This year, the Dominican order, or order of preachers, or even still, the black friars, are celebrating the 800th anniversary of its foundation by Dominic of Guzman – a humble friar who came from the small village of Kalruega in Spain, who managed to shake the Catholic faith from its foundations and who left behind him a legacy of wisdom, culture and deep spirituality that has been transmitted throughout these 800 years up till today.

Dominic of Guzman lived in a period of great turbulence and religious upheavals, so much so that Europe was torn apart by religious strife and heresy. Dominic, together with Francis of Assisi, were like a breath of fresh air, and while the latter gave a new meaning to Christian traditions by professing charity and poverty, Dominic emerged as the champion of Christian doctrine with his preaching and institution of a religious order whose prime aim was to combat heresy by means of the power of prayer, and most of all, learning.

For this reason, very soon, he sent his followers to the main university centres of Europe to establish convents and colleges from where they could attract new followers and establish a strong foothold among the intelligentsia of the period. Paris, Bologna, Oxford and Cambridge are up till today still centres of Dominican teachings and many Dominican lecturers have been renowned for their wisdom through the ages.

In the light of this, one can easily understand how doctors of the Church like Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas and Catherine of Siena formed part of the order of Dominic of Guzman. Besides being of great spiritual inspiration, these three saints were also great philosophers, theologians, politicians and preachers of extraordinary intelligence.

Indeed, much of the teachings of the Catholic Church today are based on their teachings and writings. Albert and his pupil Thomas Aquinas managed to adopt Greek, mainly Aristotelian, philosophy to the Christian faith at a time when anything pagan was considered anathema for Christian Europe, and this can be considered as the spark that in years later led to the rebirth of art and literature in the Renaissance in Italy and the whole of Europe.

Wherever they are present, the black friars always strive to establish centres of learning and attract great minds to their fold

This tradition of learning and wisdom has continued to be one of the primary objectives of the Dominican order throughout the world and wherever they are present with their provinces, the black friars always strive to establish centres of learning and attract great minds to their fold.

In Malta, the Dominicans set up their first convent in Rabat around 1470, just outside the walls of the old city of Mdina, or Notabile, and soon they set up a studium for their novices and lay people. In 1528, they set up their second convent and studium in Birgu, which at the time was considered the commercial city of the island. The Dominicans of Birgu attracted towards them a large number of members from the rich, commercial families, and when the Knights of St John entered the city, they were already well established with the local community.

The studium of Birgu was renowned in the area surrounding the ports and attracted various scholars from the Cottonera area and beyond. One can mention Fra Matteo Rispoli, who was born in Senglea and become one of the most important philosophy professors in Europe, lecturing at the Sorbonne, Rome and Milan. He spent a large part of his life in the convent of Birgu until he passed away in 1666.

Other Maltese Dominicans made a name for themselves through their spiritual inspiration, including Fra Tommaso Schembri and Fra Giuseppe Gafa, brother of the more notorious Melchiorre, and Lorenzo Gafa, who are hailed as saints in nearby Sicily.

Coming to the last and present century, one can only speak of three personalities, who were born and bred in Birgu, and who wore the black and white cloak – Fra Andrew Vella, a great historian of Maltese history, and in his last years, dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Malta; Fra Michael Fsadni, a scholar of Maltese medieval history and literature, who discovered the Cantilena of Pietru Caxaro, the oldest writing in the Maltese vernacular dating back to c.1485, and last but not least, Fra Marius Zerafa, who is considered as an authority on art in Malta and beyond, and who served as curator of the Fine Arts Museum and director of museums  up till a few years ago.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of great minds that passed through the Dominican convent. One can mention friars like Fra Daniel Callus, historian of the order, Fra Stefano Forte, librarian at Santa Sabina in Rome, and Fra Peter Paul Zerafa, biblical scholar at the Angelicum in Rome – all either born in Vittoriosa or its surroundings or who served for a period in the church and convent of the Dominicans in that glorious city.

This is not the end of the story. Today, many other Maltese Dominican friars are making a name for themselves in various fields of learning and culture, and in universities around the world it is not difficult to stumble on a name of a Maltese professor. Whether in Washington DC, Oxford, Rome, Milan or Paris the Dominicans will be always present as a testimony of the great legacy bestowed upon them by the Great Dominic of Guzman – Laudare, Praedicare, Benedicere.

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