The Malta Independent on Sunday
A brief look at the parishes and churches dedicated to St Paul the Apostle on our islands
The Acts of the Apostles relates the account of St Paul and his shipwreck on Malta, which took place around 60 AD. According to tradition Paul took shelter in a grotto in Rabat, Malta. It is said that the first Christian community was founded here, and it is here where the Pauline cult started. Over the years this grotto attracted many visitors and distinct people among them Pope St John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
At first, the cult of St Paul took long to spread in the Maltese islands due to the fact that many Maltese kept on worshipping pagan gods, and due to the fact that they feared the Romans who were persecuting the Christians.
It was in the 17th century that the devotion began to be widespread when the Spanish hermit Juan Venegas de Cordoba, after visiting St Paul’s grotto, began to revive the Pauline cult at the grotto.
In 1617 Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt assumed guardianship of the grotto. It was beneficial for the Order to have a connection with St Paul, who along with St John was considered one of the patrons of the Order.
Wignacourt established a college for chaplains to look after the grotto and appointed Venegas as the rector. Venegas made it his lifelong mission to promote the devotion towards St Paul and the grotto. Paul became an important model for the Church, particularly as a missionary and teacher. Under the patronage of the Sovereign Military Order of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, the Pauline cult centred on the grotto, grew in significance.
Today we find numerous paintings and sculptures on the islands commemorating Paul and his shipwreck, not to mention at least 20 churches and chapels dedicated to him, including the Anglican Cathedral in Valletta.
In the northern part of Malta, there are many sites named after St Paul where he is said to have once set foot.
The rocks and reefs in the area known as Tal-Għażżenin off St Paul’s Bay, traditionally are thought to be those upon which St Paul’s ship ran aground during the tempest. Tal-Għażżenin is derived from the Greek Thalassanejn meaning “two seas”.
A group of islands on the northern side of St Paul’s Bay are dedicated to St Paul. In the same area, there is a place known as Għajn Rasul, meaning Apostle’s Spring, where according to legend, the Apostle made water come forth in order to provide for the thirsty survivors from aboard the shipwreck.
Another site known as San Pawl tal-Ħġejjeġ is the place where it is believed a bonfire was lit to keep the stranded survivors warm after the wreck, and where St Paul was bitten by a snake which left him unharmed. The Miracle of the Viper Chapel is located here.
Churches dedicated to St Paul
In Burmarrad, close to where it is traditionally believed that St Paul was shipwrecked, there is a small chapel known as San Pawl Milqi. Here Paul is said to have converted Publius to Christianity after healing his father from dysentery.
In Mdina, on the main entrance gate, the sculpted figures (1724) of St Paul, St Publius and St Agatha, protectors of Malta can be found. The Cathedral dedicated to St Paul is traditionally said to have been built on the site of Publius’ palace. The church houses a beautiful titular painting of the Conversion of St Paul, above which is a fresco of the Shipwreck of St Paul both painted by the artist Mattia Preti (1613-1699).
Outside Mdina, in Rabat, St Paul’s Collegiate Parish Church can be found, which was built to the left of St Paul’s Grotto. There are also Catacombs that lead to this Grotto, known as St Paul’s Catacombs.
In Valletta we also find St Paul’s Shipwreck Collegiate Parish Church. This is one of the oldest churches in Valletta boasting many beautiful works of art, evidencing the great devotion to St Paul. Housed in the church is the treasured relic of a fragment of St Paul’s wrist bone donated in 1823 by Vincenzo Aloisio Bonavia.
The Safi Parish church is dedicated to the Conversion of St Paul dating back to 1726. It was built on the site where a smaller church dedicated to St Paul, originating back to the early 15th century once stood.
Overlooking dock one, in Cospicua, we find another church dedicated to St Paul. According to historian Achille Ferres, the first church dedicated to St Paul was built in 1590. The foundation stone was laid on 11 August 1735 for the rebuilding of the church by the Bishop Msgr Paolo Alferan de Bussan.
In a place known as San Pawl tal-Wied in Birkirkara, there is a church dedicated to St Paul which was built in 1538 to commemorate the days of St Paul preaching on the island.
In the locality of San Pawl tatTarġa in Naxxar, there is a chapel dedicated to St Paul’s Shipwreck and a statue of St Paul. According to legend this was one of the places where St Paul preached to the Maltese.
In Gozo there are many churches dedicated to St Paul. One such example is the Munxar parish church dedicated to St Paul’s Shipwreck. The titular painting by the artist Robert Caruana Dingli (18821940) depicts St Paul’s Shipwreck.
Another church dedicated to St Paul’s Shipwreck is located in Marsalforn. According to tradition, three months after the shipwreck, St Paul left the island from this small port which is claimed to be the closest port to Pozzallo, Sicily.
In Nadur the Parish Church is a Collegiate Basilica dedicated to St Peter and St Paul. The original church was built by the parishioners upon land donated by Grand Master Fra Gregorio Carafa (1680-1690). The foundation stone of the present day church, built on the design of the Maltese architect Giuseppe Bonnici, was laid in December 1760.
Let us pray to St Paul to help us conserve the faith he gave us.