Walking Up to the Catacombs at the Cemetery of the Abbey of Saint Peter in Salzburg
It not a secret that the city of Salzburg has been around for a while. It was established as an episcopal see toward the end of the seventh century. This led to the construction of numerous church related structures, such as this Abbey of Saint Peter. The church attached to the abbey is one of the oldest churches in Salzburg. You can even say that it was one of the most important ones here. As it is usually the case with old churches like these, there is a cemetery that was set up for the deceased. I can see the open air cemetery which looks like a normal one but what caught my attention was what was on the side of the mountain.
View of the the City from the Catacombs at the Cemetery of the Abbey of Saint Peter in Salzburg
It is a path that was cut out of the mountain. There was a small chapel at the entrance of the path. The path itself is cut out of the rock so there is still rock overhead. This was great since there was still a bit of rain. There is a small entrance fee to pay here though. This is apparently part of what can be considered as catacombs. It is estimated that these even preceded Salzburg’s establishment as an episcopal see. Archeologists think that it might have been established by an early Christian settlement sometime in the third century. It feels a bit unnerving to go to a place like this all by myself. There weren’t any visitors when I was there and it was quickly getting dark. It doesn’t seem like it is a very big place, I just hope I can get out of here as quickly as I can.
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