St Paul's Catacombs

St Paul's Catacombs is a network of underground Roman cemeteries beside Rabat, on the edge of Mdina, and it is the earliest and largest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta. The site is run by Heritage Malta and was awarded the European Heritage Label, the first site in Malta to receive that recognition.

For UK visitors it is a compact, atmospheric stop that is easy to combine with a morning in Mdina. You descend from daylight into cool rock-cut passages, halls and tombs that were in use for several centuries.

What the catacombs are

The catacombs served as a burial ground in Punic, Roman and Byzantine times. They are linked in name with St Paul because of an old story that they once connected with St Paul's Grotto. That remains a myth, but recent research shows that both formed part of a very large cemetery just outside the ancient city of Melite, in use from at least the 3rd or 4th century BC.

The complex is a typical set of interconnected underground Roman burial grounds, used up to the 7th century AD and possibly the 8th. They lie in the Ħal Bajjada area, also known as Tad-Dlam, where there are more than 30 hypogea, which are underground burial chambers. The main complex in the St Paul's cluster covers over 2000 square metres of passages and tombs. If you want the wider story of the old capital next door, read our Mdina guide.

What you will see

The entrance to the main complex leads into two large halls with pillars shaped to resemble Doric columns and traces of painted plaster, most of which has now disappeared. Each hall has two circular tables set in a low platform, resembling the reclining couches of a Roman triclinium. They were carved from a single piece of living rock and were probably used for commemorative meals during the annual festival of the dead.

Part of the catacombs was reused around the 13th century, when the island was re-Christianised. An open space was re-cut as a Christian shrine and decorated with murals. The site was cleared and investigated in 1894 by Dr A.A. Caruana, the pioneer of archaeology of the Christian era in Malta. A virtual experience is also offered on the Heritage Malta page for the site, for anyone who wants a preview.

Tickets and facilities

Tickets are €6.00 for adults aged 18 and over, €4.50 for youths aged 12 to 17, senior citizens aged 60 and over, and concessions and students, and €3.50 for children aged 6 to 11. Infants aged 1 to 5 go free, as do Heritage Malta members and passport holders. If you plan to visit several national sites, you can compare them in our directory of museums in Malta.

Audio guides are available for adults and children in Maltese, English and Spanish. On site there is a gift shop, lockers, a nappy changing facility, an indoor and outdoor seating area and accessible toilets, plus blue badge parking bays on a first-come basis where the site permits. Access is partial, since some areas cannot be fully reached by visitors with mobility impairment.

Planning your visit

A visit takes between one and two hours, and much of it is underground, so wear shoes that grip. The nearest bus stop is about five minutes away on foot, and a journey planner is available. Check Malta's weather by month before you go.

St Paul's Catacombs sits comfortably in a day that also includes the Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni, Malta's other great underground site, and a stroll through Mdina. For more ideas, see things to do in Malta. If you have a question about your visit, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the business.