The Pauline Cult And Roman Remains At San Pawl Milqi

By Author: Angelo Xuereb
Total Articles: 11
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Noticing Maltese place-names is a very interesting exercise and leads to insights into the islanders' culture, beliefs and way of life. One of the things visitors immediately notice is the large amount of place-names related to St Paul, starting with San Pawl il-Bahar, St Paul's Islands, San Pawl tat-Targa the list is endless. The source of this strong devotion to St Paul on the Maltese Islands is the narrative in the Acts of St Luke XXVIII, 1-10, which recounts how, during his journey as a prisoner from the Holy Land to Rome in 60AD, St Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta, where he stayed for around three months. It is believed by many that during his stay here St Paul preached to the then-pagan community, cured illnesses miraculously and, eventually, Christianized the population for the very first time.

On the road leading from Bugibba to Burmarrad, one encounters a site commonly associated with the Pauline cult. Overlooking the plain of Burmarrad and Salina Bay, there is the church of San Pawl Milqi (literally translated as St Paul, he who has been met or welcomed). At the foot of the church lies one of the ...
... most important Maltese archaeological sites, uncovered by the Missione Archaeologica Italiana of the University of Rome in the years 1963-1968.

Although the remains suggest that it was occupied even as far back as the prehistoric era, the most extensive remains date back to the Roman period - a Roman villa that seems to have been used from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD, with a substantial amount of modifications over time. It is not surprising that this spot was chosen - the area is extremely fertile and the position is perfect to control the nearby inlets and landing points.

Tradition says that this villa used to belong to Publius, the primus or first citizen of the island, the same Publius who welcomed St Paul and whom the latter converted to the Christian Belief. In reality there is not much evidence to support this tradition, apart from a stone which seems to have inscribed on it the word ‘Paulus' in Greek characters (of limited credibility according to archaeologists) and representations of the Cross and other Christian symbols in some rooms, which may easily be of a much later date, as we do know that a part of the site was used during the Byzantine era, that is between the 7th to the 9th Century AD.

What is sure with regards this villa is that it contained a residential part with fine quality frescoes as attested by the plaster fragments discovered. Terracotta figurines and some ceramics discovered in a particular room suggest that there was a household sacellum (or shrine). The villa also had an agricultural unit, including a water cistern. In this section machinery for olive pressing was discovered, which is not surprising since we do know that the production of olive oil was very prolific in Roman Malta - many are the Roman villas that have remains of such equipment and amphorae for the transportation of olive oil have been discovered in abundance beneath the waters around the Maltese Islands.

One corner of the villa seems to have been at some point reinforced with the building of a semi-circular wall. Given that Malta's Roman period was largely dominated by the Pax Romana (a relatively peaceful period), some believe that this fortification-like structure dates back to a later period, most probably the 3rd Century AD when times were more turbulent. In fact scientific analysis has shown that a fire destroyed some rooms and silos in the 3rd century AD.

In spite of this fire, the site was still frequented afterwards -a part of it was even incorporated into the 17th century Church. The site of San Pawl Milqi is just a few minutes' drive away from the Seashells Resort at Suncrest & Sunnycoast Resort which form the group of AX Hotels and can form part of an interesting archaeological itinerary. Entrance to the archaeological site is by appointment, which can be fixed by contacting Heritage Malta on info@heritagemalta.org.

This Article has been made available by AX Hotels Malta - a leading operator of Hotels in Malta. The AX Hotels, Malta Hotels Portfolio includes Accommodation in Malta in two prime tourist localities with three hotels in Sliema.