The Jesuits’ Church Foundation is organising its first international symposium, Shaping Minds and Souls: Jesuit Missions and the Mediterranean World, on Thursday, 29th May 2025, at the Oratory of the Immacolata at the former Jesuits’ Church in Valletta.
This full-day scholarly event brings together a distinguished array of academics from Malta, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Canada to explore the far-reaching impact of the Society of Jesus on the religious, cultural, and artistic life of Malta and the broader Mediterranean world from the 16th to the 19th century. This conference forms an integral part of the broader conservation programme of the Jesuits’ Church complex. Research presented at the symposium will inform future interpretative strategies, public engagement initiatives, and heritage education efforts. A peer-reviewed publication will follow.
The symposium is organised by the Jesuits’ Church Foundation in close collaboration with the Department of Church History, Patrology and Palaeo-Christian Archaeology (University of Malta) and the Università degli Studi di Palermo’s Dipartimento Culture e Società. This academic partnership has given rise to a landmark initiative that integrates rigorous historical research with the ongoing conservation and valorisation of the Jesuit heritage complex in Valletta. The event is supported by the Malta Tourism Authority –VisitMalta.
The programme will explore the Society of Jesus as a key agent of cultural and religious transformation across the early modern Mediterranean. Panels will examine the Jesuits’ far-reaching missionary networks, their role in fostering religious formation, promoting intercultural dialogue, and commissioning sacred art and architecture. Special attention will be given to Malta’s strategic position as a frontier post of the Catholic world and its role in mediating Jesuit encounters with Islam, Eastern Christianity, and beyond. This symposium forms part of a broader effort to reposition Hospitaller Malta within the wider context of Jesuit mission’s far-reaching historical and artistic legacy and to foster long-term academic collaborations.
Admission is free but places are limited. Registration is open here.
For queries, please contact Jesuits’ Church Foundation at [email protected]