Museum Romeinse Katakomben

The Museum Romeinse Katakomben is an 18th-century underground replica of the Roman catacombs, carved into the soft marl beneath Valkenburg's streets. Despite the misleading name — these are not ancient Roman — they are genuinely unusual: a faithful copy of early Christian burial chambers, complete with frescoes, ossuary niches, and religious inscriptions, built by Jesuit monks to serve local Catholics who wanted to experience something of the atmosphere of Rome.

The guided tour (the only way to visit) takes about 30 minutes and covers the history of both the original Roman catacombs and this copy. The underground temperature is a constant 10°C — bring something warm. It is a short walk from the castle caves, and the two make a natural pair.

things to do museum
A story
The Roman Catacombs of Valkenburg are not actually Roman — they were built in the 18th century as a replica of the catacombs of San Sebastiano in Rome, for local Catholics who could not afford to make the pilgrimage to Italy. The builder was a Jesuit priest named Nicolaas Hamers, who had visited the originals and commissioned an accurate underground replica carved into the Valkenburg marl. The complex served as a place of pilgrimage for Dutch Catholics for over a century.