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SPOTLIGHT ON: CHURCHES AND CHAPELS IN RABAT

Collegiate Church of St Paul (San Pawl)

The Church of St Paul (pictured) is built above the grotto where the apostle was said to have taken shelter after he was shipwrecked on the island in 60AD. The church, which dates back to the 17th century features a statue of St Paul which was donated by Grand Master Pinto in 1748. A silver galley which hangs from the ceiling was given by the Knights of St John in 1960 to mark the 1,900-year anniversary of St Paul's shipwreck.

St Mary of Jesus Church (Ta' Giezu)

The Franciscan Friars Minor came to Malta in 1492 and opened their first friary in Rabat, where the church known locally as Ta' Giezu stands. Philippe L'Isle Adam, the first Grandmaster during the Order's time in Malta, had a room reserved for him in the friary. The church was built in 1500 and its expansion in 1757 was paid for through contributions from Italian, Spanish and Portuguese langues.

St Agatha Church (Sant' Agata)

Legend has it St Agatha fled her native Sicily and sought refuge in Malta to escape Roman persecution. The church built in 1570 over the ancient crypt where she used to pray leads to a series of catacombs - underground cemeteries dug consisting of long narrow corridors with tombs on each side and vaults.  The church, which was enlarged in 1670, was given to the Missionary Society of St Paul soon after it was founded in 1910.

St Francis Church (San Frangisk)

The Conventual Franciscans, who arrived in Malta in the 14th century, built their church and friary near the hospital of St Francis (Santo Spirito). The friary was reconstructed in 1640 as it was no longer a place suitable to live in; later on the church was also rebuilt by Lorenzo Gafà after being extensively damaged by the 1693 earthquake. Despite its dedication to St Francis, a devotion to Our Lady of Good Health developed in this church thanks to the titular painting: people visiting their sick relatives at the nearby Santo Spirito and Saura hospitals used to visit the church to implore the Virgin for succour.

St Joseph Church (San Guzepp)

The original church was built in 1500, but much of it was destroyed in the great earthquake of 1693 and it had to be rebuilt. The church is richly decorated with paintings and statuary, including the main altar triptych by Antonello Resaliba, dating back to 1517, and the titular painting of the church by Giuseppe Hyzler, showing the visit of the Virgin Mary to her cousin, St Elizabeth. Two Grandmasters - Claude de la Sengle and Alof de Wignacourt - are buried in this church.

Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Tal-Kuncizzjoni)

This church, which dominates the Mtahleb Valley, was built in the estates of a nobleman named Gio.Vincenzo Castelletti, the patriarch of the family who lived in Palazzo Castelletti. It was erected in 1687, although it had been granted an ecclesiastical living endowment in 1607. In the 1950s, the church was enlarged into a cruciform shape and the dome and belfry were added.