The earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in a catacomb located under a modern office building in a residential neighborhood of Rome.
Restorers said Tuesday they had unearthed the 4th-century images using a new laser technique that allowed 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.
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