St. Antioco Catacombs & Tophet

Catacombs
In the historical center of Sant’Antioco, under the Basilica built in 1102 there is the access to the Christian catacombs. The excavation were made in the Phoenician era and then readjusted by the Romans and Christians years later. According to tradition, a martyr named Antiochus took refuge and died in this places before being arrested. Two core areas characterize the catacombs: that of St. Antioco and that of his mother, St. Rosa. The visit of the catacombs grasps, through the planimetric development, the history linked to the progressive growth of the Christian community in that area. Of particular interest is the perception of a non-regular development of the catacombs, due to the adaptation needs of the increasing number of depositions to the funerals of the dead Christians.

Tophet
The Tophet was a Phoenician sanctuary under the open skies, place of cult used from around 770 to 50 B.C. by the Phoenicians and then by the Carthaginians as a cemetery and crematorium for infants. In this consacrated area were deposed and ritually buried the remains of the burnt sacrifices and child burials. A narrow zone of the area was occupied by facilities for the cult like shrines and altars.