Editing Catacombs of Rome (section)

==Decline and rediscovery==
[[File:Eucharistic bread and fish.jpg|thumb|The fish and loaves fresco, Catacombs of San Callisto]]
After the [[Edict of Milan]] in 313, many Roman Christians flocked to the catacombs in order to find relics from the martyrs, and would pillage through the remains. Due to this, vandalism became rampant in the catacombs. In 380, [[Gratian#Empire and religion|Christianity became a state religion]]. At first, many still desired to be buried in chambers alongside the martyrs. However, the practice of catacomb burial declined slowly, and the dead were increasingly buried in church cemeteries. In the 6th century, catacombs were used only for martyrs' memorial services, though some paintings were added as late as the 7th century, for example, a ''[[Saint Stephen]]'' in the Catacomb of Commodilla. Apparently, [[Ostrogoths]], [[Vandals]] and [[Lombards]] that sacked Rome also violated the catacombs, presumably looking for valuables. By the 10th century, catacombs were practically abandoned, and holy [[relic]]s were transferred to above-ground [[basilica]]s. Osbourne disputes this characterization, suggesting that the catacombs fell into disrepair following the move out of Rome for the [[Avignon Papacy]] and it was only because of the lack of sufficient religious practice in Rome that led the catacombs to completely fall into disrepair.<ref name=":2"/>

In the intervening centuries they remained forgotten until they were accidentally rediscovered in 1578, after which [[Antonio Bosio]] spent decades exploring and researching them for his ''Roma Sotterranea'' (1632). Archeologist [[Giovanni Battista de Rossi]] (1822–1894) published the first extensive professional studies about catacombs. In 1956 and 1959 Italian authorities found more catacombs near Rome. The catacombs have become an important monument of the [[early Christian church]].<ref name="Rutgers et al 2009"/>