New light on some artists impressions of a visit to St Paul's Grotto in the 17th century

Abstract

The cult of St Paul in Malta derives from the Apostle s shipwreck (Acts of the Apostles, Chapters 27 and 28) which gained specific shape and interpretation through oral and written interpretations and accounts over the centuries. The centre of this cult was 'La Grotta di S. Paolo' in Rabat (Malta). The Counter Reformation programme with its efforts to renovate and re-establish concrete objects of veneration and Malta's increasing prosperity and her economic 'opening' towards Europe after 1530 were crucial factors in the history of this cult. The focus of this paper is directed on three distinguished artists' visit to the grotto in the 17'" century, and its echoes in their works and writings. The comments on the shrine by Joachim von Sandrarf, Willem Schellinkx, and Lambert Friedrich Corfey have, until now, escaped the attention of scholars.