Presentation of the landed property of the religious orders in Malta in 1600

Abstract

It has been claimed that by the nineteenth century, the Church in Malta held a third of all immovable property in Malta and Gozo. The wealth of archival sources, both locally and abroad, referring to such holdings, by way of property titles, data for tax purposes and the numerous testimonies in court disputes over such holdings, certainly makes such a claim credible. On this matter, the local Church, naturally, reflects the universal pattern. No sooner was the Church recognized by the State as a moral entity enjoying a standing in society, and therefore, an entity that could hold property while being accorded certain immunities safeguarding its enjoyment of the said property; privileges that a certain historiography traced back to Constantine the Great, did disputes over such property holdings arise. Indeed, the very relationship between Church and State can in a certain sense be read in the light of disputes over ecclesiastical property and its use. Throughout its bimillenial history, the Church has fiercely and rightfully defended its rights over such properties as a legitimate foundation for the free exercise of its mission. Unfortunately, such disputes often times also marked the relationship between different religious bodies and persons ad intra, each seeking to improve the financial substratum for the survival of both institutions and individual clerics enjoying income from a benefice. For the State, the secularization of ecclesiastical property, particularly those belonging to religious orders, was often seen as an easy cushion to fall upon to replenish its coffers in times of need. The history of ecclesiastical property can be read under many a lens, for it not only constitutes a marker of the Church's standing in society, but also a witness to the continual struggle between Church and State, as the Church defends the 'libertas ecclesiae' against the often overbearing demands of the State.