Rabat Local Council

Among many places that are worth seeing in Rabat, Malta, churches and chapels deserve special attention being a cultural and religious heritage of the city. There is a list of the most famous churches and chapels, which have the most interesting history:

• Church of St. Paul

  There is a legend, which tells that St. Paul lived in that building for 3 months in 60 A.D. The church was built over the grotto and had large size. First the church has been spoken about in 1372. Near the church there was a cemetery. The modern church building appeared in 1575. The church got support from the Maltese Order. Moreover, this church is interesting because real art masterpieces have been preserved here. You can see a silver ship under a ceiling that was made specially to mark the date of 1900 of St. Paul's arrival to Malta.

• Bahrija rural church

  This well-known rural church devoted to St. Martin saw the world in the 16th century thanks to its founder Count Navarra. Nowadays the church has become larger in size as Bahrija population had increased much. Many people choose this church to get married. Holy masses are regularly provided here as well.

• St. Anthony the Abbot Church

  At the moment the church is taken care of by the Augustinian Rabat friars. Church was founded in 1663 and got its name after St. Anthony the Abbot being built by Nicholas Cotoner. There was a period when it stopped working but in 1986 local people could visit it again.

• Church of the Blessed Virgin

  There are Dominican Friars and Franciscan Minors. As for the first ones, they founded the 1st friary where the Virgin Mary, as the legend says, was talking to a man that had taken refuge. As for the friary built by the Friars Minor this happened in 1492. Italy and Spain have much contributed into the reconstruction of the church.