If there is one site in Malta that transcends the ages, it is that of San Pawl Milqi, the ruin of a prehistoric site, the largest Roman agricultural villa in Malta and the site of a Catholic church.
This site overlooks Burmarrad plain, one of Malta’s most fertile valleys, however in Roman times it had the added advantage of being close to an important Roman harbour that at the time reached far further inland than it does now.
Measuring approximately 4,000m2, this agricultural holding thrived through the centuries and is rich in archaeological remains of different periods. The San Pawl Milqi site shows evidence of a prehistoric settlement from the Neolithic Period (c.4100-3800BC) to the Bronze Age Period (c.2500-700BC). [1] This was followed by the structures of a little Punic farmhouse (from 4th to 3rd century BC) that had evolved into a rural villa by the end of the 2nd century B.C., when Malta was already under the Roman rule.
The villa was still in use at least to the 4th century AD; its position on the slopes of a fertile valley and vicinity to the Roman harbour at Salina made it ideal for the production of olive oil. It was one of a series of villas across the island dating back to between 218BC and 500 AD, however, this site holds the largest remains discovered to date. These include olive oil presses, three vertical presses, five olive pippers and numerous settling vats used to purify oil as well as anchor points.
Although large enough to have been the property of a rich nobleman the four residential rooms were only decorated with painted wall plasters and common mortar flooring. None show elaborate and expensive floor mosaics like those of the Domvs Romana in Rabat. Still, this important site sheds light on Malta’s thriving economy during the Punic-Hellenistic and the Roman Republican periods.
This important complex kept developing different forms at least up to the Byzantine and Arab period (6th-9th century AD). The site was eventually reduced in size and surrounded by a thick fortification wall, probably during the period of Arab rule in Malta. Its fortified walls, constant water supply and good position meant that it was ideally located to control the nearby port and valleys.
After the Medieval period, there is evidence that at least one church was constructed to mark the site where tradition held that St Paul was welcomed by the island’s Roman governor Publius after being shipwrecked at St Paul’s Bay. After more than a century it fell into disuse and was later replaced by the Baroque church which now dominates the site, built between 1616 and 1622 and dedicated to the welcoming of St Paul: “San Pawl Milqi”. Although archaeological and historical facts indicate that these popular beliefs are not correct, the connection gave the chapel great prestige as a pilgrimage site. This church, which still stands today, is the oldest record connecting the site to the traditional event.
The significance of San Pawl Milqi lies in its historical and archaeological, scientific, social and religious value, and most importantly as very good example of an ever-changing cultural landscape. [2]
This site managed by Heritage Malta is not usually open to the public, however tours have been organised on the 10th of February, St Paul’s Feast, when a mass is also held at the church.
1. https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20050208/local/tours-of-san-pawl-milqi.99749
2. SAN PAWL MILQI , BURMARRAD , MALTA – PRESENTATION OF A MULTI-CULTURAL SITE IN A CHANGING LANDSCAPE, Shirley Cefai, Joanne Cassar, Davide Locatelli
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