St Agatha's Catacombs (3) : the stone-slabs

Abstract

The devotion to St. Agatha is recorded also (besides the frescoes in the underground Crypt) through the medium of the stone slabs, which are embedded in the facade of the Church, and others now in the Museum. Most probably these were the "ex-votos" which the devotees of the heroine saint offered in her honour. These decorated stone slabs bearing bas reliefs are in mediaeval style of sculpture. The carved stones that can be seen on the fa~ade of the present church, were inserted there in 1670 to preserve them from destruction when the previous church of 1504 was partly pulled down to be enlarged. Till the time of A.A. Caruana 1899, on the right side of the church, there were the emblems of Aragon and of Malta and the date of 1504.