{{coord, 35.9441700, 14.4247200, display=title
The Salina Catacombs are a cluster of small
catacombs
Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire.
Etymology and history
The first place to be referred ...
located near the Church of the Annunciation in Salina,
Naxxar
Naxxar ( mt, In-Naxxar) is a small city in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 14,891 people as of March 2014. The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The annual village feast is celebrated on 8 September. Naxx ...
, in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. Although small when compared to the catacombs of
St. Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
and St. Agatha in Rabat, they are an important record of the sizeable community that must have lived in the area in around the last half of the first millennium AD.
The catacombs open on to a low ridge facing a now lost Roman harbour, making the small site archaeologically important.
The site is managed by
Heritage Malta
Heritage Malta ( mt, Patrimonju Malta) is the Maltese national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage. Created by the Cultural Heritage Act, enacted in 2002, the national agency replaced the former Museums Department.
Or ...
and is closed to the public for conservation.
Description
The site comprises five
hypogea
A hypogeum or hypogaeum (plural hypogea or hypogaea, pronounced ; literally meaning "underground", from Greek ''hypo'' (under) and ''ghê'' (earth)) is an underground temple or tomb.
Hypogea will often contain niches for cremated human rema ...
cut into the vertical surface of a small quarry. A number of other openings can be seen in rocky outcrops around the site and at least one hypogeum has been damaged by further quarrying, resulting in the destruction of a number of burials.
The most impressive hypogeum is adorned with two decorated pillars, an agape table and two
baldacchino
A baldachin, or baldaquin (from it, baldacchino), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over h ...
tombs, rarely found outside the catacombs of
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...
. The window tombs that surround the agape table suggest that it was an important feature of the catacomb. At least two of the window tombs are lavishly decorated with
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
s depicting palm fronds and other spiraled patterns. The palm fronds, together with a number of incised crosses, are proof of the
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
origins of the burial site.
Gallery
Image:Salina Catacombs 5.jpg, Salina Catacombs from the outside
Image:Salina Catacombs 3.jpg, Inside the Catacombs
Image:Salina Catacombs 2.jpg, Inside the Catacombs
Image:Salina crosses.JPG, Crosses carved into the wall of the catacombs are proof of Christian burials
Image:Salina spirals.JPG, Spiraled reliefs adorn the walls of tombs
See also
*
Catacombs of Malta
Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire.
Etymology and history
The first place to be referred ...
*
Salina, Malta
Salina is a village in Malta. Salina borders Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, Magħtab, Naxxar
Naxxar ( mt, In-Naxxar) is a small city in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 14,891 people as of March 2014. The Naxxar Church is dedicated ...