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St Agathas Catacombs Malta

Very Old Burial Catacombs

St Agatha's Catacombs Malta is one of the prominent places where people used to be buried in catacombs. In Rabat Malta, there are two adjacent catacombs to each other, named after St. Paul’s and St. Agatha’s.

Above St. Agatha’s catacombs there is a small museum where you can find early Roman and Phoenician artifacts.

They are an incredible attraction showing how the people of the third century AD could construct such subterranean tombs with many corridors and chambers. They are the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta.

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Information For Visitors

opening hours

Monday to Friday: 13:00 – 16:30
Saturday: 10:00 - 13:00
Sundays and Public Holidays: Closed

tickets

Prices can be found at the premises before buying tickets.

why visit st.agatha's catacombs

We suggest you should pay a visit to these complexes. It is not usual to see such an underground complex.

The catacombs are a guided tour of around 15 to 20 minutes but very enjoyable, fascinating and well worth a visit.

One has to know that the place could be claustrophobic for certain people.

Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed to be taken of anything inside. It could be of a disappointment but obviously this helps the site to be preserved.

How to get here

By Public Transport: from Valletta Route 50 and 53.

From Bugibba Route X3 (Airport Route).

The catacombs are in St. Agatha Street, which is a narrow street running through much of the town’s core.

Follow the signs to St. Paul’s Catacombs.

By self-drive car: Drive towards Rabat and park close to the Domus Romana. St. Paul’s Catacombs are around 5 minutes away by walk.

The History Behind The Catacombs

They shed light on the way the first Christians used to live. The Christian faith in Malta started very early with the coming of St. Paul in Malta in the year 60 AD. Part of the Maltese population had converted to Christianity, but others were still pagan.

These catacombs are big, compared very well to those of Rome. This is proof of the strong faith in the Maltese islands. From places of burial of the dead to places where they met for their spiritual meetings.

While St Paul’s catacombs claim to be the largest in Malta, in fact St. Agatha’s Catacombs are double the size. Unfortunately, though, you will only see a small section as sections containing frescoes of the 16th - 17th century are closed off to protect them from human exposure and preserve them through time.

The other murals, which are more or less fragmentary, are clear since they are the only surviving proof on Malta of painting from this era.

The St Agatha's Catacombs Malta incorporate different stone tombs for over 1000 bodies in 2200 square meters and have skeletons still inside them and you can make out very ancient paintings on the wall well worth a visit.

St. Agatha’s crypt is also well worth a visit. It is basically a shrine where people come to pray for their loved ones.