Crypts and Catacombs: The Hidden World Beneath Churches
Walk into almost any old church and you're walking over the dead. Burial beneath church floors was standard practice for centuries, and many churches sit atop elaborate underground networks of crypts, vaults, and tunnels. These hidden spaces are among the most atmospheric and historically rich places you can visit.
Let's descend beneath the nave and explore what lies below.
Crypts: Sacred Underground
A crypt (from the Greek krypte, meaning "hidden") is an underground room beneath a church, typically used for burial or as a chapel. The tradition dates back to the early Christian practice of worshipping at the tombs of martyrs.
Early Crypts
The earliest church crypts were simple chambers built around the relics of saints. Pilgrims would descend to pray near these sacred remains, creating an intimate connection with the holy dead.
Romanesque Crypts
As churches grew larger, crypts expanded into substantial underground spaces with their own altars, columns, and decorative programs. Some are as architecturally impressive as the churches above them.
Famous Underground Churches
The Catacombs of Rome
Over 60 catacombs stretch for hundreds of kilometers beneath the streets of Rome. These underground cemeteries, carved from soft volcanic rock, contain the remains of early Christians and feature some of the oldest Christian art in existence - frescoes dating to the 2nd century AD.
Capuchin Crypt, Rome
Perhaps the most extraordinary ossuary in the world. The bones of over 4,000 Capuchin monks have been arranged into elaborate decorative patterns - chandeliers of vertebrae, walls of skulls, arches of leg bones. A plaque reads: "What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be."
Canterbury Cathedral Crypt
The largest Romanesque crypt in England, dating to 1100. Its forest of carved columns supports the cathedral choir above, and it houses some of the finest Romanesque carved capitals in the country.
Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic
The "Bone Church" near Kutna Hora contains the skeletal remains of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, arranged into decorations including a massive chandelier containing at least one of every bone in the human body. It sounds macabre - and it is - but it's also strangely beautiful.
Basilica of San Clemente, Rome
A 12th-century church built on top of a 4th-century church, which in turn was built over a 1st-century Roman house containing a Mithraic temple. Descending through the levels is like traveling through time - three distinct eras of worship stacked beneath your feet.
Why Were People Buried in Churches?
Burial inside a church was a privilege. The closer you were buried to the altar, the closer you were believed to be to God. This proximity was thought to help the soul in the afterlife.
| Location | Who Was Buried There | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Beneath the altar | Saints and relics | Highest |
| Choir/chancel | Bishops, abbots, founders | Very high |
| Side chapels | Wealthy patrons, nobles | High |
| Nave floor | Prominent citizens, clergy | Medium |
| Churchyard | General population | Standard |
The practice ended in most countries in the 18th or 19th century, when urban health concerns led to laws requiring burial in dedicated cemeteries outside city centers. But the remains of centuries of burials lie undisturbed beneath church floors to this day.
Visiting Tips
Many crypts are intentionally dimly lit. Give your eyes time to adjust - details emerge slowly in the low light
Crypts maintain a constant cool temperature year-round. Bring a layer even in summer
You're in a burial chamber. Quiet voices, no flash photography, and a respectful demeanor are essential
Tomb inscriptions and memorial plaques tell personal stories spanning centuries. Take time to read them
Explore the hidden depths
Many churches with accessible crypts are in our index. Find one near you.
Browse ChurchesKeep looking up,
The Church Index Team