Whether you love a good nugget of history or can’t pass up the wacky and macabre, you may want to head to Newark, New Jersey—not to catch a flight, but to explore a hidden tunnel that served as catacombs for St. Joseph’s Church, otherwise noted as St. Joseph Immaculate Heart of Mary Church at 114 Prospect Street.
Catacombs are underground cemeteries, most commonly used during the Roman Empire. In Latin, the word translates to “next to the quarry.” The most famous catacombs can be found in cities like Paris or Rome.
For Rome, the catacombs were created by early Christians who, unlike many Pagans who practiced cremation, preferred to bury their dead. Due to limited land and a ban on burials within the city walls, Christians established underground burial sites in the catacombs outside the city. As for Paris, an overcrowded cemetery and a public health crisis led to the underground burial of bodies in the former Tombe-Issoire quarries.
Now, New Jersey’s catacombs don’t have quite the historical significance to them, but follow a rather quirky storyline. As it goes according to RoadsideAmerica.com, Rev. Father Mateo Amoros traveled to Montreal and saw the catacombs there, before deciding his church needed them too.
By 1937, he opened his catacombs. Yet, the State of New Jersey wasn’t too fond of burying the dead beneath a public building, so Father Amoros decided to fill his catacombs with wax replicas of iconic figures of the St. Joseph’s Church instead. Wax effigies included St. Genaro, St. Ines and St. Cecelia.
Most sources reporting on the New Jersey catacombs liken the space to a strange church basement, rather than the European catacombs. Sources share that the entrance to the catacombs can be located by a sign reading “Catacumbas” above an unassuming red door.
According to Far & Wide, public access to the catacombs is limited but can be arranged by going up to the church.
NYC even has its own hidden catacombs to explore by Candlelight beneath the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral—and yes, they’re accessible to ticket holders. You can get yours today!