St Paul's Catacombs

10/09/2026

🇲🇹 Il-Ħajja, il-Mewt u l-Ludi Romani 🏛️💀
Bejn is-7 u t-13 ta’ Settembru, ir-Rumani kienu jiċċelebraw il-Ludi Romani, festa reliġjuża importanti f’ġieħ Ġove, b’purċissjonijiet, sagrifiċċji u logħob pubbliku. 🐎🏺
Iżda r-ritwal Ruman kien jestendi lil hinn mill-ħajja u jidħol fid-dinja tal-mewt. Fil-Katakombi ta’ San Pawl, l-oqbra u t-triclinia funebri jfakkruna kif il-familji kienu jonoraw u jfakkru lill-mejtin permezz ta’ riti u ikliet kommemorattivi. 🪔🍷

🇬🇧 Life, Death & the Ludi Romani 🏛️💀
Between 7 and 13 September, the Romans celebrated the Ludi Romani, a major religious festival honouring Jupiter, with processions, sacrifices and public games. 🐎🏺
Roman ritual, however, extended beyond life and into death. At St Paul’s Catacombs, tombs and funerary dining areas (triclinia) remind us how families honoured and commemorated their dead through ritual and communal meals. 🪔🍷

03/09/2026

🇲🇹 Skopri l-istorja affaxxinanti ta’ Tas-Silġ!

Ingħaqad magħna l-Ħadd 27 ta’ Settembru, għal żjara gwidata esklużiva fil-kumpless arkeoloġiku bl-itwal storja ta’ użu fil-Gżejjer Maltin. Imxi fuq il-passi ta’ vjaġġaturi u devoti tal-qedem u sir af aktar dwar l-importanza kbira ta’ dan is-sit fil-qafas usa' tad-dinja Mediterranja 🏛️

🔗Aktar dettalji u biljetti: https://heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/wander-through-tas-silg/

🇬🇧 Discover the fascinating history of Tas-Silġ!

Join us on Sunday 27th September for an exclusive guided tour of the archaeological complex with the longest history of use in the Maltese Islands. Follow in the footsteps of ancient travellers and worshippers and explore the site’s remarkable significance in the wider Mediterranean world 🏛️

🔗 More details and tickets: https://heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/wander-through-tas-silg/

26/08/2026

🇲🇹⛏️ Fl-1894, id-daqs kollu tal-Katakombi ta' San Pawl ġie żvelat u dokumentat uffiċjalment taħt id-direzzjoni tal-arkeologu imwieled il-Belt Valletta, Antonio Annetto Caruana. Caruana gradwa fit-Teoloġija fl-1855 u serva bħala segretarju tal-Università ta' Malta. Huwa magħruf għar-riċerka estensiva tiegħu, inkluż ir-rapport importanti tal-1882: 'Report on the Phoenician and Roman Antiquities'. L-iskav storiku tiegħu tal-1894 naddaf b'reqqa kbira sekli sħaħ ta' skart agrikolu akkumulat, u rnexxielu ipinġi mappa ta' netwerk estensiv ta' iktar minn 30 kamra interkonessi taħt l-art.

Żur dan is-sit straordinarju llum biex tgħaddas ruħek fl-istorja rikka tiegħu u tesplora l-għeġubijiet li hemm moħbija fih.

🇬🇧 ⛏️In 1894, the full scale of St. Paul’s Catacombs was officially revealed and documented under the direction of Valletta-born archaeologist Antonio Annetto Caruana. An 1855 theology graduate and former secretary to the University of Malta, Caruana is celebrated for his prolific research, including his seminal 1882 'Report on the Phoenician and Roman Antiquities'. His landmark 1894 excavation painstakingly cleared centuries of accumulated agricultural waste, successfully mapping a sprawling network of over 30 interconnected underground chambers.

Visit this extraordinary site today to immerse yourself in its rich history and explore the subterranean marvels hidden within.

21/08/2026

️🕯️Għad-dawl tax-xemgħa, kollox jieħu bixra differenti.

Il-mużajk Ruman jikseb lewn ieħor, il-katakombi jsiru aktar misterjużi, u l-kollezzjonijiet iqanqlu kurżità ġdida. Fid-19 ta’ Settembru, mis-7pm sa nofsillejl, ara kif jinbidlu d-Domvs Romana u l-Katakombi ta’ San Pawl fir-Rabat, flimkien mal-Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Istorja Naturali fl-Imdina. Kant u mużika live jagħtu dimensjoni oħra lil din il-lejla.

