Tomorrow, Malta celebrates the annual St Paul feast. It’s a day that commemorates the time that St Paul was shipwrecked and brought to Malta, converting the whole country to Christianity.
St Paul, in fact, is one of Malta’s most worshipped saints.
There are many parishes, churches and chapels all across the country that are devoted to him, one of them is the town of Rabat.
As the Rabat parish is dedicated to St Paul, one is bound to find many references throughout the town to St Paul, aside from the church.
One of them is St Paul's niche, shared to social media by ‘Historical Research Sharing Activity created by Vince Peresso’.
The niche can be found along the end of ‘Old Doni’ Street, overlooking Gheriexem Road. Its statue is an exact replica of the statue used in the procession of the St Paul church.
As explained by Vince Peresso, the inscription on it dates back to the 13th August 1863 and it looks like it says that anyone who says the Pater Ave Gloria in front of it is can concede in 40 days of indulgence.
The niche is a beautiful one, truly highlighting traditional Maltese character but it looks like it may need some restoration to return to its former glory.
Have you ever spotted this niche?