Catacombs of Malta : St. Paul's at Rabat

Abstract

Roman rule in Malta goes back to 218 BC when the Carthaginian garrison surrendered to the Roman General, the Consul Titus Sempronius Longus, at the end of the Second Punic War. The custom of burying the dead outside the city walls was not interrupted by the change of masters. The Maltese continued to adhere to their pagan religion and therefore little substantial change in burial practice was effected till well after the Maltese were converted to Christianity. Indeed our Catacombs have been dated to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Century AD, well after St. Paul was shipwrecked on these islands (AD 60) - an event which is well documented in the Acts of the Apostles (Chapter XXVII). The most famous Catacombs in Malta are known as those of St. Paul's (about which primarily this guide book deals) but there are numerous other Catacombs in Rabat, as elsewhere. St. Agatha's Catacombs are quite close to those of St. Paul. Below the Church of San Katald, also in the vicinity, there are other catacombs. Other known Catacombs in Rabat are those of "L-Abatija tad-Dejr" in Bir-ir-Riebu Street, "Taċ-Ċagħqi" in St. Thomas Street, ''Tal-Virtu'' below the Chapel of "Tal-Virtu'" and so on, There are other catacombs near Gudja, Mosta and Salina.