LOST IN THE CATACOMBS OF MALTA

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Malta is famous not only for its numerous ancient megalithic temples, but also for its very extensive
catacombs. It is believed that underground tunnels running under water may even connect Malta with Italian
dungeons. Many of the island's catacombs have not yet been explored and probably hold many secrets.

The Island of Ancient Temples

Malta is a relatively small island with a length of 27 km and a width of 15 km, but in terms of the number of
attractions it can compete with many European countries. It is believed that 43 temples were built on the island
even before our era, of which only 23 have survived at the moment. Many historical buildings were destroyed
during the war, when the Nazis intensively bombed the island. They failed to capture Malta, but they caused
colossal damage to its historical heritage.

Historians are still at a loss: for what purpose was it necessary to build so many temples on such a small
island? The Maltese historian Stefan Florian even suggested that the island was a special place of worship, where
people periodically sailed to perform religious rites and sacrifices. Thus, in those days only priests could live on
the island.

An interesting assumption is made by an employee of the Maltese National Museum of Archeology, Andrew
Zammit, in his opinion, in ancient times Malta could have been the habitat of the Oracle, a special priest who
came into contact with the deity and conveyed his predictions. This version is supported by the so-called
Chamber of the Oracle, which is located on the second level of the underground temple of Hypogeum. It has a
small oval niche located right at face level. As soon as you say something into this niche, it echoes throughout
the entire temple. It is curious that acoustically the entire system is tuned only for a low male voice.

There are many secrets in Malta, including the so-called rails - two long parallel excavations in the rock that go
straight into the sea. It seems that at one time either small carts or trolleys ran along them, but what kind of cargo
did they carry? It is not known exactly who built such impressive megalithic temples of the island, which are
included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list. The island also keeps the secrets of the Knights of Malta, who
once ruled Malta. However, we are primarily interested in the dungeons of the famous island, which are also
associated with many interesting and mysterious things.

Tunnels, sanctuaries, command post

In the 40s of the last century, the following note about Malta’s dungeons appeared in one of the National
Geographic magazines: “Many underground corridors, including ancient catacombs, are currently part of the
fortifications and defensive structures of the island. Many tunnels contain warehouses, others are equipped as
bomb shelters. Beneath the capital Valletta, some of the underground sites served as homes for the
poor. Prehistoric people built temples and sanctuaries in these underground vaults. Archaeologists have
discovered thousands of human skeletons in one of the underground sanctuaries. In the past it was possible to
walk underground from one end of Malta to the other.”

Yes, in the 40s, when the world was engulfed in war, the island’s dungeons served as reliable protection against
fascist bombs. Not far from the Main City Gate are the Upper Barrakka Gardens, this is a very beautiful and
cozy park. During the war, under the park in the rock at a depth of 30 meters, there was a command post of the
Anglo-American troops.

The military adapted 17th-century tunnels for it, called the Lascaris Vaults after the Grand Master. Now there is
a museum where the atmosphere of those war years has been carefully recreated. For greater authenticity, each
room contains skillfully made mannequins in military uniform. Visitors seem to see instant “snapshots” from
those troubled years. Here are the officers bent over the maps, the signalman soldier frozen in front of his
walkie-talkie, the female military personnel peering at the tablets. It is clear that fascist bombs are falling from
above, because the gaze of a number of figures is turned to the ceiling.

However, it is not these modernized catacombs that are of greater interest; getting acquainted with the
underground world of Malta, tourists first of all try to visit the Church of St. Paul, the catacombs of St. Paul and
the catacombs of St. Agatha. According to legend, the Apostle Paul lived for three months in a grotto under the
Church of St. Paul during the battle of our era, after the ship on which he was taken to Rome for trial was
wrecked off the Maltese coast. The Apostle Paul is considered the founder of the Christian religion in Malta. In
the grotto there is a beautifully made marble statue, and suspended from its vault is an elegant silver candlestick
in the form of a model of the ship on which the apostle was taken to trial. Numerous pilgrims believe that the
walls of the grotto have healing properties, and everyone tries to pick out a piece from them. Despite this, the
cave is not increasing in size.
A hundred meters from the church there is the entrance to the catacombs of St. Paul, the total area of which is
more than 2 thousand sq.m. Early Christian burials took place here. There are niches for lamps on the walls;
there are practically no images of any kind. Here you can see round stone tables; it is believed that funeral food
was placed on them after burials.

