Dai cimiteri ai luoghi santi: le trasformazioni del suburbio siracusano

The aim of this study is to trace the outlines for an initial survey of how the suburbium of Acradina in Syracuse wastransformed in the centuries.From the classical period to the Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages, the area underwent interesting and important changes,that modified its original destination. In this period, the creation of isolated hypogea and catacombs shows that what was apart of the city became a suburban area; from the VI to the VII sec. A.D. it seems that the whole area wasnʼt totally deserted.In the same time, the Syracuse urban texture does not seem to be affected by the changes caused by the historical eventsof the V-VI centuries A.D. As excavations in Ortygia reveal, the archaic and classical urban texture in the island has notchanged until the VI century but, in other parts of the town, the decay of the classical topography has made possible theremodelling of the sacred pagan areas within the town.At the beginning of the VI century it seems that the funerary areas of the suburbium were out of use. In the crypt of S.Marciano and in the two cemeteries of Vigna Cassia and Santa Lucia the zones reserved to special holy tombs weretransformed in loca sancta, devotional destinations for a very long period. Further monumental alterations have affected thecentral area of the Vigna Cassia cemetery and its III century original core, as well as the “A” and “C” areas of the Santa Luciacemetery, showing the contiguity with Santa Luciaʼs shrine. The growing importance of the cult of Santa Lucia is confirmedby the foundation of a Monastery, and by the two oratories created in the Catacombs beneath the cemetery, where thesurviving paintings can place the oratories between the first half of the VIII century and the second half of the XIII century A.D.In the Early Middle Ages (VI-IX centuries A.D.) the archaeological evidences are very poor for a good definition of the “spaceof death” within the city, i.e. the destination of some urban areas to cemeteries. On the other hand, the Athenaion area inOrtygia, where Early Medieval tombs (dated to VIII-IX centuries A.D.) have been found, is a detailed example of the use ofcemeterial areas near a church in the urban context.