The epitaphs found at the Cathedral Church, Mdina, Malta : a transcription, translation, study

Abstract

This study about the Latin inscriptions found at the Mdina Cathedral was inspired by my personal interest in the place itself and the Latin language. The title of this study labels the text as the epitaphs at the Mdina Cathedral, even though some inscriptions are honorary ones for persons not buried there. However, this secondary fact was discovered during the same study, and since it was observed that the latter had a very similar function to that of the epitaphs, it was felt that the title fitted still. Then there are a few other inscriptions related to the Cathedral Church itself, which were included. This study does not give a photographic representation of the inscriptions; instead, they are transcribed here for a literary purpose in the form of a text. This process is not meant to be a form of criticism of the original, but just an analysis of what exists, proposed in the form given here. To help understand better the different aspects inferred from the content of the individual inscriptions, Indices and Tables have been included. The text gives every inscription in a formal format with an apparatus criticus, showing any changes made and variable versions existing, as in the ACM manuscript Miscellania 212: Inscriptiones Lapidariae, which contains a list of the inscriptions found in the Cathedral, collected in the year 1931. Any discrepancies in the inscriptions which are listed in the ACM manuscript are given in the apparatus criticus separately. Any modifications made during the transcription of the inscriptions resulted from the analysis of the grammar, the given data, and the spelling of surnames and names of towns and villages. The latter case brought in use letters not belonging to the Latin alphabet. Dates are given in the text following the strict Classical Latin system based on the Julian Calendar. All numbers are also presented in Latin, even if the original text had Arabic digits. Proper names have been spelled in a way as to reflect the original version as much as possible. This system was followed again in regards to persons' names in the translation. Biblical names arc indeclinablc except Jesus and Maria. 6 Words originally abbreviated were completed as far as possible. Square brackets have been used for this purpose. In the text, the letter V comprehends both the consonant v and the vowel u. A similar case is that of the letter /, covering both letters i and j. The only exception is the village name of Lija. In the original, the letters a and e, following each other respectively, were at times collated (JE), but in the text they always appear as two separate letters. The Greek Chi-Rho meaning 'Christ' appear in Latin letters 'chr' and completed accordingly in each case. In the Index of Words, all the words appear as they are in the text. Archaic versions of words found in the original inscriptions were left unchanged as long as their spelling conformed with accepted orthography. Different versions of the same word, therefore, can also appear in the text. Punctuation marks were included in the text to add sense and improve legibility. In the original punctuation is normally absent. In some cases, there is only a dot to mark the distinction between the end and the beginning of words; but since this has no other relevance, it is not shown here. Basic descriptions of the marble tablets or monuments bearing the inscription are given in this study as part of the Commentary. The features of design given any importance, are those which have some direct connection with the text. Also in the Commentary, biographical notes have been added only in the case of Bishops of Malta and a few other persons who outshone in the Maltese society in general. Some of the inscriptions also have the name of the person who produced them. This has been put down in the text whenever it was found. In the original this was but a tiny detail. However, it is given more prominence here to acknowledge those who manufactured the tablets. It was noted that the names of the producers were not given in Misc. 212. Inscriptions 4A, SA, 6A and 23A, in the text, were all put in place long after the rest of the inscriptions were collected during the first phase of this study. These were therefore given the same number of the inscriptions next to them, and then further marked by a letter to distinguish them. In the Commentary, the positions of inscriptions numbered 37 to 121, all found in the nave of the church, will be denoted by row starting from the left facing the main altar and from the back of the nave.