medieval

During medieval times, Malta’s inhabitants developed a primitive way of housing - they lived either in caves or in stone huts. Both forms of lodging can be found all over the Mediterranean basin, because stone was more easily available than timber, which led to this stone orientated architecture. Most peasants lived in rude, dry rubble huts, which were similar to the corbelled shelters, called girna. These huts are characteristic for the Maltese countryside. Some farmers also lived in caves (ghar), which were either natural or man-made.

girna

The tradition of cave-dwelling had been very common in Malta since prehistoric times, and it may have reached Malta from Sicily. The practice of cave-dwelling was already popular among early Christian hermits and ascetics. There is some evidence that caves were inhabited during the Byzantine period and that the Arabs fostered the practice of cave-dwelling.

Although it seems to be unlikely that the population of Muslim Malta lived exclusively in caves or in dwellings built of mud, wood or straw, there is no further evidence for other housing forms. Therefore, one could assume that the standard of architecture and building declined. Reasons for this decline can possibly be the economic recession in the fifth and sixth centuries, the insecurity of coastal cities and the disruptions of buildings when a lot of Muslims left and the Christians settled in Malta.

ghar hasan

	Malta’s largest known cave settlement is the Ghar il-Kbir (“the Big Cave”), which is located between Buskett Garden and the Dingli Cliffs. Several caves are dug in a big hollow of a rock. In the seventeenth century a German mathematician, named Arthanasius Kircher, visited the cave and published a report on the troglodytic community, which was probably established there during late medieval times.
*ghar il-kbir*

	The cave contained 117 people divided into 27 families. Each family lived in its own part of the cave, which was separated from the others by artificial walls. These walls were made out of big irregular stones and were quite solid. The caves were still inhabited until the early nineteenth century. In general, cave-dwelling was popular in Malta until the seventeenth century. Other caves can typically be found in the southern part of the island.
*ghar il-kbir, interior*

Many caves were used as churches. Documents from Norman times speak of a crypta, which means rock-cut church. The first signs of Christian revival can be found in these cave churches. In the thirteenth century the Sicilian Basilian monks brought Christianity to Malta and settled in caves that were located in the more remote parts of the island. These caves were either hewn out of a cliff or rock, or they were natural and adapted for the use as a church.

Some rock-cut churches were associated with early Christian catacombs, e.g. St. Paul’s and St. Agatha catacombs in Rabat, which are the two largest cemeterial complexes in Malta. Many Christian ascetics and hermits lived in deserted rock-cut tombs, which was a common tradition in the Mediterranean area because of its eschatological connection. The problem with these troglodytic churches is that they are all difficult to date. Twenty rock-cut churches are known in Malta, whereas only one of these churches are documented from Gozo. Most of them are spread out over the countryside. A number of cave churches can be found in the north west part of the main island, namely in the area of Mellieha. The monks chose this location for living because of its seclusion.

One of the most interesting cave churches is the Ghar San Niklaw (St. Nicholas Cave), which is located in a valley near Mellieha. Access to the cave is difficult, because it is situated high up on a chain of hills. It is also perfectly hidden in this valley by the vegetation. It was left in its natural state, except for some plastered and painted parts and is divided into two parts by a dry stone wall.
	*ghar san niklaw*
	The larger part might have been inhabited by humans and used as a stable for animals, while the smaller part on the right was used as a chapel and is documented as such in 1575. This chapel must have been plastered and painted with icons, as some traces of frescoes are still visible.
*ghar san niklaw, interior*

Another concentration of late medieval rock-cut churches can be found in the area around Rabat and Mdina. In Rabat one can find the aforementioned St. Agatha Catacombs with an underground church, which was - like some other churches - recut from several burial chambers. The church is basically rectangular in plan, with a deep apsed alcove or chancel on the east end and two smaller alcoves on the right, both of which might have had an altar.

altar of st. agatha catacombs

The cave church was probably made during the time of Basilian revival in Malta because of the Christian cult of living in deserted tombs. The walls of the cave church are painted with cult images, i.e. 23 panels of saints, like St. Agatha and St. Leonard. They can be dated to the late fifteenth century, and they seem to replace earlier icons. Three of these older icons are still visible. They were painted in the Byzantine manner and originate possibly from the thirteenth century.

Paintings can sometimes be helpful for dating the rock-cut churches, which are very difficult to date. A reason for this difficulty is the missing or hardly noticeable architectural or stylistic development of these churches. This is due to the fact that these caves, whether natural or man-made, could only provide a very limited scope of human interference or influence. Therefore, one has to consider the natural and geophysical conditions of the rocks.

st. agatha catacombs