Publius | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Statue of Saint Publius next to theFloriana Parish Church, 1811, byVincenzo Dimech | |
| Bishop of Athens andBishop of Malta VenerableHieromartyr | |
| Died | c. 112;[note 1] orc. 125;[2] orc. 161–180[3] Athens,[4]Achaea,Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 22 January[5] (Catholic) 13 March[3] (Eastern Orthodox) |
| Attributes | Shown with a lion next to him, episcopal vestments,crozier |
| Patronage | Malta,Floriana;Athens, Greece |
Saint Publius (Maltese:San Publiju;Ancient Greek:Πούπλιος), also known asPublius of Malta[6] orPublius of Athens,[7] was anearly Christian bishop andsaint. He is considered the firstBishop of Malta and one of the firstBishops of Athens.
Publius isMalta's firstcanonised saint, who is described in theBook of Acts as the 'chief' or prince of the island (Maltese:il-prinċep tal-gżira). According to MalteseChristian tradition, Publius' conversion led toMalta being the first Christian nation in theWest.
He isvenerated in theCatholic Church andEastern Orthodox Church, withfeast days on 22 January and 13 March respectively.
According toChristian tradition, it was Publius who receivedPaul the Apostle during hisshipwreck on the island as recounted in theActs of the Apostles. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul cured Publius'dysentery-afflicted father.
He was martyred around 125, during the persecution of EmperorHadrian.[2]
His feast is celebrated on 22 January in theCatholic Church, which places him as the successor ofDionysius the Areopagite, dating his martyrdom toc. 112.[note 2]
Apart from beingpatron saint ofFloriana, Publius is also one of the threepatron saints of Malta, along withSt. Paul the Apostle andSt. Agatha of Sicily.
In theEastern Orthodox Church, however, his feast day is observed on13 March, and according to an epistle ofDionysius, Bishop of Corinth, he is placed as the successor ofNarcissus of Athens, dating his martyrdom to the period of thepersecution under Marcus Aurelius (r. 161–180).[3]
Various streets in Malta are named after him, including inSliema,[8]Rabat,[9]Mellieħa,[10]Saint Paul's Bay,[11]Naxxar[12] and Floriana.[13]
In a 2025 article,James Aaron Ellul quoted historian Giovanni Bonello who highlighted how Gregorio Xerri’s post-1565 poem Inno della Vittoria elevates Saint Publius as a distinctly Maltese symbol of victory, bypassing the traditional emphasis on foreign religious figures. Bonello argues that this literary recognition initiated a cultural reclamation of Saint Publius, previously underrepresented in devotional and liturgical contexts. The article further notes contemporary calls—particularly marking ~1900 years since his martyrdom—to re-embed him in Malta’s national and ecclesiastical memory[1]
| Early Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Athens c. 112 – c. 125 | Succeeded by |
| New creation | Bishop of Malta 60–90 | Succeeded by Quadratus of Malta |
| International | |
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| National | |
