Rabat (or
Ir-Rabat) is a village just outside
Mdina,
Malta. The name of the village is derived from the Arabic word for 'suburb': الرباط, as it was the suburb of the old capital
Mdina. Half of the present-day village core also formed part of the Roman city of Melita, before the latter was resized during the Fatimid occupation. The population of Rabat is 12,462 (2010).Parts of the film
Munich and
Black Eagle were shot in Rabat. The village shares a name with
the capital of Morocco.
The
Apostolic Nunciature of the
Holy See to the Republic of Malta is seated in this village.
The Local Council of Rabat is also the administrator of
Baħrija.
Catacombs
Rabat is home to the famous Catacombs of
St. Paul and of
St. Agatha. These catacombs were used in Roman times to bury the dead as, according to Roman culture, it was unclean to bury the dead in the city (
Mdina and parts of Rabat were built on top of an ancient Roman city). The Catacombs were also where early Christians secretly met and performed Mass until
Constantine I made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and therefore stopped persecuting Christians. The Catacombs are now looked after by Heritage Malta, the organisation which looks after most of the museums and temples in Malta. Part of St. Paul's Catacombs, the part accessible from the Parish church which is dedicated to the same Saint, was where, according to
tradition and as recorded in the
Bible, St. Paul stayed for three months when he was...
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