Fr Hermann Duncan
The Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome is a renowned place where many Maltese and Gozitans have studied or are studying.
It was on the 18th February 1551, that Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits started a school of grammar and Christian doctrine in a building on today's Piazza d'Aracoeli. With the financial backing of Saint Francis Borgia, the school offered tuition free of charge to students. Soon it was transformed into the Roman College. Seven months later, to cater for the huge influx of students, the college moved to a larger facility located close to the Church of San Stefano del Cacco.
In January 1556, the college was raised to the rank of University by Pope Paul IV, whereby it was authorized to grant academic degrees in theology and philosophy. During the next twenty years, the university changed its location twice due to the increased number of students who had now reached around 1000.
With the increased number of faculties and students, Pope Gregory XIII wished for a more appropriate facility. Architect Bartolomeo Ammannati was commissioned to design a new building for the institute in what became known as the Piazza Collegio Romano. It was inaugurated in 1584. Pope Gregory XIII became known as its "founder and father" for his sponsorship of the Roman College, and soon it became known as the "Gregorian University".
Following the opening at the new site, the university was soon catering for more than 2000 students. It attained great prestige in the fields of physics, mathematics and astronomy. Renowned people such as the Jesuit mathematician, physicist and inventor Athanasius Kircher began to teach here and even the Jesuit Christopher Clavius, the developer of the "Gregorian calendar", that was established by Gregory XIII in October 1582.
Between 1626 and 1650 the university chapel became too small for the vast amount of students, that it was rebuilt as the Church of Saint Ignatius. It became one of the major Baroque churches of the area.
Following the suppression of the Jesuits, in 1773, the university was handed over to the diocesan clergy of Rome. It was not until half a century later, after the refoundation of the Jesuit order, that it was given back to them by Pope Leo XII in 1824.
Tragically, in 1870, the new Italian government forced the university to move, confiscating their property. Moving to Palazzo GabrielliBorromeo, Pope Pius IX allowed the use of the title "Pontifical University".
The university was dramatically affected. The lack of space forced the university to drop all disciplines except theology and philosophy. The number of students fell dramatically and in 1875, there were no more than 250 pupils.
Nonetheless, the university was gradually able to rebuild itself. In 1876, the University of Rome La Sapienza transferred the Faculty of Canon Law to the Gregorian, and slowly the university began to resume the teaching of many disciplines.
Following the First World War, Pope Benedict XV and his successor, worked to create a new site for the university. Benedict XV managed to acquire an area, adjacent to another school under the Jesuits, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, which had been founded in 1909. On 27th December 1924 Pope Pius XI laid the foundation stone of the new seat of the university. They commissioned architect Giulio Barluzzi to design the Neoclassical style building which was completed by 1930.
After moving, the university continued to expand its number of faculties and disciplines as well as its premises. In 1928, the Gregorian Consortium was created under Pope Pius XI. This comprised three member institutes, the Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute (founded in 1917).
In 1955 the Pontifical Institute, Regina Mundi, opened and was dedicated to the theological formation of women. However it closed its doors in 2005.
Today, the Gregorian University is situated on Piazza della Pilotta, and has about 3,600 students most of whom are priests, seminarians, and members of religious orders.
To mention but a few of the university’s faculties, today there is the faculty of philosophy, theology, canon law, cultural patrimony of the Church, missiology and social sciences. It also has institutes of spirituality and psychology. Other programmes include Jewish studies and Ignatian spirituality. The use of Latin as the principal language of lectures was discontinued, in the late 1960s.
Even though most professors are Jesuits, in recent years, there has been an increase of priests, religious and laity who are the professors. Nowadays 30% of the students are made up of lay men and women.
Being a pontifical university, the Holy See accredits its curriculum, and its degrees. Licentiates in philosophy and theology are awarded by some Jesuit universities throughout the world, entitling graduates to teach in major seminaries.
The university boasts a grand library of more than 880,000 volumes, housed in a six-floor tower adjacent to the Palazzo Centrale, and in the six reading rooms, which can accommodate 400 students. The library's reserve contains many ancient and precious books as well as many rare editions, including 80 books dating back to the 16th century.
It is worth noting that among the university’s graduates, the university can boast of 24 saints, 16 popes, and 50 members who have been beatified.
Fr. Hermann Duncan is a Carmelite Friar at the Caremlite Priory in Balluta.