The Jesuits' Church Foundation | The Collegium Melitensis

The Collegium Melitense

The setting up of the College was a significant step forward in education because until then those desirous of obtaining knowledge had to go to Sicily. With their arrival in Malta the Jesuits were the pioneers in education of the people.

The Instrumentum Fundationis Collegii, dated 12 November 1592, was published by Notary Giacomo Sillato and witnessed by Grand Master Verdala, Bishop Gargallo, Inquisitor Ludovico dell’Armi and Padre Pietro Casati S.J.

The principles that regulated every aspect of study under the control of the Society, inspired by and crystallized from the Ignatian rule, were codified for the first time by an international team of six Jesuits in 1586 and called Ratio Studiorum.

According to the Jesuit Constitutions, as many as five faculties could be established in any university of the Society, namely those of Theology, Philosophy, Literature, Laws and Medicine with the proviso that members of the Order were precluded from lecturing in these last two disciplines.

With the expulsion of the Jesuits from Malta in 1766 the Collegio Melitensis "became the foundation stone" of the University of Malta. The Holy See conceded to Grand Master Emanuel Pinto "to avail himself of the revenue deriving from the property of the Jesuits to set up an institution for higher studies".

The Holy See authorised the institution of the University in Malta. The three professional courses were theology, jurisprudence and medicine.

The Collegium Melitense Research Project.

Integrating Church History,
Cultural Studies and Heritage Science.

The Collegium Melitense Research Project is a 24-month interdisciplinary Research Excellence initiative (2026–2028) led by the Department of Church History, Patrology and Palaeo-Christian Archaeology within the Faculty of Theology, in collaboration with the FUMAC (Foundation for the Curation of the University of Malta’s Artworks and Collection). The initiative is supported by the Department of Art and Art History within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Malta, as well as The Jesuits’ Church Foundation.

Focusing on the historic Jesuit College and Church in Valletta—the Collegium Melitense, founded in 1592 and widely recognised as the institutional cradle of the University—the project integrates archival research, art history, and cultural heritage data in a coordinated framework of research, conservation, and public engagement

The project is co-led by:

Rev. Dr Nicholas Joseph Doublet, Senior Lecturer in Church History and Rector of the Jesuits’ Church Foundation (Project Coordinator).

Professor Keith Sciberras, Department of Art and Art History and Rector’s Delegate for the Curation of Works of Art and Historic Buildings

From its inception, the initiative has been conceived not as an isolated research study but as a structured collaboration between academic, ecclesiastical, cultural, and conservation institutions. It brings together:

The Department of Church History (Faculty of Theology)
FUMAC
The Department of Art and Art History (Faculty of Arts)
The Jesuits’ Church Foundation
The Restoration Directorate
National and Ecclesiastical archival institutions
International research bodies and foreign universities

This collaborative architecture ensures continuous dialogue between historical and art-historical scholarship, material analysis, conservation practice, and public interpretation. Archival investigation in Maltese and international repositories—including the Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu and the Vatican Apostolic Archives—is directly aligned with ongoing research and conservation work on the Jesuit complex in Valletta

Historical evidence informs research, conservation strategy, spatial interpretation, and heritage management, while scientific and conservation data enrich historical reconstruction.

This integrated framework seeks to transform the Collegium Melitense into a living research laboratory—where academic enquiry, cultural heritage data, and public stewardship converge.

Collaborative Knowledge Production

The project will generate:

Three fully structured archival datasets on Mission, Education, and Artistic & Architectural Patrimony
A permanent digital heritage repository embedded within University of Malta systems
International conferences and scholarly publications
A major edited academic volume
Structured public engagement through exhibitions, lectures, and digital initiatives

Crucially, these outputs are not produced in isolation but through sustained collaboration between departments, conservation experts, archivists, and international scholars. The project consolidates existing academic networks—linking Malta with Palermo, Rome, Naples, Madrid, Lisbon, and beyond—positioning the University of Malta as a Mediterranean hub for Jesuit and early modern studies

Public and Institutional Impact

Beyond academia, the project strengthens:

Heritage policy and sustainable conservation planning
Cultural programming within the Oratories initiative
Undergraduate and postgraduate teaching
Malta’s UNESCO World Heritage context in Valletta
International visibility of Maltese scholarship

Built upon sustained cooperation between academic, ecclesiastical, and cultural institutions, the project is intended as a nationally significant catalyst, enabling scholarly research to deepen the University of Malta’s awareness of its origins, shape heritage stewardship across the Maltese cultural sector, and contribute meaningfully to the country’s broader cultural landscape.

A Model of Interdisciplinary Cooperation

The Collegium Melitense Research Project exemplifies how the Department of Church History functions at the intersection of theology, history, art history, cultural studies, conservation, and civic engagement. It demonstrates that responsible heritage stewardship requires sustained institutional partnership—uniting scholarship and practice in the service of Malta’s intellectual and cultural patrimony.