Article written by Estella Marie Attard Form 2 St Paul
Rabat is located in the northern region of Malta and it adjoins Mdina. During the Christmas holidays, I visted both localities with my family. While I was there I captured on camera some interesting places inside these localities St.Cathaldus Church, Crypt and Catacombs.
The small baroque chapel of St. Cataldus is located in Rabat-Malta. Underlying the church is a series of small, well-kept catacombs. The medieval crypt with a hypogeum beneath can be accessed from within the church. Inside the crypt, there was a canopied table grave. The hypogeum is reached through a flight of stairs from the crypt and it has canopied or Baldachian-style graves. In the middle of the hypogeum lies an Agape Table surrounded by Loculi which are graves in the walls. A lady who volunteers there said that every month a feast used to be held in honour of the dead at the Agape Table.
La Ruota degli Esposti, also known as The Foundling Wheel is located in Triq l-Isptar on the facade of Santo Spirito Hospital in Rabat. It was used to deposit babies discreetly. The revolving door was rotated so that abandoned babies could safely enter the Santo Spirito Hospital.
It was founded in the 12th century and is located in Mdina. According to tradition, it stands on the site where Publius met St. Paul after the shipwreck in Malta. The original cathedral was severely damaged in the 1693 earthquake, so it was dismantled and rebuilt in Baroque style to the design of the well-known architect Lorenzo Gafà. Since we visited this place at Christmas time, the Cathedral had a crib on display. It was Neapolitan styled and featured 222 figurines in traditional period costumes. Set up by Fr Edgar Vella together with a group of volunteers, it portrays a number of scenes, as presented in renowned museums in Italy, Germany, France, and America.
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