The Catacombs of Saint Lucy are the oldest Christian cemetery in Syracuse and house the place where Saint Lucy was buried after her martyrdom.
Dating back to the 3rd century, they are one of the earliest examples of the Church's presence in Sicily.
It extends beneath the current Piazza Santa Lucia and includes a community cemetery and private hypogea, divided into four areas. The oldest sections feature galleries with niches, while the more recent ones include burial cubicles arranged along the corridors.
One of the most famous events linked to the Basilica of Saint Lucy is Caravaggio's visit to Syracuse in 1608. The master of chiaroscuro, fleeing from Malta, painted his poignant Burial of Saint Lucy here, one of his most intense works, now on display again inside the Basilica, in the place for which it was originally conceived.
Over the centuries, the site has undergone several changes, including adaptations to air-raid shelters during World War II. Today, the Catacombs of Saint Lucy remain a place of great historical and spiritual value for Syracuse.