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St_Paul's Island

St. Paul's Island is a flat islet (or better St. Paul's Islands as they are two of them, well separated, when the sea is more rough) laying in St. Paul's Bay on the island of Malta.

It is uninhibited now as the sole farmer abandoned his tiny dwelling and fields decades ago.

In 60, the Roman Governor of Palestine Porcius Festus allowed Paul of Tarsus passage from Caesarea Maritima to Rome to stand trial for heresy before the Emperor Nero. So he was put on a merchant galley, under armed guard, together with many other people, including his friends Luke the Evangelist and Aristarcus, and the long journey began. Even after they boarded a bigger ship, near island of Crete, the weather became really bad, the sea rougher, and everyone was afraid, but Paul reassured them saying, "for fourteen days you have not eaten anything. Always waiting for the tempest to stop, today you must eat, an Angel of the Lord told me that no one will be lost and that all will lain safely on a certain island." He himself began to eat so as to set a good example.

And so it happened - as the Acts of the Apostles relate that, when they had come very near to land, some jumped into the water, and the others held on to some planks or woodwork and swam to the shore, "And when we had reached land," we read in the Acts " we knew that the island was called Melita and the inhabitants took great care of us." No life was lost, all 276 passengers were saved.

St. Paul's Island was most probably the place of that shipwreck - but it is still disputed.

• http://www.truegood.fsnet.co.uk/scicluna.htm more exact site of that shipwreck, even discussion about doubts if Paul of Tarsus reached the Maltese islands at all
• http://www.maltavista.net/ numerous photos of Maltese archipelago
• http://louishenwood.com/history/no10.html Paul of Tarsus' stay in Malta, including churches and other monuments dedicated to him