L-Għar ta´San Martin

Useful Information

Location:	St Paul's Bay, Malta. (35.9324002, 14.3765982)
Open:	no restrictions. [2025]
Fee:	free. [2025]
Classification:	Cave Church Lourdes Grotto
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	L-Għar ta´San Martin, Tel: +356-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1931	cleaned up and converted into a Lourdes grotto.
1939	altar installed by Dun Edward Farrugia Bugeja.
23-JAN-1952	owner Cavalier Sir Hannibal Sciciuna gets permission from Rome to celebrate mass on the Principal Feasts of our Lady.
1952	Dun Manwel Attard becomes Rector of the Grotto.

Description

L-Għar ta´San Martin (Grotta ta'San Martin, Cave Church San Martin) is a small chapel inside a natural cave, which was massively extended for this purpose. It is located at the Triq San Martin between St Paul's Bay and Mġarr, at the side of a minor road. But despite the name the chapel is not dedicated to Saint Martin, actually that’s the name of this area. It is a sort of shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, but unlike most other Lordes Grottoes there is actually a cave, and they made no attempt to copy the original site. It’s quite aesthetic and tranquil, and really a good place to talk with God or Mary if you prefer.

At the road there is a fence with a gate, a paved walkway leads directly to the cave portal. The floor inside is deeper, so a stone staircase leads down into the cave entrance. There are chairs and an iron bar fence which protect the altar and the statue of Our Lady Saint Mary and Saint Bernadette. The iron bar gate is quite fortunate, it protects the holy stuff while it does not obstruct view.

Only 85 m to the north is the entrance of a secret Cold War flour mill, one of about half a dozen on Malta. It is also named San Martin, but it is not open to the public. We have one of those mills listed, which is at least open after appointment, but not this one. We mention it only for one reason: it is mixed up on some maps with the cave church, so if you reach a closed door instead of a cave portal, go south, and you will find the cave church quite easily.