Dom Mauro Inguanez (1887 – 1955): A wise Benedictine        Dom Mauro Inguanez was a Benedictine monk who made a good name not only to Senglea the city where he was born but also to Malta and to his Order. In 1920 he was one of the main factors which paved the way for the crowning of the statue of Marija Bambina and the elevation of the Collegiate of Senglea to the title of Basilica.

        Dom Mauro Inguanez was born in Senglea on the 21st September 1887. His baptismal name was Frangisk and in 1906 he joined the Benedictine monks in their monastery at Montecassino. In 1911 he was ordained as priest in the church of this abbey. By 1912 he had obtained Bachelorship in Theology at the Faculty of St Anselmo in Roma and he was appointed as an archivist and librarian of Montecassino. During this period he started published a long series of books and he had contacts with lots of important people who also held him in very high regards.

     Inguanez was instrumental in the granting of the title of Basilica in fact just after the recourse made by the Chapter of Senglea he used the contacts he had with his friend Cardinal Vico who was responsible of these affairs. The documents which elevated the church of Senglea to Basilica were issued on the 3rd January 1921.

     During the later part of his life he was the Librarian of the Royal Malta Library. Dom Mauro died on the 17th October 1955.

INDEX