国家地理 世上最大的异教徒陵墓

The Valeri Mausoleum, the largest and most luxurious¹ of 22 pagan tombs buried under St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, was reopened on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

据美联社报道，位于梵蒂冈城圣彼得大教堂下的22座异教墓穴中最大、最豪华的瓦列里陵墓于周二重新开放。

The mausoleum lies a few hundred feet away from the burial place of the Apostle Peter, revered² by Catholics as the founder³ of the Catholic Church and first Pope.

这座陵墓位于距离使徒彼得的墓地几百英尺远的地方。

The reopening was announced during a news conference at the offices of the Fabbrica di San Pietro,

重新开放的消息是在圣彼得教堂办公室举行的新闻发布会上宣布的，

which has been in charge of the running and upkeep of St. Peter's Basilica for over 500 years.

500多年来，圣彼得教堂一直负责管理和维护圣彼得大教堂。

We've had two important restoration campaigns, an important one between 1998 and 1999 in the western part of the necropolis.

我们进行了两次重要的修复活动，一次是在1998年到1999年间，在墓地的西部。

That is the area corresponding to St. Peter's tomb, which contains some of the most ancient and beautiful mausoleums restored, as you will see.

这就是圣彼得坟墓的对应区域，里面有一些最古老最美丽的陵墓，正如你将看到的。

And then, between 1999 and 2000, another campaign of restoration in the central area of the excavation⁴,

然后，在1999年到2000年之间，另一场修复运动在挖掘的中心区域，

and it is in the area of the Valeri Mausoleum, which was restored only during the past year, 2007.

在瓦列里陵墓的区域，这是在去年，也就是2007年才修复的。

The mausoleum consisting of several rooms is noted⁵ for the stucco detail work on its walls, a popular art form at the time of its construction in the second century AD.

陵墓由几个房间组成，以墙上的灰泥细工而闻名，这是公元2世纪建造时的一种流行艺术形式。

And for the bas-relief sculptures which adorn⁶ the tombs.

装饰坟墓的浅浮雕也很著名。

The tomb tells the history of the Valeri family,

这座坟墓讲述了瓦列里家族的历史，

especially through the bas-relief sculptures of patriarch Caius Valerius Herma's two children,

尤其体现在族长盖乌斯·瓦列里乌斯·赫马两个孩子的浅浮雕，

a boy and a girl who died during childhood.

两个孩子一男一女，都夭折于童年时期。

Emperor Constantine, a convert to Christianity, had the pagan burial grounds covered up in the fourth century,

公元四世纪，改信基督教的康斯坦丁大帝下令将异教墓地掩盖起来，

so the basilica could be built above St. Peter's tomb.

这样圣彼得大教堂就可以建在坟墓上方。

1 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

2 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

3 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

4 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 adorn   

vt.使美化，装饰

参考例句：

• She loved to adorn herself with finery.她喜欢穿戴华丽的服饰。
• His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books.他的水彩设计使许多图书大为生色。