ðɪ ˈɜːlɪɪst dˈɑːkjuːməntᵻd jˈuːs ʌvðə wˈɜːd "kˈæɾɐkˌoʊmz" tə dᵻskɹˈaɪb ðə ɹˈʌʃən ɹɪˈælᵻɾiz ʌvðə twˈɛntiəθ sˈɛntʃɚɹi ɪz fˈaʊnd ɪnðə lˈɛɾɚz ʌv ˈæbɛs ˌæθɐnˈeɪʒə ɡɹɑːmˈiːkoʊ tə mˌɛtɹəpˈɑːlɪtən juːlˈoʊdʒɪəs dʒɔːɹdʒˈiːvski, ɹˈɪʔn̩ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti θɹˈiː fɹʌm pˈɛtɹəɡɹˌæd.
The earliest documented use of the word "catacombs" to describe the Russian realities of the 20th century is found in the letters of abbess Athanasia (Gromeko) to Metropolitan Eulogius (Georgievsky), written in 1923 from Petrograd.