The Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, also known as simply the Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church in

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It is one of Valletta's oldest churches.

History

Saint Paul the Apostle is considered the spiritual father of the Maltese. His shipwreck on Malta is described in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

(Acts 28, 1). St. Luke wrote, "we found that the island was called Melita". The church traces its origins to 1570s, was designed by Girolamo Cassar, and completed in December 1582. The church was ceded to the Jesuit Fathers and a new church was started in 1639. The church's facade was rebuilt in 1885 according to the design of Nicholas Zammit. The church building is listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mon ...

. In 2024, the church building was featured in Season 28 of ABC's The Bachelor when Bachelor Joey and contestant Lexi visited the church during a date.

Interior

The church hosts fine artistic works, including the magnificent altarpiece by

Matteo Perez d'Aleccio Matteo is the Italian form of the given name Matthew. Another form is Mattia. The Hebrew meaning of Matteo is "gift of god". Matteo can also be used as a patronymic surname, often in the forms of de Matteo, De Matteo or DeMatteo, meaning " escen ...

, the paintings by Attilio Palombi, and Giuseppe Calì. The wooden titular statue of St Paul was carved in 1659 by Melchiorre Cafà, the brother of Lorenzo Gafà who designed the dome. The statue is paraded through the streets of Valletta on the feast day of St Paul's Shipwreck, February 10. One can also view the relic of the right wrist-bone of St Paul, and part of the column from

San Paolo alle Tre Fontane San Paolo alle Tre Fontane (Italian language, Italian), in English "St Paul at the Three Fountains" is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Paul the Apostle, at the presumed site of his martyrdom in Rome. In Latin it is known as Sancti Pauli ad Aqu ...

, on which the saint was beheaded in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

.Ciarlo, C.j., 2008, The Hidden Gem, Valletta: Progress Press Co. Ltd,

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * Churches in Valletta, brochure, published by Malta Tourism Authority.

External links

* * {{Parish churches in Malta and Gozo 1570 establishments in Malta Buildings and structures in Valletta Collegiate churches in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Malta

History

Interior

See also

References

External links