Tour Guides Rome - Aurea Roma

The *Anastasis* or Descent into Hades (9th century), Basilica of San Clemente in Rome The subject of the fresco is the Lord’s descent into hell following His death to liberate the righteous souls who had died prior to the Redemption. The account of this event is found in the 7th-century apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. It depicts Jesus’s victory over sin and death—a theme popular in the Eastern Church, where it was known as the *Anastasis* (Resurrection). The fresco shows Christ descending into darkness filled with the faces of demons and flames. Christ grasps Adam by the wrist. The devil, clearly disturbed by this event, clutches Adam by the ankle, but Christ tramples the devil underfoot, thereby freeing Adam once and for all from this dark underworld.