The Catacombs of St. John in Siracusa contain some 20,000 early Christian tombs, making them one of the most extensive underground burial sites in Sicily. Tradition holds that St. Paul preached here during his brief stay in Siracusa on his final journey to Rome, as recorded in Acts 28:11-13.
Within the catacombs, a small chapel bears the inscription Hic triduo mansit Paulus Apostolus, meaning Here, the Apostle Paul stayed for three days. Alongside the tombs stand the ruins of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, adding another layer of early Christian history to this remarkable underground site.
Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
