Malta is 98% Roman Catholic and these are serious Catholics. There are over 360 churches on the islands, one for every 1,000 residents.  Every village has a patron saint and they celebrate their saints with festivals that rival one another with processions, fireworks, the lot.  Most residences will not have a numerical address, but will use the name of a saint to identify it.  Uniquely Maltese are the prolific religious icons displayed on street corners and along the walls of many buildings – commercial or residential. There are so many, and they are so varied, I found them fascinating.  Christmas is celebrated with nativity scenes (known as precepjus) set up in the middle of roundabouts, in town squares, in windows of shops and homes. The first week in November residents are already adorning the streets and buildings with decorations. The country only legalized divorce in 2011.

The photos below are a small sampling of the hundreds of icons present in every village and on lonely roads in the middle of nowhere. The first 14 in Valletta alone.