St. Michael's Cave: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

St. Michael's Cave has interested visitors to Gibraltar ever since the Romans. It's name is said to have come from a similar cave in Gargano De La Pulla/Italy, where St. Michael is said to have appeared. The Cathedral Cave was long believed to be bottomless, probably giving birth to the story that Gibraltar was linked to Africa by a subterranean passage over 15 miles (24 Km) long under the Strait of Gibraltar. The cave consists of an Upper Hall with 5 connecting passages and rocks between 40ft (12.2m) and 150ft (45.7m) to a smaller hall. Beyond this, a series of narrow halls leads to a further succession of chambers, reaching depths of some 250ft (62.5m) below the entrance. During World War II the cave was prepared as an emergency hospital, but was never used as such.