It all began quite by chance in the year 60 when Paul the apostle was shipwrecked there while being taken to Rome to stand trial for spreading Christianity. Paul spent three months on Malta, during which time he met the Roman governor, Publius, whose father was seriously ill.

Paul cured the man and Publius, so grateful and so impressed with the future saint’s powers, converted to Christianity. In fact Paul ordained Publius as Malta’s first bishop and in so doing, started the island’s long and fervent devotion to the Roman Catholic faith.

Malta has remained true to that faith ever since. Its public buildings and private homes are dotted with religious symbols, its ornate churches and chapels repositories for icons and fine religious artwork.

Paul himself converted to Christianity as a result of the dazzling vision of Jesus he famously experienced on the road to Damascus. Later Paul travelled across Asia Minor to spread the word and as a result of his teachings, he was arrested by the Romans in Jerusalem.

It was while he was being sent to Rome for trial that the boat that carried him was wrecked on the shores of Malta. After his brief but influential stay on Malta, Paul was sent on to Rome where it is believed he was martyred during the reign of Nero, some time between 64 and 67.

The Maltese later named the martyred St. Paul their patron saint and today they recognize his being shipwrecked there with a February holiday.

The ancient Maltese city of Rabat is the place where Paul lived and today, the city’s parish church sits above a grotto where he is believed to have stayed. The grotto was dug out by the Romans and visitors can still plainly see their chisel marks in the ceiling of the stone cave.

The grotto could have been Malta’s first church and on one wall are the remnants of a 16th-century fresco. The grotto was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1990. John Paul II also visited the island in 2001.

Pope Benedict XVI is to make the third papal visit to Malta April 17-18 to mark the 1,950th anniversary of St. Paul’s shipwreck. The shipwreck has been instrumental in cementing a long and warm relationship between the island and the Vatican.

The Pope is also scheduled to meet with bishops and Maltese President George Abela, preside over an outdoor Mass in the capital of Valletta and meet with youth.

Today, tourists, too, can visit the grotto. Admission to the church and cave is free, although donations are requested. Some of the money for those donations goes to the ongoing upkeep and renovation of this holy site.

Back out on the street and nearby are the catacombs, a maze of underground Roman burial chambers.

Next to Rabat is the ancient former capital of Malta, Mdina. Here, you can learn more about Paul with a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral and an adjacent museum. The original Norman-era church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 and the replacement is an exquisite piece of architecture.

Not to be missed inside the church are a pair of paintings from the Calabrian-born artist, Mattia Preti — The Conversion of St. Paul and The Shipwreck of St. Paul, both of which survived the quake. The church floor is covered with marble tombs and the vaulted ceiling shows depictions from Paul’s life.

(May is a freelance writer in Leamington, Ont.)