Vatican Unveils Restored Frescoes in Catacombs of Priscilla With Google Map Tour

After years of restoration, the Vatican Tuesday finally unveiled the new frescoes in the Catacombs of Priscilla, Rome. The catacombs were used for early Christians burials from the late 2^nd - 4^th Century. An online virtual tour by Google Map was also unveiled that offers a glimpse into the miraculous work.

The Catacombs of Priscilla located in Via Salaria, has a great number of martyrs buried within it and is also called the 'regina catacumbarum, or the queen of the catacombs'. They also have some great examples of early Christian art such as the Madonna with Child. The catacombs and the arts present in it date back to some 2,000 years.

 Reports according to the Associated Press state that the opening of the 'Cubical of Lazzaro' was presided by the cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the culture minister of Vatican. The Cubical of Lazzaro is a small burial chamber that represents the 4^th century biblical scenes like that of the Apostle Paul and Peter. It also depicts the manner the early Christians were buried.

The Queen of Catacombs features Madonna nursing baby Jesus that dates back to 230-240 A.D. It also features the burial chambers of popes. It was in these chambers that Pope Silvestro was buried (314-335).

The Vatican press release states that the labyrinthine cemetery complex that is spread across a vast area under Rome's Villa Ada park will be open to the public for virtual viewing  on a dedicated section of Google Maps.

"We had to invent new instruments, we needed a smaller camera" for Google's first-time foray into the underbelly of Rome, Giorgia Abeltino, head of public policy at Google said to  New York Times. "It won't substitute a visit to the catacombs, but it can let people get a glimpse of their beauty, and it gives access to culture and knowledge."

With the help of the Google Maps the visitors can take a limited virtual tour of the massive complex and take a sneak peak at the interiors with a complete 360 view. Using lasers they can look at the frescoes that were not detected earlier

"The catacombs were a living and breathing symbol of the first Christians, of their daily lives.This is where our roots are," Ravasi was quoted in AFP.

The museum presents 700 fragments of finely sculpted marble sarcophaguses that were discovered buried in the catacombs of Priscilla in 1890.