A new statue of the shipwrecked St Paul has been inaugurated in Valletta.

The statue, which is the work of Jennings Falzon, was unveiled on Saturday.

It is located opposite the Lower Barrakka Gardens and depicts St Paul holding branches for a fire while waving off a serpent.

The inauguration event began with a march from Triq San Nikola to the gardens, led by the Nazionale La Valette Philharmonic Society. Afterwards, Vincent Maxi Magro, Stefan Giglio, Paul Spiteri and Sandro Lapira (represented by his wife) were honoured for their work to promote the Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck.

Fr Charles Tabone blessed the statue, which was then unveiled by Valletta St Paul’s president Frans Mintoff and former Valletta MP Jose Herrera, who said he was proud to have helped the project come to fruition during his time as Culture Minister.

Fireworks synchronised to music by SkyArt and band-led music wrapped up the evening.