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The Maltese
Islands are rich in Late Roman and Byzantine burial sites.
St
Paul’s Catacombs are a typical complex of interconnected,
underground Roman cemeteries that were in use up to the 4th
century AD. They are located on the outskirts of the old Roman
capital of Melite (today’s Mdina). Roman law prohibited
burials within the city. This is the largest burial complex
in the area and comprises a large number of catacombs.
St Paul’s Catacombs represent the earliest archaeological
evidence of Christianity in Malta. They have been called after
St Paul because of their vicinity to St Paul’s church
and grotto. They were cleared up and investigated in 1894
by Dr A. A. Caruana, the pioneer of Christian archaeology
in Malta.
These Maltese catacombs, when compared with those of Rome,
Sicily and North Africa, are somewhat smaller, but they have
a wider variety and richness of tomb architecture. St Paul’s
Catacombs were the result of an indigenous development which
was barely influenced by similar overseas traditions.
An imposing hall acts as the centre of St Paul’s Catacombs.
Passages lead off from it in several directions into a bewildering
series of tomb galleries. The few surviving murals, despite
their fragmentary state, are of considerable interest since
they constitute the only surviving evidence on the Islands
of painting from the Late Roman and early medieval periods.
Among the most interesting features of St Paul’s Catacombs
are the circular tables which are set in a low platform with
sloping sides and appear to resemble a reclining, circular
couch. Both table and couch are hewn out in one piece forming
a single architectural unit within an apsed recess. They were
probably used to host commemorative meals during the annual
festival of the dead when the rites of burials were renewed.
These meals were intended to bring living members of a family
close to their dead.
For site opening times, see Visiting.
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