About
An upside-down cross decorates the ancient Roman prison, not as blasphemy, but as a tribute to the saints.
In classical Rome, execution, exile and forced labor were the more common punishments, but one jail has survived down the ages, said to have housed some of the most renowned saints mentioned in the Bible. Known as Tullianum, it was built around 600-500 BCE as a cistern for a spring located on the floor of one of its two cells. The entrance to the lower cell was a small door in the upper cell. Described by ancient sources as dank and torturous dungeons, inmates were held there only temporarily before their trial or execution.
