San Senatore catacombs, Early Christian catacombs in Albano Laziale, Italy

The San Senatore catacombs are burial galleries cut into a disused pozzolana quarry beside the Appian Way at km 25, between Albano and Ariccia, near the church of Santa Maria della Stella. Two tunnels remain partly excavated, and the walls carry fifth-century frescoes, including one of Saint Senator as a curly-haired young man in tunic and pallium.

The burial grounds were created in the late 300s when the early Christian community needed places for their dead. The location took advantage of pre-existing underground spaces that dated from earlier times.

The catacombs are named after Saint Senator, a martyr commemorated on 26 September in the Martyrologium Romanum, though the date of his martyrdom is unknown. A 5th-century fresco shows him as a curly-haired young man in tunic and pallium. A 9th-century Byzantine fresco depicts Christ Pantocrator between Mary and Saint Smaragdus, alongside pagan and Christian burial inscriptions.

Access to the catacombs is not constantly open and requires advance planning. It is wise to contact the responsible authorities in town to arrange a visit time and learn the exact access conditions.

The 1720 rediscovery brought to light artefacts that are now held in the Museo Civico di Albano, not at the site itself. The 7th-century pilgrim guide De Locis promised "great miracles" here and named an otherwise unknown Saint Perpetua among those buried in the catacombs.