City of the Dead

Descending the flight of steps into St Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat feels like immersing yourself into centuries of history and tradition. Burial rights have always been an important tradition in society and this site is a legacy of how our ancestors buried their dead.

The cult of St Paul is Malta’s most rooted tradition, especially from the 13th century onwards, when he became the patron saint of the Maltese islands. St Paul is closely linked with the Maltese islands. He spent three months preaching to the local population after the ship which was carrying him to Rome was shipwrecked in Malta in AD 60.

Hundreds of sites and localities are dedicated to him; among the earliest are St Paul’s Catacombs which are found outside the walls of the former capital Mdina. They are the islands’ largest and most important early Christian burial site. This rock-cut underground cemetery, which covers an area of over 2,000 square metres, was used as a burial site by a Christian community inhabiting the Rabat area between the fourth and the eighth centuries A.D.

Roman law ensured that catacombs were located outside the city walls for sanitary reasons and the city wall at that time served as delineation between the city of the living and the city of the dead. The ancient town of Melite covered a larger area than present-day Mdina and probably extended to the parish church of St Paul’s.

St Paul’s Catacombs probably started as a small family tomb dating to the Phoenician period, which was subsequently enlarged to serve as a communal cemetery. They stopped being used as a burial place in the eighth century A.D., when the Maltese islands were captured by the Aghlabids and became Muslim territory. Later on, in the late 13th or early 14th century, after the re-Christianisation of the islands, some alterations were carried out. In this process some burial chambers were destroyed and a large hall at the entrance was converted into a shrine. During World War II, the same catacombs were used as a shelter and as storage to the artefacts which were on display at the Museum of Roman Antiquities in Rabat, nowadays the Domvs Romana. Nowadays, close to 100,000 visitors visit
St Paul’s Catacombs every year.

The Catholic Church is currently celebrating a Jubilee Year to commemorate the birth nearly 2,000 years ago of Saint Paul. The year started on 29 June last year and runs through to 29 June 2009. The celebration will be centred at the great Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls in Rome, where St Paul’s relics have been venerated for centuries. Many dioceses – including that of Malta – are also undertaking initiatives to help the faithful come to know the Apostle better. This special “Pauline Year” is dedicated to remembering the great contribution Paul made to the growth of the early Church through his missionary work and the lasting effect of Paul’s teachings on Christ in the world today.

The St Paul Catacombs are open daily between 09.00 and 17.00. The catacombs are closed on 24, 25 and 31 December, 1 January and Good Friday. Audio guides which are provided to individual visitors at no extra charge give an overview of the salient parts of the catacombs. The narration is provided in five different languages: Maltese, English, Italian, French and German.

Article and images by Heritage Malta