Although Messina can boast a long academic and
cultural tradition closely tied to the existence of a renowned
law school in the late thirteenth century and of a school of
Greek classical studies in the fifteenth century, the
Studiorum Universitas was officially founded by Pope Paul
III in November 1548.
Normal University activity was,
however, crippled by a conflict which had meanwhile arisen with
the Jesuits, who were being denied control of the institution as
well as with the nearby Catania, which claimed a monopoly over
university study on the island. So not until 1596 did it
become fully operational as a university. It was the beginning
of a brief but intense period of academic activity which ended
in 1678, when the University closed down following the
anti-Spanish revolt. Over these years the University, which
seemed to be integrally linked to the city and constituted its
most exalted political-cultural representative, reached the
height of its prestige with such scholars as Giovanni Alfonso
Borelli, Pietro Castelli, Giovan Battista Cortesi, Carlo
Fracassati, Giacomo Gallo, Mario Giurba, Marcello Malpighi,
Francesco Maurolico. After a long period of silence, during
which higher studies were in the hands of the local Accademia
Carolina, the University was refounded in 1838 by king
Ferdinand II.
In 1847, following the anti-Bourbon uprising,
the University again closed down, and reopened two years later,
limiting enrolment to students from the province of Messina and
excluding those from Calabria and other Sicilian provinces - a
very serious measure considering the varied origins of previous
University students. In 1862 the University was demoted
to a second-class institution and thanks only to a convention
fostered by the Province, the local administration and the
Chamber of Commerce and Arts, was it officially recognized as a
1st class institution. The students, the majority of whom were
from nearby Calabria, were not very numerous and in the years
between 1890 and 1908 average enrolment went from
650 to 700. Distinguished scholars such as Pietro Bonfante,
Leonardo Coviello, Vittorio Martinetti, Vittorio Emanuele
Orlando, Giovanni Pascoli, Gaetano Salvemini, lectured at
the University even if, as an authoritative and impartial
observer noted, many of them "feel the need to leave this
University at the earliest opportunity, since all serious and
profitable scientific endeavour is made very difficult" by the
lack of funds and equipment. The earthquake of 1908
acutely aggravated the situation. 14 out of 49 professors died,
while most of the libraries and scientific equipment were
destroyed.
This seemed to some like a good opportunity to
eliminate the University since it was considered to be useless
and not economically viable and to establish in its place
vocational or commercial schools of higher education. It was a
lively debate and lasted until after October 1909, when
the Faculty of Law was reopened.
Recovery was rapid and when the rector,
Giovanni Maria Rizzo, inaugurated the academic year
1911-12, he was able to state with "legitimate pride and
satisfaction" that, notwithstanding the precariousness of the
facilities, courses were being held regularly and 219 students
had enrolled - 190 in Law and 29 in Letters. In
1914-15 the first two years of degree courses in the
Faculties of Science, Pharmacy and Medicine reopened
amidst much controversy. In 1919-20, thanks to the
intervention of the local authorities, who ruled on the
establishment of a consortium for the management of the Civic
Hospital to provide temporary teaching facilities, even
Medicine was able to offer full degree courses. In this year
the University of Messina, with its 1221 students, 508 of whom
were from the provincial capital and province and 713 of whom
were from other Sicilian provinces and Calabria, demonstrated
that it had recovered its vitality and reestablished itself as
the only University serving the area surrounding the Strait of
Messina. It was up to the rector Rizzo, in 1922, to avoid
the merging of the universities of Messina and Catania proposed
by the Fascist regime. By now the University’s reputation was
consolidated and it was on its way to playing a significant part
in the cultural events of the country, which later made it
possible to successfully overcome the difficulties of post-war
reconstruction under the rectorships of Gaetano Martino
and Salvatore Pugliatti.
