Things to see and do Rabat

Located in the main square of Rabat, it is a baroque style church, designed by Francesco Buonamici and completed by Lorenzo Gafà in 1683. It was built in honour of Paul of Tarsus, who is said to have converted Malta's first Christians. From now on it is no longer included in the visit to the Wignancourt Museum and you will have to take advantage of the mass hours to notice in particular its altarpiece, by Stefano Erardi. But it is in July that she decorates herself for the holidays. The inner walls are then covered with red damask, braided with gold, the crystal chandeliers come out of their covers and all the golden statuettes of the saints are displayed on the altar. An exceptional opportunity to admire this sumptuous and seductive ensemble.

It was here that St Paul is said to have taken refuge on his arrival in Malta in 60 AD, at the origin of the Christian community on the island. Pope John Paul II came to visit his statue here. Not to take anything away from the myth, the cave is accessed through the adjacent catacombs, which represent part of the underground tombs of the 3rd century AD. Amid labyrinthine alleys, rock-cut tombs of all sizes follow one another, some with bone fragments still in them, from the Punic, Roman and Christian eras

This large mansion of the th century, typical of Rabat, is not a museum, but a particular hotel that is still the private residence office of the family owner of the site. This vast residence was built in the th century from an ancient medieval fortress. In the th century, some baroque elements were added. By visiting the places, you will find the sumptuous life train of the local nobility of the time. You walk through the rooms, the chapel, the lounges, all rich in furniture and art.

The Saint-Paul catacomb complex comprises a large part of the main cemetery of the ancient city of Melite. As such, the site comprises a multi-level cemetery, with remains dating from Punic, Roman and Byzantine times, and which may have been in uninterrupted use for over a millennium, between the ^4th century BC and the ^8th century AD. The complex covers more than 2,000 m², and the highlight of the site are the 24 catacombs and hypogeums, which were used mainly in Late Antique and Byzantine times. These small underground tombs offer examples of intimate hypogeum burials and feature elements that are unique in the world, such as certain types of tomb and the triclinia cut into the rock, reminiscent of the sigma tables in Roman dining rooms, suggesting that they were used for commemorative meals.
Rediscovered and studied in the ^19th century, these hypogeums invite visitors to explore ancient burial customs and an important chapter in Malta's historical narrative. Part of the catacombs was reused during the re-Christianization of the island, around the ^13th century, when an open space was redeveloped and used as a Christian sanctuary decorated with murals. The site was excavated and studied in 1894 by Dr. A.A. Caruana, the pioneer of Christian-era archaeology in Malta.

The catacombs. Unlike those of Saint-Paul, made of bare stone, those of Sainte-Agathe are decorated with numerous frescoes. At the entrance, on the left, three frescoes of the 3rd century A.D. represent Saint Agatha, Saint Paul and a Virgin and Child. In addition to the usual stone table (agape) and the hole in the ground allowing one to kneel for prayer, the catacombs contain more than 500 tombs, including 200 baby tombs, which are placed in niches carved into the wall or under the parents' grave. An area is reserved for pagans and Jews. Some tombs are dug into the ground, others are raised like large square bathtubs. Those of the wealthiest are luxuriously furnished and some families occupy an entire room. The walls of some of these rooms are pierced with holes for ventilation and dug high niches for oil lamps. The frescoes are full of symbols: for example, the flower represents eternal life and the pelican represents the Eucharist. The same is true of the "particular altars": the cross for Christ, the alpha and omega for the beginning and end of life, the dove for the soul and peace and, always, the flower for eternal life and paradise. Some rooms have columns partly embedded in the thickness of the wall. Others had a door - we can still guess the shape - with locks to prevent the theft of the pottery that was placed near the tombs.

In the crypt at the back, about twenty frescoes are dedicated to Saint Agatha, 13 of which represent her. In order to preserve the paintings, the visit takes place in the dark. You follow the young dynamic guide, armed with a torch, and pay attention to the very low ceilings - the tall ones will have to lower themselves.

The museum is both a religious and a natural history museum. Quaternary fossils and precious stones (including agate) are on display. You will also see pottery, tools and pieces of crockery found in Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman and Christian tombs (from the 8th century BC to the 6th century AD). The rooms dedicated to religious objects contain all kinds of gifts made by Maltese archbishops or nobles: statuettes, priestly vestments, candlesticks, etc. Another room contains medieval ex-voto's, medals and religious paintings.

Located just outside the walls of Mdina, this small museum is built on the site of an ancient and wealthy Roman mansion, which was built around the middle of the ^1st century BC but remained in use throughout the ^1st century AD and possibly into the ^2nd century as well. The museum houses sumptuous mosaics found here in 1881. They are among the best-preserved remains of the Roman presence in the Rabat and Mdina region. The Domvs Romana highlights the private life and habits of an ancient Roman aristocrat. The central motif on the mosaic floor of the peristyle is a pair of doves perched on a crater, reminiscent of the "doves that drink from Sosos", a motif that was very famous and also widely disseminated at the time. The museum displays Roman artefacts found throughout the ancient city: amphorae, domestic accessories, marble slabs and more. The Muslim tombstones that once covered the graves of a cemetery that occupied the site in medieval times, and which were found during excavations of the site, are also part of the permanent exhibition. This is one of the highlights of the visit. It is the only museum to present a set of marble statues of the emperor Claudius and his family - works of art usually found in public spaces - which can be seen, here, in a private home.

This is one of Rabat Mdina's most spectacular, yet little-known sites.

The catacombs, the grotto. The highlight of the visit is the grotto where St. Paul is said to have taken refuge on his arrival in Malta in the year 60, at the origin of the Christian community on the island! Pope John Paul himself came to visit his statue here. Not to take anything away from the myth, access to the grotto is via the adjacent catacombs. In the midst of narrow labyrinthine aisles, rock-cut tombs of all sizes follow one another, some with bone fragments still present, from the Punic (Carthaginian), Roman and Christian eras. Along the way, we discover the fallout shelters where many Maltese families lived during the bombings of the Second World War. Anxious and claustrophobic visitors are advised to abstain.

Museum. The visit is very complete, as this ticket also gives access to the rather vast and accessible Museum of Religious Art, located in the baroque palace of the great Master Aloph de Wignacourt (1601-1622). Just as dark and bloody as Valletta's Museum of Fine Arts (St. Paul beheaded or St. Agatha with her breasts cut off, two of the island's classics), it features religious paintings by Mattia Preti, Francesco and Antoine de Favray.