Catalogue of Cathedral archives

A catalogue of books, manuscripts and other items found at the Gozo Cathedral archives has been completed.

The Cathedral Chapter and the Cathedral Parish had decided to approach Dr Horatio C.R. Vella, a senior lecturer in classics at the University of Malta to undertake the task of compiling the catalogue.

Dr Vella not only dedicated his whole sabbatical leave of ten months to carry out the assignment, but also took great pains to have all items cleaned and brought to a good condition both for their future preservation for the benefit of prospective users.

Students and researchers will benefit from the catalogue which has been professionally compiled with a classification of items and also with the much needed translation of the Latin titles.

The catalogue will also undoubtedly serve as a much needed inventory of all items contained in the archives, thus minimising the risks of misplacing any items.

"While thanking Dr Vella for his excellent work, I would like to assure him that it is our duty to ensure that it is kept updated from time to time," the Cathedral archpriest, Mgr Dr Joe Vella Gauci told The Sunday Times. He said that the facility could be used by students and scholars seeking assistance with school history projects and degree theses.