St Paul’s departure from Malta

Abstract

An old tradition holds that St Paul left Malta from Cospicua. At a local level, this tradition is backed by a special devotion to the Apostle of the Gentiles that developed in this town. In 1590, Francia Micallef, wife of one of the most important maestri of Cospicua, donated the land for a church to be built dedicated to the saint. The church was built in a site known as La Croce di Bormla and such a nomenclature, meaning the cross of Cospicua, shows that the area carried special religious reverence. It is also of particular interest that the second notarial deed, by which Francia donated even more land to this church, refers to the fact that this church was being built over what was called the mandragio or the only pen that existed in Grand Harbour offering shelter to boats. This reference shows the association that this place had with the overlaying shore