🎟️ Il-biljetti bi prezz speċjali jistgħu jinxtraw minn hawn: https://heritagemalta.mt/store/c460/

🕯️ Candlelight plays tricks with the familiar.

Roman mosaics grow warmer, catacombs look stranger, and curious collections get more intriguing. On 19th September, from 7pm to midnight, see what it does to the Domvs Romana and St Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat, and to the National Museum of Natural History in Mdina. Live music and performances will add another dimension to the evening.

🎟️ Special-price tickets can be purchased here: https://heritagemalta.mt/store/c460/

30/07/2026

🇲🇹 ✏️ Lapes. Ftit sekondi. Ħsara li tista' tibqa' għal dejjem.

Riċentement, xi ħadd għamel graffiti direttament fuq il-wiċċ tal-blat fil-Katakombi ta' San Pawl.

Sempliċement għax saret bil-lapes, ma jfissirx li tista' titħassar faċilment. Il-wiċċ tal-ġebla tal-franka fil-katakombi ilu jeżisti għal kważi 2,000 sena. It-tneħħija ta' graffiti moderni teħtieġ valutazzjoni bir-reqqa u intervent minn konservaturi professjonali. Anke t-tindif jista' jikkawża ħsara lill-wiċċ storiku. Kull intervent jirrikjedi ħin, għarfien speċjalizzat u fondi pubbliċi – riżorsi li setgħu kienu ddedikati għall-ħarsien tal-wirt kulturali tagħna.

Il-vandaliżmu fuq il-wirt kulturali ta' Malta huwa reat kriminali.

Skont l-Att dwar il-Wirt Kulturali (Kap. 445), kull min intenzjonalment jagħmel ħsara lil proprjetà kulturali jista' jiffaċċja:

⚖️ Investigazzjoni mill-Pulizija
🏛️ Proċeduri quddiem il-Qorti
💶 Multi li jvarjaw minn €1,164.69 sa €116,468.67
⛓️ Priġunerija sa 6 snin
💰 Obbligu li jħallas l-ispejjeż tal-konservazzjoni u r-restawr.

Jekk tkun xhud ta' xi att ta' vandaliżmu f'xi sit ta' Heritage Malta, nitolbuk tirrapportah minnufih.

🇬🇧 ✏️ A pencil. A few seconds. Damage that can last forever.

Someone recently drew directly onto the rock surfaces inside St Paul's Catacombs.

Just because it's "only pencil", it cannot simply be wiped away. The limestone surfaces inside the catacombs have survived for almost 2,000 years. Removing modern graffiti requires careful assessment and treatment by professional conservators. Even cleaning can risk affecting the ancient surface. Every intervention takes time, expertise, and public funds—resources that could otherwise be dedicated to preserving our shared heritage.

Vandalising Malta's cultural heritage is a criminal offence.

Under the Cultural Heritage Act (Cap. 445), anyone who willfully damages cultural property may face:

⚖️ Police investigation
🏛️ Court proceedings
💶 Fines ranging from €1,164.69 up to €116,468.67
⛓️ Imprisonment of up to 6 years
💰 Liability for the cost of conservation and restoration.

If you witness vandalism at any Heritage Malta site, please report it immediately.

23/07/2026

🌞🇲🇹 Ma nafux sa fejn se titla' t-temperatura llum... 🌡️🥵 imma ħaġa waħda nafu żgur: il-Katakombi ta' San Pawl dejjem huma ferm aktar friski. ❄️ Aħrab mis-sħana u skopri d-dinja taħt l-art ta' Malta. Ejjew żuruna! 😊

🌞 🇬🇧 We don't know how high the temperature will climb today... 🌡️🥵 but we do know one thing: St Paul's Catacombs are always wonderfully cooler. ❄️ Escape the heat and explore Malta's underground world. Come visit us! 😊

09/07/2026

🇲🇹 "Electric light introduced in the St Paul's Catacombs. 20th July 1925."
B’din in-nota qasira miktuba bl-idejn, Sir Temi Zammit irreġistra mument storiku. Fl-20 ta’ Lulju 1925, id-dawl elettriku daħal għall-ewwel darba fil-Katakombi ta’ San Pawl, u biddel għal dejjem il-mod kif dan is-sit uniku seta’ jiġi esplorat, studjat u ppreservat.

