St. Paul’s Bay is one of the older seaside resorts. At the turn of the century it was the fashion for persons of means to have a second home on the coast in which to pass the hot summer months in peace and quiet but also in comfort. St. Paul’s is now a residential area but an aura of tranquility still pervades the place. The town of San Pawl il-Bahar (more accurately translated as St. Paul’s Bay) has many reminders of its namesake – the Apostle of the Gentiles.

Here one can see Ghajn Razul, the Apostle’s Fount, at which the saint is reputed to have quenched his thirst following his shipwreck; the church at tal-Huggiega, the church of the bonfire, marking the site where the apostle shook off the viper into the flames; and the church at San Pawl Milqghi, the place where St. Paul was made welcome by Publius, the Roman Governor. A number of churches have been built in succession on this last site and, significantly, in the lowest level of the dig, Roman remains have come to light.