Church of St Paul's Shipwreck

The Church of St Paul's Shipwreck (Knisja ta' San Pawl Nawfragu) stands on St Paul Street (Triq San Pawl) in Valletta, Malta, and is dedicated to the apostle's shipwreck on the island, traditionally dated to around AD 60. The church was designed by Girolamo Cassar in the 1570s and rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 17th century, and it remains one of the most important parish churches in Valletta. A plain street front gives way to a richly decorated interior with gilded vaulting, paintings and side chapels. The church is known for its relics of St Paul, including a fragment of the wrist bone and part of the column on which, according to tradition, he was beheaded in Rome, which are displayed in chapels within the church. The titular statue of St Paul is carried through the streets of Valletta in the annual feast procession each February, a major event in the Maltese calendar. Visitors can walk through the nave and view the altars, ceiling paintings and the decorated chapels, a visit that usually takes about 30 minutes. Entry is free outside services, although donations are welcome. The church is an active place of worship, so visitors are expected to dress modestly with covered shoulders and knees, to speak quietly and to avoid moving around during Mass. Opening hours vary and are often mornings and late afternoons. The church is only about three minutes' walk from St John's Co-Cathedral and can be easily combined with that visit. Photography without flash is generally tolerated but should stop during services. Mid-morning outside Mass times is usually quietest, and the feast week in early February brings crowds and special services.