First known catacombs

The first burial chambers to be referred to directly as catacombs were those beneath San Sebastiano ad Catacumbas (aka Sebastiano fuori le mura) in Rome, Italy, which was built in the early 4th century. There are many such tombs along the Via Appia (Appian Way) – the ancient road that leads from Rome to Brindisi – as burials were considered Christian and outlawed within the walls of Rome.