350 Sena mit-Twaqqif tal-Knisja fir-Rabat Għawdex – a Melitensia must

OSA. Cachia’s book is another important publication of the Augustinian Order in Malta. Fr Cachia, who has a vast pastoral experience ranging from years spent in Algeria to 11 years spent in Sao Paolo in Brazil, has a keen interest in the writings of the bishop of Hippo as well as an innate love for the history of his Order in the Maltese islands with a special focus on Gozo. I believe it is quite right to say that after the demise of the late Fr Serafin Borg OSA of Xewkija, he has become the main historian of his own Augustinian Order. This latest publication by the Maltese Augustinian Province is being presented to the public at the right moment and it is safe to say that it has filled a gap in the ecclesiastical history of Gozo. Quoting Rev. Dr Joseph Bezzina, Cachia builds on the fact that the Augustinians had already settled in Gozo in 1435, more than a century before the Council of Trent was called and at a time when the Muslim pirates were a plague for the entire Mediterranean basin.

Santu Wistin. 350 Sena MitTwaqqif tal-Knisja fir-Rabat, Għawdex is a must for those who have Melitensia, or rather Gaulitana, to their heart. Literature on the subject before the publication of the book was scant. De Soldanis and presumably the late Canon Nicholas Vella Apap were the last two Gozitan writers to provide us with precious information about this oldest stillstanding monastery on Gozo. The book is entirely Fr Cachia’s work and we are indebted to him for delving so deep into the history of the historical building that dominates the square where once Gozo’s most ancient cemetery stood. The cemetery contained bones of knights and prelates who had accompanied the saintly King Louis IX of France on the seventh crusade and the following Crusade in Tunisia. Fr Cachia’s book is an attractive publication in itself; with glossy paper and hundreds of foot-notes as well as a rich bibliography, Cachia’s latest opus will be the standard work on its subject for decades of years to come. The book’s photos were taken by Gozitan photographer Anthony Grech who has also published a coffee-table publication containing beautiful photographs of Gozo and young artistic researcher Paul Cassar is also to be congratulated for encouraging Fr Cachia to further his research on the subject.

Fr Peter Paul Cachia’s latest publication can be bought from St Augustine’s Priory in Victoria or from main bookshops.