
This section of the website is dedicated to the project UndergroundMed – The Rediscovery of Catacombs between the 16th and 20th Century in the Mediterranean Basin, coordinated by the University of Malta and funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions-MSCA (2024-2026).

This project traces the history of the rediscovery of ancient catacombs by a vast number of scholars, explorers and others between the 16th and 20th centuries across the Mediterranean from a broad European perspective, through studies conducted on travel influx, exploration, archive and museum collections. The research focusses on various countries, using a multi-disciplinary approach combining archaeological surveys, museum studies and archival investigations to highlight the impact of these rediscoveries in building a European common culture and its scientific excellence. The project will open the door to debate in regard to the historical definition of a shared European identity in a borderless Europe. Moreover, it will define the roles that European scholars had on the creation of an international and multicultural research-network while travelling across the shores of the Mediterranean, in search for catacombs.
Cordis EU website of the project


Updates from UndergroundMed
- 27 Sept 2024: UndergroundMed @ Science in the City – Valletta
- Oct 2024: Two 17th-century images from the Catacombs of Priscilla (Rome)
- Jan 2025: How were catacombs explored?
- Feb 2025: Why were catacombs explored? – Christian catacombs of Sousse – Tunisia. Some information and images – Map of the project UndergroundMed
- Mar 2025: An account of an excavation diary from 1915 – Some small mosaics from the catacombs to the museum
- May 2025: UndergroundMed presented @ UMRE Valletta
- June 2025: The Rediscovery of Early Christian Rome. Confessionalism and Antiquarianism
- Sep 2025: The “Relazione” by Marco Antonio Haxach: the Maltese catacombs in 1610 – Two events not to be missed! – Rediscovering Agatha