- Address: Malta, St Paul's Bay
- Weight: 13 tons
- Height: 3 m
- Date of creation: 1990.
- Sculptor: Alfred Camilleri Kushi
Christianity in Malta appeared in the first century of our era - according to legend, it was spread here by the apostle Paul himself, who was sent to court to Caesar, but as a result of the storm, the ship wore two weeks in a stormy sea, and he finally came to the island, which then it was called Melit, and today is called St. Paul's Bay , or the island of St. Paul (the name is used in the plural, because in fact these are two small islands connected by a narrow isthmus). Since then, Christianity has firmly established itself on the island.
History of the creation of the statue
Today, the island can see more of the attractions associated with religion, but one of them occupies a special place - a statue of Christ the Savior, located under the water off the coast of Malta, or rather - not far from the coast of the island of St. Paul. A statue made of concrete is made, its weight is 13 tons, and the height is 3 meters. In Maltese it is called Kristu L-Bahhar.
The work on the installation of the statue of Jesus Christ under the water in Malta was timed to coincide with the first visit of the state to John Paul II in 1990. The author of the statue was the famous Maltese sculptor Alfred Camilleri Kushi, and the customer - the committee of Maltese divers, led by its chairman, Raniero Borg. The cost of works was one thousand lire.
The statue of Christ under water attracts a large number of diving enthusiasts to Malta and it owes them to its current location: previously it was located at a depth of 38 meters, but as the fish farm was located nearby, the water quality deteriorated significantly, which made the visibility worse, and the statue could not be properly considered. Therefore, in 2000 it was moved, and today Christ is under water "only" at a depth of 10 meters near the Mediterraneo Marine Park .
Moved the statue of Christ under water was in May 2000; to lift it from the bottom, a crane was used. Next to it is a steam-flooded Malta Gozo Ferry, which carried out the communication between Malta and the island of Gozo .
Jesus Christ "looks" under the water in the direction of Saint Paul; from the depths he extends his hands upwards and, as believers believe, is the "personal protector" of sailors, fishermen and divers.
Other statues
By the way, this is not the only statue of Jesus Christ under water - similar there are in several places. The most famous is the "Christ of their abyss" in the Bay of San Frutuozo near Genoa; one copy of it was installed near the underwater reef of Dry Rocks near the California coast, and another one was under water near the coast of Grenada's capital St. George, but was later removed from the water and installed on the embankment of the capital.
How to see the statue?
You can see the statue only with aqualung and accompanied by an experienced instructor. To do this, contact one of the diving clubs near Mediterraneo Marine Park. You can reach the park by public transport : from Valletta - by regular bus number 68, from Bugibba and Sliema - by regular bus number 70. Organize a similar excursion and other diving clubs, which can also be booked at the hotel's tour desk.
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