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The earliest known icons of the apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in a catacomb under a modern office building in Rome. The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were discovered on the ceiling of a tomb that also includes the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew.
They were uncovered using a new laser technique that allowed restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the dark colours of the original paintings underneath.
The paintings adorn what is believed to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman in the Santa Tecla catacomb and represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity, Vatican officials said in opening up the tomb to the media for the first time.
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, the pope also announced that tests on bone fragments long attributed to Paul 'seemed to confirm' that they did indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint.
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