What easier way to confront death and to come out alive than a visit to St Pauls Catacombs? St Pauls Catacombs are the largest and the most decorated on the island, date back to the 4th century anno Domini (after Christ for those who are not up to scratch on their Latin). This burial complex however dates back to the Phoenician Period when a number of families dug graves next to each other in the Rabat area outside the city walls of Melite (Mdina). As time went by, and the island changed hands from the Phoenicians to the Romans these tombs were altered and joined together into an underground necropolis, a big part of which we can still see and visit, today.
Much of what can be seen today is the result of over 5 centuries in use. During the Roman period varies communities used these catacombs to bury their loved ones. These included the pagans, the Christians and the Jews. Evidence of these varied communities can be seen in the decoration of these catacombs with menorahs, crosses and Latin inscriptions found etched and painted on the surfaces and walls of the chambers. The use of this relatively compact underground burial site by people with different religious beliefs indicates that these communities managed to live, and die, peacefully next to each other. We also have evidence of different burial practices; inhumation – that is the burial of the dead body, and cremation – where the body is burned on a funeral pyre and the remaining ashes collected in cinerary urns.
Other evidence which gives us information about the fabric of society at the time is the architectural features of these catacombs. We find six different types of tombs in this necropolis and they range from elaborate canopied stand alone tombs belonging to the richer members of society, to very simple floor tombs dug in passageways between one catacomb and another very probably belonging to the poorest members of society. Of note are also a set of surgical instruments possibly denoting the buried person’s profession engraved on the walls of one of the tombs. An interesting point however is that in spite of the different economic standing of these people they all referred to the fossores (grave diggers) to dig their tombs. The latter did so using tools that are still in use today. Unfortunately not much has been found by archaeologists in terms of funerary assemblages, most of which were made up of ceramic oil lamps; a hardly surprising find considering the pitch black darkness one must have experienced on going underground.
These catacombs stopped being used during the 8th Century A.D. when once again the islands changed hands from the Romans to the Aghlabid Arabs. The new rulers blocked off the main entrance and used chambers closest to the surface as animal pens. During the following years the catacombs were used and abused by different people. During the Second World War they were used as a shelter for people and also for artefacts from the nearby Roman Domus. They were also repeatedly rifled by people seeking buried treasures. Unfortunately the latter not only took any item they deemed valuable but also destroyed and disturbed the remains found. Along the years these catacombs also featured in many a fictional story and legend with perhaps the most fantastical being that a pig once got lost in these tombs only to surface once again in the village of Tarxien miles away, a similar story recounts the disappearance of a school group, however, this time they were never to be seen again. Considering the latter are you still brave enough to go down?
