THRASO, Cemetery of. - It is mentioned for the first time in the Depositio martyrum under 29 Nov., because the martyr Saturninus (v.) was laid there under the open sky.
Besides Saturninus, many martyrs are recorded in the Jeronymian Martyrology as buried in this cemetery. Maurus is indicated in the Jeronymian under 12 Aug., 29 Nov., 10 Dec., "Thrasonis Mauri". At the tomb of this martyr Pope Damasus placed a poem in his honour, calling him "insontem puerum" (A. Ferrua, [v. bibl.], p. 186). Chrysanthus and Daria too had on their tomb a poem written by Damasus, as Gregory of Tours attests (In gloria martyrum, 37; ed. MGH, Script. rerum Merov., I, p. 512), who in turn depends on the Passio (BHL, 1787). The collector of the sylloge of Verdun copied "supra sepulcrum Crisanti et Dariae" a poem that recalled the devastation wrought by the Goths (A. Ferrua, [v. bibl.], p. 187). The two martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria appear in the Jeronymian under 12 Aug. with the simple topographical indication "Romae"; under 29 Nov. with the indication "Romae Aarosonis" for "Thrasonis", and under 20 Dec. preceded by an "alibi". The same Martyrology records a group of 70 soldiers under 12 Aug., 120 under 25 Oct. with the indication "quorum nomina soli Deo cognita sunt et positi sunt in cimitero Trasone"; 72 under 29 Nov. "in cimitero Aarosonis", evidently for "Thrasonis". Damasus placed near the tomb of 62 martyrs a poem in their honour. (A. Ferrua [v. bibl.], pp. 184-86). Under 11 Dec. the same Jeronymian indicates the "natale sanctorum martyrum Thrasonis Pontiani Praetextati et aliorum multorum"; Delehaye has shown that these are not names of saints, but eponyms of cemeteries (Etude sur le Légendier Romain, Brussels 1936, p. 55). Unfortunately none of the tombs of these martyrs has so far been identified, beginning with the burial basilica of St. Saturninus.
Antonio Bosio relates that, near the ruins of a church, in the place popularly called S. Citronina for S. Saturnino, on the left of the Via Salaria, he found in 1594 "the ancient entrance by which one descended from the said church into the cemetery; where there is a stairway that descends very deep... The said descent has its vault and ceiling all of stucco, and worked with various foliage, vines and clusters of grapes". Bosio also found another entrance in the vineyard behind the ruins of the church and convinced himself "that this cemetery was of great extent"; he recalls having found paintings and silver lamps with the sign ✕ and some alabaster columns (Roma sotterranea, Rome 1632, p. 488).
Marangoni distinguished two regions, one consisting of the group of galleries already seen by Bosio, the other discovered by himself, where the inscription of Severa of the year 269 was found, which was the origin of Father Lupi's dissertation (v.). The works begun in 1872 to build a small palace led to the discovery of this region; G. B. De Rossi recognized the text of a Greek inscription already read by Lupi near the inscription of Severa; he further found incised in the lime of a loculus the inscription of a "Macedonius exorcista de Katolika", read by Marangoni; tombs decorated with paintings were also found, loculi containing graffiti, a fragment of a metrical inscription; a crater in white glass with a crown and in raised Greek letters "...IIIE ZHCAIC"; a large glass disk with birds and fruits. Among the notable epitaphs are those of a "Fortunata vives in Chre(s)to", of a "Sozon Benedictus" with the wish "Berus (for Verus) ✕ ispirum (spiritum tuum accipiat) in pace et pet(e) pro nobis"; of a "Calledrome benedictus in ✕". Among the painted tombs those of Marciana, of Metilenia Rufina, of Grata, of two large orantes, of a charioteer, of a warrior, and the arcosolium of Silvestra came to light again.
G. Wilpert distinguished with the name of T. that cemetery region on the left of the Via Salaria of which a painted arcosolium remains (Pitture, p. 314 and pls. 163, 2; 163, 2) and gave the name of "catacomb under the Vigna Massimo" to the cemetery region on the same road, seen by Boldetti, Marangoni and recognized by G. B. De Rossi (ibid., pp. 314-15, pls. 62, 1, 120; 122, 1; 145; 146, 1; 174-76; 183, 1; 204, 212).