The Catacombs of St Paul's are an extensive system of underground galleries and burials. The natural caves near Rabat, which were used as burial grounds under the Romans and in early Christian times as a secret hiding place and meeting place, have now been turned into a local tourist attraction. They were investigated in 1894 by local archaeologist Dr Antonio Annetto Caruana. They are now managed by Heritage Malta, an organisation that looks after the preservation of many historical monuments on the island.
Tourists can visit just two of the 24 underground shelters. They take their name from the nearby grotto where, according to legend, the Apostle Paul lived for some time. The entrance to the catacombs is on St Agatha Street. In a small alley about 100 metres away are the private catacombs of Saint Agatha.
The catacombs of Saint Paul are part of a large cemetery founded outside the walls of the ancient Greek city of Melite, over what are now Medina and Rabat. The cemetery probably dates from the Phoenician-Punic period. The Phoenicians, like the Romans, had a custom of burying their dead outside the city walls.
The catacombs of St Paul's do not have brightly coloured frescoes on the walls. There are two stone agape tables for memorial meals, niches for lamps and excavated tombs. The catacombs are hot and there is almost no fresh air. The low stone ceilings seem to press you to the ground. Claustrophobic people should not go down into these dungeons.
