The Niche with the oldest image in existence of the Virgin Mary. A prophet stands next to her; holding a scroll in his left hand; and pointing to a star with his right. This seems to refer to the prophecy of Balaam; "A star shall rise out of Jacob; and a scepter shall spring up from Israel" (Numbers 24; 15-17). The presence of the prophet indicates that the Child is the Messiah awaited for many ages.View of a tiny fresco of the Madonna nursing Jesus dating from around 230-240 A.D.; the earliest known image of the Madonna and Child; in the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome; Italy on May 2014.The catacombs were used for early Christians burials from the late 2nd? 4th燙entury. The labyrinthine cemetery complex stretching for 13 kilometers over several levels underneath northern Rome is known as the 'Queen of the catacombs' because it features burial chambers of popes and a tiny; delicate fresco of the Madonna nursing Jesus dating from around 230-240 A.D.; the earliest known image of the Madonna and Child. The museum presents 700 fragments of finely sculpted marble sarcophaguses that were discovered buried in the catacombs of Priscilla in 1890. PHOTO by Eric Vandeville/akg-images