Coming out of Mdina one finds the town of Rabat. The names of both places come fro the Arabic - Mdina being 'city' and Rabat being 'suburb'. Rabat once formed part of a much bigger city but the Arabs who captured Malta in the 9th century surrounded the inner city so that it coud be better defended and Rabat became the suburb of the city.
This is the collegiate church dedicated to the Conversion of St Paul. The present church which dates from the 17th century replaces an older church completed in 1578. It was completed in 1683. Next to it is a cave which legend has it was where St Paul stayed for some time while waiting to be shipped to Rome to be prosecuted. I've been there once but not this time.
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