Saint Agatha Catacombs: Early Christian Burial Complex in Malta
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Malta
- Primary era
- Classical
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Classical, Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Kingdom of Sicily, Knights Hospitaller, Roman
- Site type
- Burial
- Remains
- Catacomb
On this page17 sections
History
Saint Agatha Catacombs are underground cemeteries in Rabat, Malta, dating mainly to the second and third centuries AD. Used by Christians, pagans, and Jews, the complex reflects the presence of several religious communities within the same burial system. Its associated crypt is linked by Maltese tradition to Saint Agatha, a Christian martyr traditionally associated with Sicily.
Origins and the tradition of Saint Agatha
According to a strong local tradition, Agatha fled Sicily with companions during the persecution associated with the Roman emperor Decius, who ruled from AD 249 to 251. The tradition says that she took refuge in Malta, prayed in the natural cave at Rabat, and taught the Christian faith to children before returning to Sicily. Some historians consider her stay on the island to have been brief.
Tradition further holds that Agatha was later arrested, tortured, imprisoned, and martyred in Sicily on 5 February 251. After her death, the crypt where she had prayed was dedicated to her, and the nearby catacombs and a later church took her name. The crypt became an object of Maltese devotion from an early period. It began as a small natural cave during the period associated with Agatha and was enlarged and decorated during the fourth or fifth century.
Worship and later development
A pastoral visit in 1575 described the crypt as containing many altars. The main altar and a side altar dedicated to Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace, are the surviving examples. The main altar continued to be used for worship until 1647. In 1666, a new altar was constructed over an earlier rock-cut altar to accommodate an alabaster statue of Saint Agatha.
Bishop Lucas Buenos, whose episcopate in Malta lasted from 1664 to 1668, donated the statue. Carved in Trapani, it represents Agatha’s martyrdom and is now kept in the museum. A fibre-glass statue by the Maltese artist Anton Agius stands in its place in the crypt.
Excavation and conservation
Fr. V. Camilleri of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul excavated and curated Saint Agatha’s Historical Complex. In 1978, he discovered and cleaned frescoes in one of the catacomb tombs. George Farrugia restored the crypt’s frescoes between 1984 and 1989, with sponsorship from the Lions Club of Sliema. The third-century fresco in the altar chamber was restored in 2000.
Two inscriptions found in the catacombs date to the fourth or fifth century AD. One is in Greek, while the other combines Greek and Latin. Together with the burial chambers and painted decoration, they form part of the evidence for the complex’s continued use and development after its earliest period.
Remains
The complex extends across approximately 4,100 square metres. Its long, narrow corridors were cut into globigerina limestone and contain tombs along both sides, together with underground chambers and vaulted spaces. More than 500 graves of several types occupy the catacombs, with the majority intended for children. The surviving layout combines family burial areas, wall-cut graves, ceremonial tables, lamp niches, and decorated chambers.
Burial corridors and tombs
Burial graves and headrests
Most graves were designed for two people. Some are separated by a thin stone partition, while others lie side by side. Individual graves could hold two, three, four, or five burials. Nearly all have a rock-cut headrest shaped like a pillow. A semicircular hollow at the head of each grave marks the position of the deceased’s head and can indicate how many people were placed inside.
Saddle-back canopied table graves
The saddle-back canopied table grave is the most prominent tomb form in the complex. Its cover resembles a horse’s saddle and is supported by four short pillars ending in arches. The inner rear sides have additional horn-like decorative pillars. These graves were cut from the rock, or assembled separately, and their arched canopies were supported by four pillars. Stone slabs sealed the burial after interment, giving the structure its table-like appearance.
Arcosolia, window graves, and loculi
Arcosolia, or wall tombs recessed beneath arched openings, have an arched entrance and a sill. The rear of the arch forms a half-dome, while a square opening of about 45 centimetres on each side leads toward a burial chamber concealed within the wall. Window graves have similarly formed entrances but a flat rear surface inside the vault.
Loculi are small burial niches cut into the corridor walls. Most were intended for children and infants. Groups of loculi placed near one another and close to a parent tomb indicate that they belonged to the same family.
Funerary and painted features
Agape table and lamp niches
An agape table is a round communal table hewn from the living rock, probably for a final farewell meal. It stands about 60 centimetres or more above the floor, slopes gently toward its outer edge, and is generally about 75 centimetres in diameter. Numerous small niches cut into the corridor walls held oil lamps, and many retain soot marks from their use.
Decorated tombs
Two tombs have mural paintings. Near the head of one is a partly illegible Greek inscription deciphered by Rev. A. Ferrua. Its meaning is, “Before the Calends of September, Leonias was buried here.” Another table grave has fresco decoration concealed beneath a layer of mortar about six centimetres thick. Its design includes a coloured frieze around the edges, red-ochre pelicans on both sides, and floral wreaths made with pink roses and green leaves. Three roses appear at the centre, while further painting remains beneath mortar at the rear.
Christian chambers and the crypt
The sacred chamber
One chamber appears to have served as the Sancta Sanctorum, meaning the most sacred chamber, of the Christian catacombs. It has a radius of approximately 275 centimetres and a pillar on each side. The capitals are joined by a frieze that runs around the chamber, and one side contains an arched altar.
The altar chamber contains a multicoloured third-century fresco depicting a scallop shell. Its colours include red, ochre, dark green, yellow, and pale yellow. The front lintel is painted dark red and dark brown. At the centre is a cross with a rho crossed by a horizontal line, an artistic variation of chi, while alpha and omega appear at the ends of the line. Flowers and a dove holding leaves or flowers in its claws complete the composition. The imagery represents God as the source of life and Christ as the beginning and end of life. The fresco was restored in 2000.
The underground basilica
The associated crypt is hewn from the living rock and forms an underground basilica. At its far end is the main altar dedicated to Saint Agatha, while the side altar is dedicated to Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace. Frescoes in the crypt include approximately thirty images of saints, among them thirteen representations of Saint Agatha, as well as bishops, virgins, and martyrs.
Some paintings date to the twelfth century and follow Byzantine traditions of Christian decoration. Others use a Greek style and date to 1480. The fifteenth-century paintings are attributed to the Sicilian painter Salvatore D’Antonio and were donated by devotees in thanksgiving. Further paintings remain visible on the ceiling near the entrance.
The statue of Saint Agatha
The former alabaster statue shows Saint Agatha tied to a tree trunk while a small putto, or childlike figure, holds a crown of roses above her head. It stands on a Baroque pedestal containing a small statue of the saint being burned. The sculptural group is displayed in the museum, while its replacement remains in the crypt.
The associated museum
The museum houses pottery and glass remains recovered from Saint Agatha’s Catacombs, together with Egyptian artefacts and a statue of Aphrodite. Its collections also include a mummified crocodile from the Nile, religious paintings, coins, medals, statuettes, chalices, chapel decorations, old books, small Bibles, and statues used in a Good Friday exhibition.
Other displays preserve prehistoric material, including hippopotamus bones, shark teeth, and other fossils. Minerals and gems donated to Fr. Victor Camilleri are also held in the museum, extending the material record associated with the complex beyond its Christian crypt and underground cemeteries.
