanting to understand more about our ancient history.

What is the Centocelle Necropolis?

Ad Duas Lauros, a large, sprawling imperial area three miles out on the Via Labicana (an ancient Italian road leading east-southeast) from Rome, is most famous for housing the archaeological park of Centocelle. The park is significant in size, as it consists of approximately one hundred and thirty-six hectares on the outskirts of Rome. 

Construction of the Centocelle began during the time of the Roman Republic and wasn’t completed until the end of the Western Roman Empire. At one stage, the gardens at the Centocelle contained sculptures, a large courtyard, and an area dedicated to theatre. The park holds a distinctive historical significance, as it was mentioned in the Liber Pontificalis (the Book of the Popes from the 15th century) as the homeplace of Helena, mother of Constantine the Great. 

The Mausoleum of Helena

Originally the wife of Constantine I before he became emperor of Rome and renounced her for political reasons, Helena eventually became Saint Helena after historians in the Late Antiquity claimed that she was the founder of the True Cross of Jerusalem’s relics.

After her passing, Helena was buried in a stately mausoleum within the complex of Ad Lauros. Although the mausoleum was originally designed by Constantine the Great to be his own place of burial, he dedicated it to his mother after her death - and so it became The Mausoleum of Helena.

The Mausoleum of Helena was built on a circular plan, with a large domed cylinder and tall windows which supported its high ceiling (over twenty-five meters). The outer walls of the cylinder are approximately twenty-eight diameters, and although the dome is no longer in existence, its walls still stand to this day. The inner walls of The Mausoleum of Helena were likely once decorated by niches, mosaics, and coloured marbles to adequately represent the life of the person buried there. There is also a lower cylinder with an octagonal shape and numerous arcaded windows which were designed to allow the daylight to flood into the mausoleum. Shortly after its completion, other mausolea were built in close vicinity, and the Ad Duas Lauros was assigned to the Roman popes. 

In the 11th century, the Sarcophagus of Helena was moved to the Lateran (an area of the Vatican) - most likely due to her status as a saint. 

The Necropolis’ dark history

Before the Centocelle became the home of The Mausoleum of Helena, it was historically used as the cemetery for the equites singulares Augusti - otherwise known as “the personal cavalry of the emperor.” These highly trained imperial horse guards protected the Praetorian guard during the time of imperial Rome, escorting the emperor whenever he was called out of the city on campaigns or tours. Although the origin of the unit is relatively unknown, it is thought that they were in existence during the reign of Trajan (98-117 AD). As membership to the guard was strictly reserved for Roman citizens, these horse guards were likely granted Roman citizenship on enlistment into the cavalry. 

However, the cavalry sided with the Roman Emperor Maxentius against Constantine I in 312 AD during the famous Battle of the Milvian Bridge. According to historians, this battle marked Constantine’s transition to Christianity, as it was recounted that he had a vision of victory sent to him by the Christian God. Constantine and his army carried their message of Christianity with them into battle, as they painted the first two letters of Christ's name (Chi-Ro) in Greek on their shields. They defeated the equites singulares Augusti with relative ease, and while attempting to escape via the river Tiber, Emperor Maxentius drowned. Thus, after his victory, Constantine ordered that the equites singulares Augusti were to be disbanded, as were the rest of the Praetorian Guard. 

As further punishment, Maxentius’ decapitated head was paraded through the streets of Rome, and Constantine ordered that the burial place of the equites singulares Augusti - the cemetery at Centonelle - be destroyed and replaced by the mausoleum. 

What lies below the Mausoleum?

There’s more to the Centocelle Necropolis than meets the eye, as below ground, there are catacombs that predate the mausoleum's existence. Below the modern church of Santi Marcellino e Pietro ad Duas Lauros, lies the Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter, which are thought to have been constructed in roughly 200 AD. Covering an area of over three hectares and consisting of over four kilometres of subterranean tunnels, the catacombs have a surprisingly mixed religious lineage, as they depict scenes from both pagan and Christian history (both the old and new testaments). One such image from the area marked “Room 79” depicts Peter striking water from a rock, the raising of Lazarus, Daniel in the lion’s Den, and Orpheus playing a lyre. Moreover, another area contains a fresco of Christ sitting on a throne, wrapped in a purple tunic - clearly drawing a comparison to the typical garb of the Roman emperors. 

Between the years 2004 to 2010, approximately twenty thousand skeletons were unearthed from the Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter. The bodies appear to have undergone complex burial rituals, as it was discovered that they were often wrapped in textiles, covered in plaster or amber, and were either buried individually within niches or under arches or in groups within chambers. 

Your potential connection to the Centocelle Necropolis

Aside from the thousands of skeletons discovered in the catacombs, a further 61 bodies were found in the Centocelle Necropolis. Although the identity of these individuals is unknown, DNA samples were collected from their bodies and are now included in our database of ancient DNA samples. Moreover, modern technology makes it possible to determine whether a genetic link exists between modern DNA and these ancient samples. 

If you would like to find out whether you have a genetic association with the individuals unearthed at the Centocelle Necropolis, you can upload your DNA results to My True Ancestry’s website. We can help you discover the true history of you.