already was, as the pagan historian Tacitus reports that the Christian community "to a enormous amount of "grown up, when emperor Nero, who followed the Claudius on the throne, began to persecute the Christians.
This emperor, a monster of humanity, murdering his own mother kill his teacher did, and in beastly lust and all conceivable vices spent his life, fell in 64 mad on the idea to light the city of Rome. The unprecedented conflagration consumed three quarters altogether, seven were horribly destroyed, and only 4 remained intact. Six days and seven nights of fire lasted. From the palace of the cruel tyrant Mecänas from looking at the fire and sang to the sound of the lute the fall of Troy. He was indeed the burned districts to rebuild itself and magnificent a palace of unprecedented splendor, golden House ", produced with theaters, gardens, etc., but he could about all the people of flattery, but do not deceive the danger which threatened him because he is more openly accused of having set fire to the city. In order to avoid the anger of the bitter people, he blamed the fire on the Christians. The pagan historian Tacitus writes: "In order to avert the evil by the rumor, Nero pushed under other than guilty, and exerted the most exquisite punishment to those which the people called Christians." - This was a long time but hated the Gentiles, partly because they are from idolatry and pagan festivals held remote, partly because her virtuous life, the excesses of the nations condemned.
Man was searching now by all sides on the Christians and held it. Loaded with chains, they had to Ridicule and scorn and all kinds of torture can endure. Man pinned the one on the cross, others wrapped it in animal skins and let rip them from dogs, others covered it with in wax and tar-soaked clothes, tied them to posts that you hoisted on street corners and lighted them so that they during the night were used as torches. Nero chose his gardens to the scene of this bloody abomination. - As a charioteer saw him dressed by the light of this terrible flares to draw the car. -
The surviving Christians collected the remains of so cruel dahingemordeten brothers and put them in the Vatican Hill is located in caves. They extended to and from these caves, and so was the Vatican Cömeterium (cemetery), which the Holy. Apostle Peter, often visited and where he himself later found his resting place.
As long as Nero was alive, the prosecution never stopped completely, the entferten provinces were threatened with it. Peter stayed in Rome and comforted the afflicted flock. In Cömeterium ad Nymphas, also called Ostrianum, he set up his chair, taught here, and christened it, and strengthened the believers. He also sent a letter to the Christian churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia Minor and Bythinien, where he had founded earlier Christian communities. In this missive, he urged the faithful to a holy instructed to change and be patient in suffering, they go about their behavior in the persecution, they cheered on the patient endurance of the same for the faith, the church leaders and subordinates reminded them of their mutual obligations and fired all of fortitude to the middle of the persecutions. In this letter gives hl. Apostle of Rome because of the immorality and depravity which prevailed in it, the name "Babylon".
drew nearer and nearer the time, however, should be fulfilled where the words that Jesus spoke on the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection to Peter, Verily, verily, I tell you, when you were younger, you girdedst yourself, and walkedst wherever you wanted: But when you grow old you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not want. " (John 21.18.) Petrus knew the closeness of his death, because in a second letter which he bequeathed to the faithful as a memorial, he says: . I know that my hut is soon broken, as I am revealed to our Lord Jesus Christ " (. II Peter 1: 14) testified in this letter He also that he preached no gratuitous teaching, but speaking as an eyewitness of the glorified life of Jesus Christ was warning against false teachers who will introduce heresies of destruction and warns, in a holy life of the return Christ, contrary to wait.
When Peter wrote his second letter, Paul had already returned to Rome. He had taken the precaution, in a very remote parts of the city, now the Church of S. Paolo alla Regola , formerly "the school of St. . Paul" called to teach the faithful to comfort and strengthen. Despite the persecution, he managed to convert the concubine of the emperor Nero and win its top Schenk for Christ. - But Paul also knew his death. In his last letter to his beloved disciple Timothy, also says he predicted his approaching martyrdom. "I'm going to sacrifice," he writes , "and the time of my Resolution is near. I have fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, the rest I kept the crown, which will give me on that day, the righteous judge, do not have to me only, but also to all who love His coming. " (II Tim. 4, 6-8.)
now attacked the prosecution continued to spread. Emperor Nero, furious about the conversions at his court, decided to destroy the entire Christian community. The Christians, who had received customer that they were looking after Peter, urged by prayers and tears into it, to escape by fleeing the vengeance of the tyrant. a long time he refused, but could not resist the entreaties and supplications, and remembering the words of his master: "When they persecute you in one city, flee to another" , he went on the run. (After the story of St. Ambrose) He went to the Appian Way to leave the city. But, no sooner had he reached the point when he meet Jesus with the cross on the shoulders occurred. Domine, quo vadis? "Lord, where are you going?" asked Peter. "Iterum Veni crucifigi." "I have come to me to be crucified again," was the reply of the Saviour. Peter understood it and came back to share with the brothers all the risk and to die for Jesus. At the point diees event now a small church with the name: Domine, quo vadis? Not
long as Peter was in the middle of the community. He was captured and loaded with chains in the horrible prison Mamertine gworfen. The same is still present. It is built at the foot of the Capitoline hill from enormous stone blocks in the deep. Black, dark, damp, loathsome, it is really two prisons. Originally could only be reached through a hole in the vault in the same, but the upper dungeon has 24 'length, 18' wide and 13 feet high. Under this was the second, still close, low and damp, and was called the Tullische. In this horrible dungeon, totally deprived of light, was St. Apostle thrown. Almost at the same time Peter was also with the St.. Paul out in gangs. As a Roman citizen made before the judge, he was defending himself because he found no one who took care of him, and he succeeded with the grace of God so well that he, as he himself says, "from the jaws of the lion free" , was not charged that the lion in the amphitheater. He was also taken to the Mamertine prison.
searched the two holy apostles and found their solace in prayer. The sufferings which they endured in prison, could not weaken their faith and their zeal, they were happy to follow in the footsteps of their Lord and Master, and for his sake reproach and persecution, and even to suffer death. Peter was looking for in bands to win souls for the Lord. He managed to persuade the two guards of the prison along with 47 fellow prisoners Processus Martiniano and to faith in Jesus. - Again, sprang to his prayer, a source in order to baptize the new converts. The source is still there, it passes over and is never as much as one exhausted, never dry. The newly baptized all suffered martyrdom. -
Just about the underground dungeon Mamertine is the much visited church S. Pietro in Carcere and this church is the church of S. Giuseppe de 'Falegnami .
See also: " Il Carcer Mamertinus "
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