Xi drabi, l-istorja tinkiteb f’sentenza waħda.

🇬🇧 English
"Electric light introduced in the St Paul's Catacombs. 20th July 1925."
With this simple handwritten note, Sir Themistocles Zammit recorded a historic milestone. On 20 July 1925, electricity illuminated the St Paul's Catacombs for the very first time, transforming the way this remarkable underground cemetery could be explored, studied and preserved.

Sometimes, history is captured in just one sentence.

22/06/2026

🇲🇹☀️ Hekk kif issa bdejna uffiċjalment l-istaġun tas-sajf, fil-mitoloġija u l-letteratura Rumana, aestas (is-sajf) hija personifikata bħala divinità rradjanti li tiġbor fiha s-sħana qawwija u l-ġid agrikolu tal-aktar xhur sħan tas-sena. L-aktar li tidher b'mod famuż huwa fil-Metamorfosi ta’ Ovidju, fejn tinsab ħdejn it-tron tal-alla tax-xemx, Fibu (Apollu), bħala gwardjana kożmika taż-żmien flimkien mal-istaġuni l-oħra. L-artisti u l-poeti tradizzjonalment immaġinawha bħala figura żagħżugħa, liebsa ħwejjeġ ħfief biex tissimbolizza s-sħana, inkurunata b' kuruna tal-qamħ misjur, u żżomm f'idejha minġel jew kornukopja mfawwar bil-frott. Lil hinn mill-persona poetika tagħha, il-kelma nnifisha tissimbolizza r-realtà tal-klima Mediterranja, marbuta mill-qrib ma' aestus—is-sħana tixwi li kienet tiddetta r-ritmi tal-biedja u l-ħajja ċivika Rumana, kif għada tagħmel fil-ħajja moderna.

🇬🇧☀️As we now officially start summer, in Roman mythology and literature, the season of aestas (summer) was personified as a radiant goddess embodying the intense heat and agricultural bounty of the warmest months. Most famously depicted in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, she stands beside the sun god Phoebus's (Apollo) throne as a cosmic gatekeeper of time alongside the other seasons. Artists and poets traditionally envisioned her as a youthful figure draped in light clothing to signify the heat, crowned with a wreath of ripe wheat ears, and holding a sickle or an overflowing cornucopia. Beyond her poetic persona, the word captures the literal reality of the Mediterranean climate, tracking closely with aestus—the burning heat that dictated the rhythms of Roman farming and civic life, as it still does in modern life.

09/06/2026

21/05/2026

🇲🇹 Xi oqbra fil-Katakombi ta’ San Pawl jirriflettu l-identità personali u l-professjoni tal-individwi midfuna hemmhekk. Fost dawn hemm oqbra marbuta ma’ bennejja u kirurgi, kif jidher fir-ritratt. Dawn l-identifikazzjonijiet jissuġġerixxu li l-komunità kienet tagħti valur lill-individwi mhux biss bħala membri tas-soċjetà, iżda wkoll għar-rwoli u l-ħiliet li kienu joffru. L-eżempju tal-għodod kirurġiċi huwa partikolarment sinifikanti, għaliex jenfasizza l-preżenza u l-importanza tal-prattikanti mediċi fid-dinja Rumana. Kittieba mediċi antiki bħal Celsus, f’De Medicina, u Galen iddeskrivew l-għarfien u t-tekniki kirurġiċi, u dan juri li l-kirurġija kienet professjoni rikonoxxuta u speċjalizzata fl-antikità.

🇬🇧 Some burials at St Paul’s Catacombs reflect the personal identity and profession of the individuals buried there. Among these are burials associated with stonemasons and surgeons, as shown in the photo. These identifications suggest that the community valued individuals not only as members of society, but also for the roles and skills they contributed. The example of surgeon tools is especially significant, as it highlights the presence and importance of medical practitioners in the Roman world. Ancient medical writers such as Celsus, in De Medicina, and Galen described surgical knowledge and techniques, showing that surgery was a recognised and specialised profession in antiquity.