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Għar Għerduf Catacombs
The Għar Għerduf catacombs at Ta' Kerċem, also known as Għar Gerduf, are the only surviving early Christian catacombs or paleochristian hypogea in Gozo, Malta. Għar Għerduf is a unique Roman burial site in Gozo, which has for centuries attracted the attention of scholars interested in Maltese archaeology. The site was visited by erudite visitors who often included a description of the place as they did for Ġgantija and the Xagħra Stone Circle. History The catacombs are dug into the Globigerina Limestone, on the western slope of Lunzjata Valley. The probable first mention of the site was made by the Maltese historian Giovanni Francesco Abela, who described the site as a cave which was one of the many , that is, crypts of ancient cemeteries''.'' The complex has suffered extensive damage, due to widespread quarrying during the nineteenth century, with Vassallo dating the mutilation to the 1870s. The site, however, had been in a poor state of conservation for centuries: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catacombs
Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred to as ''catacombs'' was the system of underground tombs between the 2nd and 3rd milestones of the Appian Way in Rome, where the bodies of the apostles Peter and Paul, among others, were said to have been buried. The name of that place in Late Latin was ''catacumbas'' (feminine nominative plural; the singular is ''catacumba'') — a word of obscure origin, possibly deriving from a proper name or a derivation of the Greek phrase ''cata cumbas'', "below the quarries". The word referred originally only to the Roman catacombs, but was extended by the 19th century to refer to any subterranean receptacle of the dead, as in the 18th-century Paris catacombs. The ancient Christians carved the firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |