ST. PAUL’S CATACOMBS

St. Paul’s Catacombs is a typical complex of interconnected, underground Roman cemeteries that were in use up until the 4th century AD. They are located on the outskirts of the old Roman capital Mdina, since Roman law prohibited burials within the city.

St. Paul’s Catacombs represent the earliest and largest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta and owes their name to the widely held myth that it was related to St Paul’s Grotto. The architecture of St. Paul’s Catacombs is the result of an indigenous development, which was barely influenced by overseas traditions. An imposing hall acts as the centre and passages lead off from it in several directions into a bewildering series of tomb galleries. The few surviving murals are of considerable interest, as they constitute the only surviving evidence on the Islands of painting from the late Roman and early medieval periods.

 

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