The Minister for Culture, Lands and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, together with Heritage Malta, announced on Friday that the site of St Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat has been awarded the European Heritage Label, thus becoming the first Maltese site to receive this recognition.

This label testifies to the site’s contribution towards a better understanding of the continent’s shared past.

Minister Owen Bonnici said: “This recognition for St Paul’s Catacombs not only shows how deep and significant Malta’s history is, but also how seriously and responsibly we are looking ahead. When culture is regarded as a pillar of innovation and sustainable growth, we are building a future with solid roots.”

Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, said: “These sites remind us that Europe’s future is rooted in its shared past. These sites are living classrooms for new generations. By preserving them, we ensure that Europe’s history continues to inspire us, unite us and guide us forward.”

Noel Zammit, Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Malta, said: “This achievement affirms the agency’s long-term commitment to placing Malta’s heritage within its wider European context. It also strengthens Heritage Malta’s continued participation in initiatives such as the European Heritage Days and International Museum Day, while further reinforcing the role of the catacombs along the Camino Maltés route and on Malta’s UNESCO Tentative List, and placing the site on Europe’s cultural map for present and future generations.”

As a flagship initiative of the European Commission’s ‘Creative Europe’ framework, the European Heritage Label recognises sites that were crucial in shaping Europe’s history, culture and development. This year saw the largest number of sites receive this recognition since 2014, with 13 sites selected by independent experts for their historical significance and their commitment to engaging and inspiring young people.

In March of last year, St Paul’s Catacombs were selected from among the proposals received by the Commission from 15 EU countries. The site has now secured its place among the sites that convey key elements of Europe’s shared human history.

The catacombs served as a cemetery during the Punic, Roman and Byzantine periods, and they are the largest burial site from the classical period in Malta.

The complex brings together Jewish, Polytheistic and Christian burials within the same cemetery, thus offering some of the earliest material evidence of religious coexistence, diversity and freedom of belief in Europe.

Other European values represented at the site through symbols, inscriptions and unique features include equality, human dignity, free trade and scientific knowledge. The site also bears witness to the Christianisation of Europe and the beginnings of traditions linked to this.

As part of the process that led to the awarding of the label, Heritage Malta presented a project aimed at making the catacombs an even more engaging historical and educational destination, and at communicating their European significance more effectively.

The initiative includes changes to the visitor centre, the upgrading of exhibition spaces, the creation of an interpretation pavilion and an excavation area for activities aimed at children and young people, as well as improvements to the audio guide through the addition of more European language options.

Other sites that were awarded the European Heritage Label this year include Provadia-Solnitsata in Bulgaria, the oldest salt production centre and the first prehistoric urban centre in Europe; the remains of the Lapedo Child in Portugal, one of the rare Paleolithic child burials in Europe; and the Styrian Armoury in Austria, the largest preserved historic armoury in the world.