Built in late antiquity but appearing in no ancient sources, it is now privately-run.
Only in November 1956 did engineer Mario Santa Maria inform the Pontificia commissione di archeologia sacra of the catacomb's discovery.
Father Antonio Ferrua was ordered to visit the site and immediately discovered its exceptional nature, followed by months of excavation until the following June.
On a single-level, it was first dug to house the tomb of one or more families related to each other (their name or names are unknown), not all of whose members had converted to Christianity, as shown by the frescoes featuring both Christian and pagan subjects.
For the richness of its decoration, many scholars such as Leonella De Santis have referred to the catacomb as a true "4th century art gallery".