Must visit this week: Celebrate the feast at the Church of St Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta!
This is how a shipwreck helped shape Maltese culture.
Let's go back to the year 33 AD (or 36 AD...we’re not sure). A man is riding his horse to Damascus, when a sharp beam of light jolts down from the sky, blinding the rider and felling him to the ground. This man's name was Saul and, until then, he had been untouched by Christianity. But, from that moment on, he became Paul, and he would go on to change the religious beliefs of a tiny island in the middle of the Mediterranean.
Fast forward to the year 60AD, and a brutal storm is pummeling the Mediterranean sea as Paul’s ship sails from the isle of Crete towards Rome. As the freighter is thrown off course, the stars align, landing Paul on the tiny island of Malta, on the shore which would come to be known as St Paul’s Bay.
After Paul survived this freak shipwreck - as well as a poisonous snake bite - his gallant, superhero-esque efforts convinced the islanders to hear him out on his philosophy, which he called Christianity. He stayed on the island for three months, during which the locals converted from paganism towards Christianity and Roman Catholicism.
And the rest is history.
It goes without saying that Malta’s connection with the Feast of St Paul - celebrated on 10th February - is rather strong. Christianity and Roman Catholicism are revered, and the islanders' connection with St Paul's story is celebrated throughout the island. Paul is the patron saint of Malta, with St Paul’s Bay and Valletta taking the lead in festivities.
And this Sunday, 10th February, the Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta is the perfect spot to start your day. Here, a beautiful homily is accompanied by choral signing in the chapel built in the 1570s. If the sermon gets too tedious for you, take a look around: the art, sculpture and architecture of this place of worship will wake you up. And, you can also keep an eye out for historical relics within the church, such as Paul’s alleged wrist bone and a part of the column on which he was beheaded.
Later, stretch your legs with a walk down Republic Street, where the statue of St Paul makes its way down the cobbled thoroughfares to the sound of live band music. Your choice for the evening is to either stay in Valletta to watch the fireworks light up the Grand Harbour or pop down to the north of the island, where St Paul’s island can act as your backdrop to a perfect family meal, rounding off the day dedicated to this accident-prone hero.