The catacombs of Milos
The catacombs are the great community cemetery of the early Christian years in Milos. Their original form was three independent underground arcades (A, B, C) carved into the porous volcanic rock, each connected to other smaller ones. Today they are a complex as all three central arcades communicate with each other with newer openings built in the 20th century.
The complex is completed by a rectangular mortuary chamber in the form of the cubicula of Rome. Each gallery has a different width that varies from one to 5 meters, and a different height, from 1.60 to 2.50 meters. On the walls of the galleries are carved arches, the "arcosolia" in which the monuments have been formed, while a large number of burials are also present on the floor of all the galleries. Some of the arcosolia had color decoration with the rim of the arcosolia having a band usually of red color and the surface of the drum being painted in deep blue. Few traces survive today of this colorful decoration, as well as a few fragments of inscriptions. These few inscriptions are important for the information they provide us about Christian names, offices of the ancient clergy and the faith of the early Christians in the angel protectors of the tombs.
The current main entrance of the Catacombs was opened at the beginning of the century and thus the visitor today enters the B' gallery, which is the only one temporarily accessible. On the right side of portico B' is preserved the unique two-story tomb of the Catacombs and fragments of the most important inscription with capital red letters in a rectangular frame.
The catacombs, in addition to being a cemetery, were also a place of worship, as evidenced by the piece of rock that has been left in place in the middle of portico B' to serve as a Holy Altar. From the bases found at the four ends during the 1928 survey, we assume that above the bank, there was originally a "kiborium". The shape, reminiscent of a sarcophagus, also led to the assumption that it was the tomb of an official or one of the first bishops of Christian Milos.
The portico A' west of the current central portico is distinguished from the others for its width, for its general spaciousness and for the double family tombs carved into its walls. Its entrance on the south side is currently blocked.
The third portico to the east of the central portico is only partially preserved as its southern part, which also included its original entrance, has collapsed.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou