Pompeii Preserved Crosses of the 1st Century

A two-day eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD destroyed and buried the Roman city of Pompeii under vast amounts of ash and volcanic material. To this day, in Pompeii, they continue excavating the former city, as one-third still lies under volcanic debris. The city, frozen in time by volcanic rock, offers a unique glimpse of life in the 1st century. Did this city preserve Christian elements that had recently arrived? Let’s take a look.

During the past 200 years, the buried city of Pompeii has slowly been exposed, revealing amazing wonders of this very wealthy city. While walking through the ruins, one is amazed to find large homes and multiple mosaic floors. Seeing first-century mosaics gave me a new understanding of this ancient art. This short series will explore the Christian elements that have been exposed in the city as well as some trends in 1st-century mosaics.

When I visited Pompeii, some reports mentioned the crosses that were found, but the locations were quite hard to find. Here is my Walking tour of Pompeii to find Christian influences.

Christian Bakery

The cross found at the bakery shop is the most controversial for scholars. Located at a busy corner in Insula Arriana Polliana (Region VI, house 17 – near the corner of Via Consolare and Via Delle Terme), a bakery was strategically located in a high-traffic area. In this bakery, a few religious symbols have been found. A cross-shaped stucco feature in its workroom, recorded by François Mazois in a drawing in 1824 and possibly added after the AD 62 earthquake, appeared deliberately ^[1]François Mazois’ seminal work on Pompeii is titled Les ruines de Pompéi, published in four volumes between 1812 and 1838 in Paris by Firmin Didot. Bruce Longenecker’s The Crosses of … Continue reading

Bruce Longnecker notes the presence of a lararium niche (a wall altar) and protective serpent imagery at the site. These religious symbols may indicate the workers’ devotion to a mix of beliefs, including evidence of early Christian practice. Additional discoveries in Regio VI offer further insight into this neighborhood that had a major Christian influence. Some critics claim the cross was only a structural support added after the earthquake in 62 AD. Today, however, neither the cross, wall altar, nor serpent imagery remains. During early excavations, these features were deliberately removed or lost.

Christian Hotel in Pompeii

In 1862, an archaeological dig unearthed a hotel next to a city brothel, with Christian graffiti on its walls. In the main entry area of the atrium or central space, an inscription used the name of Christians. Some think it mocked or was hostile to the Christians with words such as “listen to the Christians” or “to the fire with the Christians.” A charcoal inscription, unless protected, would not survive the elements. Unfortunately, this inscription was lost. Yet Giuseppe Fiorelli’s archaeological team traced the graffiti, preserving the words.(On this website, an image of this engraving exists: https://ermakvagus.com/Europe/Italy/Pompeii/christianity_pompeii.html – however, this site has no historic documentation and could be AI-generated or helped by images. I am cautious to trust this website fully.))

This inscription shows how Christians were known and possibly mocked for their moral standing. These words on the wall of a hostel near a brothel do not show that the Inn was Christian, but a possible influence of believers in the 1st century. Their early witness provided a response that this graffiti evidenced.

Acts 28:13-14 mentions Paul stopping in Puteoli, which is west of Naples, so Pompeii was 49 kilometers from there. His visit around 60–62 AD was only seven days and did not provide an opportunity to share the gospel there. However, the gospel did spread into this city.

Crosses in Stone and Brick

I read online that multiple crosses could be found on the pavement stones in Pompeii. I have searched multiple historic sites for crosses, but was quite disappointed with my Pompeii search. After spending a whole day in the city, searching the main area where 18 or so crosses are etched in stone, I came away without finding a single cross on the pavements.

Now I have seen crosses and etching in the pavement of Ephesus, along with game symbols, but the stones of Pompeii gave no satisfaction. First, the central section of the streets was muddy and used as a sewer, so I did not look there; instead, I searched at the intersections, where the side pavement stones were elevated. If a cross was scratched in the top of the stone, sand or dust could fill up the area quite quickly. I found indentations, but unless one cleaned the section, no markings were evident.

On one street in Pompeii, I found this cross etched on the stone between the bricks. Yet in most places, plaster covered the bricks, and a cross like this could have been easily etched in modern times. So when others say they found crosses, I am not sure what they found. Looking at the pavement is a very meaningless effort. My suggestion is to find cross-designs in mosaics, which my next write-up will focus on.

Also, I found a T-shaped figure in the stone (near Via de Nola). Could this be what crosses were shaped like?

Sator Writing – A Puzzle for Archeologist in Pompeii

In the home of the House of Publius Paquius Proculus in Pompeii, a Sator graffiti was found in 1937 and photographed by archaeologist Matteo Della Corte. The Sator Square is a five-word Latin palindrome that reads the same in every direction, with the central word Tenet forming a cross-like structure. Its precise symmetry has led to interpretations of it as a symbol of order or deeper meaning.

One prominent theory suggests the letters can be rearranged into a cross spelling “Pater Noster” (“Our Father”) twice, with the leftover letters representing Alpha and Omega—symbols of Christ. This has led some to view the square as a hidden early Christian expression of faith rather than just a linguistic puzzle.

In a visit to the House of Publius Paquius Proculus, what was once recorded is now barely, if at all, visible.

This is a public-domain image by Matte Della Corte, which is not symmetric as assumed. Many images online are AI-generated, and the main write-up, at least in English, is also.^[2]https://pompeiiarchaeologicalpark.com/sator-square

The Mystery of Christianity in Pompeii

Walking through Pompeii in search of early Christian traces is less like visiting a defined religious site and more like following a trail of clues that may or may not lead anywhere definitive. A stop at the Palestra Grande (not open when I visited in March 2026) will reveal the famous Sator Square scratched into a column, sometimes interpreted as a hidden Christian symbol, though just as likely a Roman word puzzle.

Elsewhere, faint cross-like marks, ambiguous graffiti mentioning “Christianos,” and debated symbols appear and disappear depending on lighting, preservation, and interpretation.

The experience becomes a kind of historical investigation: you walk the same streets, scan the same walls, and weigh the same uncertainty as scholars. We are aware that Christianity was in the region and most likely reached Pompeii before 79 AD. The physical evidence remains fragmentary, contested, and easy to miss. Yet, the gospel was not buried there, since later all of Italy heard and believed.

Here is my other investigations on religion and theology…