CRYPT, CATACOMBS AND MUSEUM OF SAINTE-AGATHE

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.