Province of St. Mark

Augustinian Presence in Rabat

Although not everybody agrees when our friars built the priory and church and dedicated it to St. Augustine, outside the walls of Mdina, it is certain that by 1460, they were already present. Some hold that this priory was built in 1383 and was almost halfway between Mdina and the site where the priory stands today.

In 1551, the Turkish army of around 140 war galleons landed in Marsamxett harbour and without delay, they made their way towards Rabat. The Knights, who hadn’t yet built any defences in the island, after being forced out from Rhodes and arrived in Malta in 1530, went to hide inside St. Angelo’s Castle. When the Maltese saw that nobody could defend them properly against the Turkish force, they gathered inside the walls of Mdina so they could defend themselves from there. However, when they realised the great danger of the Turkish army, which was moving towards Mdina and could capture St. Augustine’s priory and use it as a basis for their attack on the city, the enraged people came out of Mdina and demolished the Augustinian priory and church forever. All things pertaining to the church and the sacristy (including objects made of gold and silver), as well as those of the priory (friars’ clothes, library, cloak room and archive) were lost. In other words, the friars lost everything, even the stones and the wood in the priory and the church. In this manner, the friars were left without proof about many lands and capital money, which were theirs. The destruction of the priory also meant that they were left without a home, without a place to reside and live the religious and communitarian life, since this priory was the only one, during that time, that the Augustinians had in Malta (the Gozitan one was very small and wasn’t adapted to welcome the Maltese friars, apart from the fact that it was isolated from Malta). Thus, the friars didn’t have a place to live in and were obliged to go back to their families or join their benefactors. After making a request to Grand Master Claude de La Sengle to give them a place where they could continue living their life as a community, even for a limited time, they obtained St. Spirit’s Hospital, in Rabat. After arranging the place as much as they could, without delay, they went to live in it. The Augustinians continued living in this hospital for about six years, until in 1555, they managed to obtain (from Bishop Domenico Cubelles) the chapel dedicated to St. Mark the Evangelist, together with a few rooms and abandoned and ruined corridors, on Saqqajja Hill. This chapel is exactly in the same spot, where we today find the side chapel dedicated to the Holy Spirit in St. Mark’s Church. After obtaining all the necessary permits, the construction of the new church started on 13th August 1556, on the design of the Maltese architect Glormu Cassar and the foundation stone of the church was laid in the same year. The construction of the church was completed in 1588. From earlier times, this priory was considered as an excellent place to welcome youths who wished to embrace the Augustinian Order. It was the residence for the novices and for those youths, who had to prepare themselves for the profession. This was confirmed in 14th January 1639, after some friars doubted whether this priory should be the novitiate house.

After less than two hundred years in the second priory on Saqqajja Hill, it was felt that most of priory had to be rebuilt again due to its huge amount of damage. For this reason, in a Chapter which took place on 15th March 1739, all the friars agreed to build a new priory – the third one on Saqqajja Hill. After many consultations, Andrea Belli’s design was recommended, especially due to the fact that the design had very good measurements and preserved most of the old design. The prior Fr. Debono took charge of obtaining the necessary permits from Grand Master Ramon Despuig to pull down and build a new priory. The construction started on 26th August 1740, while the foundation stone was laid on 5th October. The construction of the building during this period took more time to complete due to many conflicts, which cropped up, with the Grand Master, on behalf of the four War Commissioners, as well as with the person in charge Gakbu Azzopardi and neighbours. However, in the end, with the help of the Augustinian Curia Generalizia in Rome, they managed to surmount every obstacle.

The arrival and occupation of the French in the Maltese Islands, brought about many orders and new decrees, amongst which that the religious orders in Malta couldn’t have more than one priory. In fact, they only allowed the most ruined priory to be kept by every religious order, so that they could strip the other priories of their wealth. Unfortunately, the only priory left to the Augustinian friars was the one in Gozo, which at that time was not in a good condition. Both priories in Valletta and in Rabat, with everything that they possessed, were taken by the French. Since all the Augustinian religious, who lived in Rabat and in Valletta, could not gather in that of Gozo, the majority went to live with their own families. The church and the priory were given back to the friars on 24th December 1798. As soon as they returned back, the Augustinian friars started again to redecorate this temple, which had been stripped of every silver and gold, while continuing the restoration of the place.

In the priory’s chapter of 1st May 1854, the proposal of renovating the choir for the friars, was agreed. This work, which was left in the hands of carpenter Guzeppi Galea, had to be completed till April 1856. Some time later, the same carpenter also worked on the façade of the choir and the lectern, in the centre of the choir. On 16th May 1893, the community once again agreed on the proposal presented vis-à-vis the design of the new prospective of the church choir. This design was drawn by artist Giovanni Galdes and approved by architect Galizia. The design of the project which still exists nowadays, although with a few minor modifications, done by the same architect, consisted in the removal of one of the two titular paintings – that of St. Augustine, by Mattia Preti, which was later hung in the sacristy. The painting of St. Mark the Evangelist, painted by Girolamo Muziano, which was next to that of St. Augustine and which represented the dedication of the Church, was left where it was and had to be hung in an elevated level, high enough to put the marble statue of St. Augustine underneath it. According to the same proposal, agreed by the friars, the work had to be done by Lorenzo Sapiano. A year later, this mentioned marble statue was completed by Pawlu Triscornia and put in its place in July 1894. The High Altar of the church was consecrated by Bishop Gaetanu Pace Forno OSA on 9th October 1896 and by Bishop Giovanni M. Camilleri OSA on 26th June 1906.

However, St. Mark’s priory wasn’t just used by the Augustinian friars to live their community life only, as requested by the Rule of St. Augustine. In the Second World War, Rabat was the most sought location by all those who wanted to find a shelter from the bombs of the German forces. In order not to disrupt education, the Government thought of finding areas, which could be used for schooling. On October 1940, the corridors in the ground level of the priory started to be used as a boys’ school. On 21st January 1941, as more bombs were being dropped and more people left Isla and Birgu, a request was made to welcome 300 male refugees instead of the children school. This request was also accepted. However, as the German air forces started attacking all of Malta, the refugees in St. Mark’s priory became aware of the danger they were in, if Rabat could have been attacked and gradually, all of them left. The priory was thus changed into a huge store which gathered the furniture of most of the refugees, who had lost their home. Till June 1942, the Augustinian priory in Rabat hadn’t yet suffered a lot of damage, as much as the one in Valletta, although it suffered minor damages, like breaking of glass and windows. On the feast day of the Sacred heart, on 12th June 1942, a tragedy took place. In a 9.45pm air raid, a powerful bomb was dropped; this struck and demolished the house opposite the large window of the refectory, in Main Street. The stones of the stricken house and some pieces of the bomb flew on the side of the refectory, which was badly damaged as was the level above it, where the students resided. Fortunately, the friars had finished eating a quarter of an hour earlier than usual and thus, had enough time to go down to shelter. However, on that day, one of the students, who was ill, died tragically since he didn’t have enough strength to go down for refuge.

After the war, the priory in Rabat continued to serve its ministry by forming all those youths who wished to embrace the Augustinian Order, as well as by giving pastoral service to those people who attend St. Mark’s Church. Nowadays, apart from giving a humanistic, spiritual and pastoral formation in this priory, the students also follow an academic or vocational study, according to the formation stage, in which they are. The community in this priory, made up of friars and students, is also open to welcome youths who wish to directly experience the Augustinian lifestyle, while helping them to discover what God wants from them.