Gonzi, Michele, 1885-1984

Original Digital object not accessible

Identity area

Type of entity

Person

Authorized form of name

Gonzi, Michele, 1885-1984

Parallel form(s) of name

    Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

    • Gonzi, Mikiel, 1885-1984 [VIAF]

    Other form(s) of name

    • Gonzi, Sir Michael, 1885-1984
    • Mons Michael Gonzi
    • Archbishop Michael Gonzi

    Identifiers for corporate bodies

    Description area

    Dates of existence

    13/05/1885 - 22/01/1984

    History

    Mons Michael Gonzi was the Archbishop of Malta from 1944 until 1976. He has also been Bishop of Gozo and an elected Labour Senator in the Malta Legislative Assembly. Gonzi is known for his intervention in politics, having also interdicted the Labour Party, demanding people not to vote for them. He was born in Vittoriosa to Giuseppe Gonzi and Margherita Tonna. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1908, elected as a Labour Senator in 1921 and chosen as the Bishop of Gozo in 1924. Gonzi was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1946, knighted for his services during the Second World War. In 1949, Pope Pius XII made him Assistant at the Pontifical Throne and created him a Papal Count. In the same year, Gonzi was awarded an honorary LLD degree by the University of Malta and was appointed Bailiff Grand Cross of the Sovereign Miliary Order of Malta. In 1963, Gonzi became member of the Order of the Cross of St Raimond de Penafort and in 1965, Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

    Michael Gonzi was born on May 13, 1885, to Ġużeppi Gonzi, a Dockyard foreman, and his wife Margerita Tonna, and baptised at Vittoriosa parish church. The Gonzi family moved to Kalkara when Michael was five. He died on January 22, 1984, and was buried in Mdina Cathedral, after a funeral Mass at St John’s.

    Places

    Vittoriosa, Malta; University of Malta; Victoria, Gozo

    Legal status

    Functions, occupations and activities

    clergy; knight; commander; bishop; politician

    Mandates/sources of authority

    Internal structures/genealogy

    Gonzi, Michele (father); Gonzi nee Tonna, Margerita (mother); Gonzi, Lorenzo (brother)

    General context

    Relationships area

    Access points area

    Subject access points

    Place access points

    Occupations

    Control area

    Authority record identifier

    MT AF-P000005

    Institution identifier

    Rules and/or conventions used

    Status

    Level of detail

    Dates of creation, revision and deletion

    Date of creation: 22/03/2024.
    Date of revisions: 18/07/2024; 01/10/2024

    Language(s)

      Script(s)

        Sources

        Photograph reference: MT NAM PHO-00001143
        Wikipedia contributors. (2023, September 3). Mikiel Gonzi. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:12, March 22, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mikiel_Gonzi&oldid=1173661740
        Grech, L. (2018, July 1). 'Strong leader, controversial pastor.' Times of Malta. https://timesofmalta.com/article/strong-leader-controversial-pastor.683271
        "Gonzi, Mikiel, 1885-1984." Virtual International Authority File. Retrieved October 01, 2024. http://viaf.org/viaf/30146635592441981836

        Maintenance notes

        Creator of Authority Record: Danica Abela.
        Revised by: Zvetlana Pace Cassar