The Hypogeum, St. Paul’s Catacombs and Abbatija tad-Dejr.
Ancient underground burial sites are one of the main archaeological attractions in Malta. The most popular site is the Hypogeum, which is also included in the Unesco World Heritage List. This is the largest underground religious site in the world and dates back to between 5000 and 6000 years ago.
The Hypogeum is situated in the small town of Paola, approximately 10 minutes by car from Valletta. The entrance to the Hypogeum lies on a quiet street and can be easily mistaken for a residential house. In fact the site was only discovered in 1902 when a stone mason was laying the foundations to build a few houses.
Sir Temi Zammit, the first Director of Malta’s Museum’s Department and a distinguished professor of medicine, took over the excavation process and discovered fantastic archaeological findings such as human bone, tiny carved animals, pottery items and figurines as well as ornamental beads and amulets.
The Hypogeum was a place of worship and burial. It is spread across an area of about 500 m square and goes 11 meters below the ground. This hypogeum has its halls, chambers and corridors dug out from rock, with various shapes and sizes. There are 3 levels, each representing an era: the upper level, from years 3600 to 3300 BC, is made up of a large cavity with a passage in the middle and burial cut-outs on either side. The middle level, from years 3300 to 3000 BC, has numerous rooms which are finished very smoothly, much like that of built stone - this is very impressive indeed, considering the scant tools they had to work with in those days. The third level dates from 3150 to 2500 BC.
A different type of underground burial site is St. Paul’s Catacombs, which can be found in Rabat, on the outskirts of the old capital of Mdina. This location is explained by the fact that in olden times the law prohibited any burials in the city of Mdina itself. These Catacombs represent archaeological evidence of early Christianity in Malta.
The core of the catacombs is an impressive central hall, with numerous corridors trailing off in various directions to form chambers. Late Roman and early medieval periods are evidenced in the few fragments of murals, which are unique to the Islands. Round tables, set on a dais with sloping sides made to resemble a circular couch, are carved out of a single stone to form one single unit within a recess.
Just outside Rabat is another burial site, known as Abbatija tad-Dejr. This is consistent with the other Christian tombs to be found in the Maltese archipelago, since it consists of an underground cemetery with four interconnecting chambers. It features a large central room, sculpted scallop shells, arched pottery shelves, palm fronds, fish-scales and various other decorations.
Adjacent to this catacomb, hewn from rock, is a very small church, which originally boasted a painting of the Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel on each side of the Cross. This painting is currently preserved in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta.
These underground sites are very popular with tourists. Due to their restricted size and their immense cultural and historical importance, only small groups of people can go in at one time. It is recommended to book beforehand to avoid disappointment.
Photos courtesy of Heritage Malta. For more information visit www.heritagemalta.org