Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Malta Rabat St. Cataldus Catacombs

St. Cataldus Catacombs

Overshadowed by other, more famous Maltese catacombs, this ancient burial chamber has one of the best examples of a ritual agape table.

Rabat, Malta

Added By
TheMacabreNBold
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  TheMacabreNBold / Atlas Obscura User
  TheMacabreNBold / Atlas Obscura User
  TheMacabreNBold / Atlas Obscura User
  TheMacabreNBold / Atlas Obscura User
  TheMacabreNBold / Atlas Obscura User
  TheMacabreNBold / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This small church in Rabat is one of the few tributes to Saint Cataldus, the bishop of Tatanto in Apulia and a rather obscure Irish saint propagated by the Normans, who likely introduced him to the island of Malta. 

The ancient catacombs that lie beneath the church are often overshadowed by Malta's more well-known St. Paul and St. Agada catacombs. But this little gem is worth a visit.

Notably, the St. Cataldus catacombs hold one of the best examples of an agape table, a circular platform hewn out of the rock used for early Christian funerary rituals. After a body was interred, and once a year on the anniversary of the burial, relatives would gather in the catacomb for a celebratory meal to commemorate the dead.

The catacombs are accessed by a steep staircase in the church. The stairway leads to a vault that opens into the Baldachin-style tombs, where an arch in the corner is decorated with pictures of doves. Dating from the late 2nd to the 3rd centuries, these small catacombs were originally a Punic burial shaft. The graves in the catacombs are beautiful examples of canopied tombs, while many other graves are hewn in the rocks.

Related Tags

Catacombs Catacombs And Crypts Churches Tombs Subterranean Sites Subterranean Death Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

The church is close to the main church of St. Paul, at Rabat centre.

Community Contributors

Added By

TheMacabreNBold

Edited By

Snowdrop68

  • Snowdrop68

Published

October 10, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
St. Cataldus Catacombs
4 Bir Ir-Riebu
Rabat
Malta
35.881728, 14.398165
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Maltese Catacomb Complexes

Rabat, Malta

miles away

Domvs Romana

Rabat, Malta

miles away

Mdina Dungeons Museum

Mdina, Malta

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Rabat

Rabat

Malta

Places 4

Nearby Places

Maltese Catacomb Complexes

Rabat, Malta

miles away

Domvs Romana

Rabat, Malta

miles away

Mdina Dungeons Museum

Mdina, Malta

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Rabat

Rabat

Malta

Places 4

Related Stories and Lists

19 Catacombs Sure to Tingle Your Spine

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • The crypt.

    Ripon, England

    Ripon Cathedral Crypt

    Reputedly based on the tomb of Jesus Christ, this crypt is the oldest surviving structure of any cathedral in England.

  • Stranger’s Tomb exterior.

    Boston, Massachusetts

    King's Chapel Crypt

    A more than 260-year-old crypt built on Boston's oldest English burial ground.

  • Skulls of nobles and the clergy were placed in niches in the walls, and their bodies painted around them.

    Naples, Italy

    Catacombs of Saint Gaudiosus

    The burial place of an obscure North African saint was turned into a macabre body preservation factory for the 17th-century Neapolitan elite.

  • Main altar.

    Salzburg, Austria

    The Catacombs of St. Peter's Abbey

    These 12th-century catacombs carved into a mountainside were a place of mysticism and Christian hermitages.

  • Mount Joy, Pennsylvania

    Bube's Brewery & Catacombs

    In the bowels of a 19th-century brewery lurks a fine-dining restaurant offering an array of themed feasts.

  • The inscription on Philibert Aspairt’s grave.

    Paris, France

    Grave of Philibert Aspairt

    The tombstone of an unfortunate explorer who disappeared in the Paris Catacombs.

  • Crypt of wealthy church donors, one level below.

    Syracuse, Italy

    Chiesa di San Filippo Apostolo

    Built on a medieval synagogue, this church has a burial crypt, tunnel system, and Jewish ritual bath hiding deep underneath.

  • Nemocón Salt Mine.

    Nemocón, Colombia

    Nemocón Salt Mine

    Colorful lights and mirror-like brine pools create trippy illusions within the historic mine.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.