Some of the hidden histories of the Dominican order in Malta are set to see new light with the opening of a new Blackfriars Museum in Valletta.

Occupying parts of the Dominican Priory and the Church of Porto Salvo in Valletta, the new museum, run in collaboration with the friars by Hidden Valletta, will exhibit new artefacts and stories from compelling figures throughout the order’s history in Malta.

The first parish to be established in Valletta after its founding, the priory has cultivated a rich history that is intertwined with that of the country.

One such story is that of an Ottoman prince who was captured by the knights as a boy and was given to Dominicans in Valletta who went on to raise him.  The prince converted to Catholicism and later became a gifted and scholarly friar himself.

But while the ties to his royal bloodline lay dormant, they never expired, and when the Catholic Church sought to increase its influence in the East, he was called upon to play a role that could have seen him wield far greater influence on history.

His is one of the stories that can be uncovered through the museum’s exhibits.

The exhibition space will also delve into the histories and charitable acts of the Fraternities of the Rosary and the Blessed Sacrament, both of whose chapels have been lovingly restored as part of the church’s long refurbishment project.

The Fraternity of the Rosary had a history of doing charitable work among the families of prisoners who were sentenced to capital punishment and were left destitute by the loss of their providers.

Often made up of influential people, the fraternity took to concealing their faces in hoods so that the public would not know who was behind the charitable acts. However, their history indicates that there were even instances where the person who had handed down the death sentence had then gone on to provide aid to the family of the prisoner.

The museum also shares some of the compelling history of the Fraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, particularly its commitment to delivering communion while the plague was devastating large swathes of Malta.

Hidden Valletta director Albert Dimech told Times of Malta that part of the museum’s goal is to preserve and share this knowledge that tends to slip from collective memory as time passes.

“Our connection to this knowledge as time passes is getting more tepid. But once you start immersing yourself in the details, you discover how little you knew about it, and it exposes the gaps in your knowledge,” he said.

“Our goal is to bring people closer, be they local or tourists, to that which is hidden and continue to create consciousness for the many different elements of what makes us Maltese.”

While parts of this historic building have been commercialised, the utmost respect and care has been taken to maintain its role as a place of worship- Hidden Valletta director Andre Imbroll

Fellow director Andre Imbroll said that while parts of this historic building have been commercialised, the utmost respect and care has been taken to maintain its role as a place of worship.

“The reality of today is that to make these properties sustainable, specifically in Valletta, there needs to be a certain amount of commerce to be able to be kept at this level,” he said.

“Here at the Church of Porto Salvo, a lot of work was undertaken, and a lot of money was spent on an extraordinary restoration and obviously this needs to be maintained at a certain level.”

“So, for this to happen the place is being opened as a museum to the public, with a huge respect towards the religious functions and its history, its significance and the religion that made it what it is today, and we remain focused on this kind of activity.”