The Associated Press reports
The earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in a catacomb located under a modern office building in a residential neighborhood of Rome. Restorers said Tuesday they had unearthed the 4th-century images using a new laser technique that allowed them to burn off centuries of white calcium deposits without damaging the dark colors of the original paintings underneath. The paintings adorn what is believed to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman and represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity.
Sadly the report includes no photos. If anyone happens upon some, please let me know.
UPDATE: It’s the same bit that was reported last year, according to our man on the ground in Rome, Antonio Lombatti. Another warmed over for who knows what reason story.
(from La Stampa today)
And from Il Messagerro last year
Stuart
22/06/2010 at 09:23
I, like you, would love to see these….
irishanglican
22/06/2010 at 12:00
If true? This is huge for Orthodoxy, and the whole reality/history of the Icon!
Stephen Smuts
22/06/2010 at 12:10
I believe the difference is that last year, only an icon of St Paul was found (news of released?), whereas today, they are reporting:
“Last June, the Vatican announced the discovery of the icon of Paul — timed to coincide with the end of the Vatican’s Pauline year. At the time, Pope Benedict XVI also announced that tests on bone fragments long attributed to Paul “seemed to confirm” that they did indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint.
On Tuesday, Vatican archaeologists announced that the image of Paul discovered last year was not found in isolation, but was rather part of a square ceiling painting that also included icons of three other apostles – Peter, John and Andrew – surrounding an image of Christ as the Good Shepherd.
“These are the first images of the apostles,” said Fabrizio Bisconti, the superintendent of archaeology for the catacombs, which are maintained by the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology…
Antonio Lombatti
22/06/2010 at 17:06
The paintings were found in 2009. It took one year for the complete restoration, and today there has been an official press release by the Vatican. This is why it sounds like a new discovery.
Stuart
23/06/2010 at 06:37
Jim I’ve taken advantage of your license under Creative Commons, let me know if this causes any probs….
Jim
23/06/2010 at 06:45
huh?
Jim
23/06/2010 at 06:47
oh ok i see. no worries. chinese websites often lift stuff wholesale without bothering with politeness or attribution. but then again, so do americo-euro bloggers.