The catacombs of St. Agatha are of great interest. The Sicilian Agatha hid in Malta in 249 from the Romans,
who persecuted her for her faith. Although Agatha hid even in the catacombs, she was still captured. The beauty
was tortured for a long time, her breasts were cut off and burned; Saint Agatha became one of the first Christian
martyrs. Already at that time, these catacombs served as a cemetery; at least 500 burials were discovered
here. On the walls of the underground church, located in the catacombs, you can see a number of Christian
frescoes from the 12th to 15th centuries. One of them depicts Saint Agatha holding her severed breast in her
hands. Tunnels extend from the catacombs, not yet fully explored. It is worth noting that the entrance to these
catacombs is located on private territory, so the excursion should be booked in advance.

The terrible secrets of the Hypogea

Perhaps the most sinister and mysterious place in the underground world of Malta is the above-mentioned
underground temple of the Hypogea Hal-Saflini (3rd century BC). It is also called a burial ground, because when
this dungeon was discovered in the lower chambers, according to various sources, from 7 to 30,000 ancient
skeletons were found. The hypogeum is located in the town of Paolo near Valletta. Although the caves, passages
and burial chambers of the Hypogeum go only to a depth of 12 meters, there is every reason to believe that this
is only the tip of a huge underground “iceberg”, because it is from here that the yet completely unexplored
tunnels depart.
The most important historical artifact of Malta was found in the Hypogeum - a figurine of the Sleeping
Lady. This is a very ancient figurine of a curvaceous woman lying on her side. As with the catacombs of St.
Agatha, it’s worth planning an excursion to the Hypogea in advance. Access to this underground temple is
limited, because the breath of visitors raises the humidity, which leads to the destruction of the walls of this
historical landmark.

It was in the Hypogeum that an eerie and very mysterious story took place at one time. It all started with the fact
that on the third level, in one of the so-called burial chambers, which are usually blind, a narrow underground
passage was discovered leading to the depths of the island. In 1940, several desperate young men managed to
crawl into this hole; they never returned. And 10 years later, according to numerous sources, 30 schoolchildren
with their accompanying teachers disappeared without a trace in the same underground labyrinth.
What happened to the people lost in the catacombs of the island? One can only guess about this, but the key to
the mystery of their disappearance may lie in the story of Lois Jessup. She is the only one who managed to visit
the mysterious underground passage and return back. By the way, she confirmed the veracity of her story, which
was once published in a number of periodicals, under oath.

So, in the 1950s, Jessup was an employee of the British Embassy in Malta; her penchant for scientific research is
evidenced by the fact that she later became secretary of one of the American scientific societies. Of course, Lois
visited the Hypogeum, and not only visited, but also persuaded the guide to allow her to examine exactly that
“burial chamber” where the mysterious passage was located. Clutching a candle in her hand and the end of a
long scarf turned into a safety rope, the brave woman crawled forward. The passage was not very long, and
having overcome it, Lois found herself on the edge of a small ledge located in a huge cave.

Beneath it was a deep chasm, on the other side of which, much lower, was a second ledge leading to a tunnel
opening on the far wall. It was at this moment that the most incredible thing happened. According to Jessup,
several large, hairy humanoids emerged from the opening of that tunnel. Noticing the uninvited guest in their
domain, they raised their hands and turned their palms in her direction. It was as if a gust of wind hit Lois, the
candle went out, and something wet and soft touched her body. At that moment, friends belaying her began to
appear from the opening of the passage, but she panicked and rushed back, they, without understanding
anything, heeded her desire, and all three safely got back to the main room of the Hypogeum.

Then it turned out that Lois was exactly on the move in which, after some time, 30 schoolchildren and their
teachers disappeared. According to the official version, when the missing group crawled through this passage, it
suddenly collapsed. However, rescuers never found any bodies, and the safety rope tied in the lower chamber of
the Hypogeum seemed to be cut with a knife. The mystery of this incident remained unsolved.

Who were the hairy humanoids that Jessup saw - representatives of an underground civilization or builders of
megalithic temples that once went underground? This question remains unanswered.

Burlington - a secret city

In the 1950s, a secret underground city was built especially for the British government in the event of a nuclear
war. True, it’s a stretch to call this building a city, because its area is only one square kilometer, but if necessary,
it could freely accommodate approximately 4 thousand people. In Burlington, as the secret facility was called,
there were 95 kilometers of underground routes, there were railway stations, hospitals, a pub, communications
facilities, ventilation with a purification system, and food supplies. There was even an underground lake for
storing drinking water with a station for its purification. Burlington was maintained in a state of constant
readiness until 1991, when the Cold War ended.
Fedor Perfilov