Saint Publius (in Maltese, San Publju) is venerated as the first Bishop of Malta. Publius' conversion led to Malta being the first Christian nation in the West, and one of the first in the world. It was the same Publius who received the Apostle Paul during his shipwreck on the island as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul cured Publius' dysentery-afflicted father. He was martyred c. 125, during the persecution of Emperor Hadrian. His feast is celebrated on January 22.