A spotlight illuminates the icon of the Apostle John discovered with other paintings in a catacomb under a modern office building in a residential neighborhood of Rome. Restorers said Tuesday they had unearthed the fourth century images using a new laser technique that allows them to burn off centuries of white calcium deposits without damaging the dark colors of the original paintings underneath. The paintings adorn what is believed to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman and represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity. |
