Rome: Apostles and Martyrs

7. Mamertine Prison

Roma, Lazio

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Beneath the Church of St Joseph the Carpenter are the remains of the dark cells, rat infested, underground prisons used in ancient Rome. Originally known as the Tullianum, this was where many of the Roman Empire's worst offenders and criminals were kept until their time of execution. The prison was a terrible and cold place that suffered from perpetual dampness. St Paul was kept here for two years prior to his crucifixion. In a letter to Timothy, Paul asks, "When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus at Troas, also books and above all parchments" (2 Timothy, 4:9 - 13). At this time, Paul was in his 60s and his stiff, old bones would have likely felt the effects of the prison's horrendous conditions. The prison was originally built as a cistern to provide the city with water, but its dark recesses were eventually used to keep Roman prisoners incarcerated. The upper chamber was built later and only linked to the lower chamber by a hole through which the condemned were thrown. Sometimes, prisoners were just left to starve to death, or strangled to death. According to myth, the spring in the lower chamber was a miracle created by St Paul, who used the spring to baptize his fellow prisoners and jailers. However, this is untrue as the spring long before St. Paul, when the cell served as a cistern. The condemned were often taken from the terrible conditions of the cells to the top of the nearby Germonian Stairs, also known as The Stairs of Mourning. Here they would be strangled to death, and their bodies were flung down the steps and left for scavaging animals and rodents to feed on until the victim's remains were finally gathered up and discarded in Tiber River. Photo credit: Tony Boreham