Next to the church of St. John the Evangelist, with its beautiful Norman Portal, we descend underground to visit the catacombs, named after the church opened. The catacombs are dated to the 4th and 5th Centuries AD. Their wide galleries are flanked by countless niches, showing a strong Christian presence. Traces of frescoes and engravings recall ancient Christian symbolism.
The Crypt of St. Marciano, the first martyr of Syracuse, is conventionally believed to be the place from where St. Paul preached, during his three day visit to Syracuse, as Luke wrote in the Act of the Apostles.
