Province of St. Mark

Augustinian Presence in Victoria

Nobody knows exactly when the first Augustinian presence started in the island of Gozo. Some believe that the Augustinians came to the island of Gozo after the persecution by the Vandals in Africa in 439AD. However, it is more certain that the Augustinian friars, before establishing themselves in Victoria, were already administering a small church in Ramla, in the limits of Xaghra, dedicated to Our Lady Maria Gaudiorum (S. Maria septem Gaudiorum), today known as “Ta’ Gajdoru”. Nobody knows exactly when the friars left Ramla and built a priory in Victoria. According to a document in the National Library of Malta, in 1465, the nobleman Antonio de Naso made an offer to install a bell in St. Augustine’s Church in Victoria. This clearly shows that by that time, the church, named St. Augustine, was already in existence and so is definitely not the one in Ramla. Many previous Augustinian historians state that in 1453, the priory was already listed in the records book of the Order. Francesco Agius de Soldanis in his great achievement, Gozo Antico e Moderno (1746) states that in 19th October 1583, four barbarians landed in Gozo from Bizerta and stole clothes, money and books. This theft deprived the friars from having the necessary evidence, that is, the documents to show when the first Augustinian priory was built in Victoria. Thus, one can say that the first priory of St. Augustine in Victoria was founded before 1453. It is good to know that in 1533, the priory was enlarged, while the church was a given a new appearance.

By the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, in Italy many small priories of various religious orders emerged. The number of religious who administered them wasn't enough to keep up with the pastoral mission, which these churches demanded, without making the communitarian life and the religious observance suffer. This is the cause which forced Pope Innocence X in 15th October 1652, to publish the apostolic decree Instaurandae. On 9th October 1653, the priory and the church, including everything which was in them, were left in the Bishop’s hands, who handed them over to Fr. Gulju Cesare Caravaschino in order to execute all the duties connected with this church. The detachment of the priory and the church lasted just four months – from October 1653 till February 1654. Fortunately, the decree Instaurandae gave the faculty to the Roman Congregation to exempt any priory from being closed, if there was enough need. The priory of the Augustinians in Gozo was opened once again on the request of Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris Castellar. On 4th June 1662, a need was felt to rebuild the church as the existent one was threatening to fall, since it was old. The building of the church was completed four years later, in 1666. However, the Church was solemnly consecrated by Bishop Mons. Labini on 12th May 1782. On 4th February 1679, a decision was also taken to install a new bell tower due to the great damage which the previous one had.

In 1690, work on the enlargement of the priory was started and plans were adapted to those times. As the friars did not have enough money to build the whole priory instantly, they thought of building the most necessary rooms first, according to the amount of money in hand. The great earthquake which struck the Maltese Islands on 9th January 1693 made it the most urgent to build the new priory. The whole plan of the work was done after taking into account Fr. Provincial Prospero Fabiano's recommendation on 15th May 1695. This work, assigned to architect Ferdinandu Valletta, was wholly finished in 1717. The style is a monastic one, where the friars’ rooms overlook a central garden. However, due to wind and rain in winter and intense heat in summer, on 1st January 1724, the four corridors of the priory were closed with windows and glass. At the same time, some time earlier, the work in the choir of the church was started so that the friars could do their duties better. On 1st August 1721, the friars accepted the offer of Giacobo Filippo Gauci, to pay for the left hand side of the choir, while the community paid the rest of the expenses. The work was done on the design of Tomaso Pulis. It is important to say that the best work of art which exists in the church is the large painting which is today present in the choir. This painting is the work of Mattia Preti’s school, done in 1694, represents St. Augustine Novae Legis Solomon together with St. John the Baptist and blessed William of Aquitania. The image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, which is present in the middle of the High Altar was brought from Rome in 1765 and on the 9th October of the same year, it was brought over to our church from the Cathedral by means of a procession. On 14th August 1767, the nobleman Giuseppe Dandalone offered to build a High Altar, made of fine marble and put the small painting of Our Lady inside it; one can still appreciate its beauty today. From that day onwards, the High Altar became dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel.

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.

In 1885, the sacristy was enlarged. In preparation for the centenarian feasts of St. Augustine, in December 1929, the bell tower was rebuilt and in 1931, some modifications in the church took place. The two balconies on every side of the choir, which housed the organ, were closed and two large beautiful paintings, by Briffa, a painter from Kalkara, were hung instead. They represent two episodes of the Augustinian history – one is the baptism of St. Augustine by St. Ambrose and the other represents St. Augustine giving the Rule to many religious orders, who wanted to follow the Augustinian rule. The organ was transferred to a new balcony, which was built over the main door of the church, as one can still see today. The choir was reduced with the removal of a chair on each side. After all these modifications, the High Altar considered to be small; so it was necessary to be pulled down bit by bit and rebuilt.

On 31st July 1932, by means of a decree issued by St. Monica’s College in Rome, General Clement Fuhl OSA authorised the opening of the new novitiate in the priory at Gozo, as three months earlier, the idea of having the novitiate separated from the professed was established. For this reason, after some days, a new storey started to be built; this consisted of seven well-ventilated rooms, a large hall, and small chapel. Today, this priory has been transformed into a retreat house and welcomes many people, who go and spend some days there for reflection or as a live-in. In the course of time, this priory become furnished with the latest modern facilities and surrounded by a garden, which physically and spiritually relieves all those who go and spend some time there. Apart from that, the Augustinian friars are also still administering sacraments in this church and are continuing to serve their priestly ministry by spiritually helping those people who attend St. Augustine’s Church.