Saviour Montebello (1762–1809) was a Maltese Doctor of Theology, a professor of philosophy at the University of Malta, and a Parish priest of Bormla. After Napoleon took over the Maltese islands in 1798, Montebello took an active part in the resistance of the Maltese against the French around his home-town at Żejtun. Afterwards, when the French Napoleonic forces had been ousted, and the British set up a provisional government in Malta, he was the first to be appointed to the Chair of Philosophy at the University of Malta. He held the office for almost four years, mainly teaching logic and metaphysics. He relinquished the Chair because he was appointed parish priest of Bormla, the last to hold the office under this title because subsequently the parish was promoted to a Collegiate led by Archpriests. He held the office of parish priest for only five years due to his premature death at the age of 46.
Life
Birth and formation
Saviour Montebello, son of Joseph (1730–1768) and Catherine née Caruana (1731–?), was born at Żejtun, Malta, on 9 June 1762. His parents had married at Żejtun parish church of St. Catherine of Alexandria on 26 September 1752. and Saviour was their fourth child out of six. He was baptised on the same day of his birth at Żejtun's parish church by the deputy parish priest, Joseph Saliba, and given the names Saviour, Francis Xavier and Anthony. His godparents were Joseph Buttigieg, son of Luke, and Rose, wife of Francis Bugeja, both from the Żejtun parish.
At the age of 19, in 1781, Montebello entered the bishop's seminary at Floriana to study for the priesthood. As was required at the time, his family donated him with a patrimony which could pay for his seminary expenses. This consisted of four properties: two partitions of grasslands around Tas-Silġ (limits of Żejtun), and two edifices at Żejtun's village centre. The patrimony was temporarily entrusted to the administration of Michael Pulis, the husband of Montebello's older sister, Mary.
Montebello was ordained a priest in 1787, six years after entering the seminary, most probably by the then Bishop of Malta, Carmelo Scicluna (bishop between 1875 and 1888). Thereafter, Montebello seems to have been stably assigned to pastoral work within and around the parish of Żejtun. Such work does not appear to have hindered him from studying for his Doctorate in Theology. This seems to have been done in Malta (and not abroad). In this case his studies would probably have been pursued, as was normally done, at the Collegium Melitense in Valletta. By 1797, that is ten years after his ordination, he had already acquired his S.T.D.
Family relations
Montebello was well connected through his family. His cousin, Giuseppe Montebello (1713–1833), from Tarxien, was the son of Montebello's uncle, Peter, and a well-heeled merchant. He was Capo di Casal Tarxien (Head of Tarxien), elected by the gentry there to represent them in all administrative matters. During the French presence in Malta (1798), he was chosen to be part of the committee administering one of the twelve municipalities created by Napoleon, that which included Tarxien, Żejtun, Żabbar and Għaxaq. Only three months later, however, Montebello was very much involved in the organised resistance of the Maltese against the French between 1798 and 1800. As head of the local provisional government at Tarxien, he was appointed capo battaglione (battalion leader) with operational responsibilities around that locality. Together with others, he contributed financially to the two-year war effort, and also donated (on 24 December 1798) a considerable part of his wealth to procure wheat and other supplies from Sicily to ease the food shortage that ensued from the revolt. When the British provisionally took over the government of the Maltese islands instead of the French Republican Commission, Giuseppe was elected by the gentry at Tarxien (18 February 1799) to be head of their locality, and thus part of the National Congress created by the representative of the British provisional government, Alexander Ball. Later, Giuseppe was appointed Logotenente di Governo (Government Lieutenant) of Tarxien. Afterwards, when the British officially became lords of the land, and partitioned the Maltese islands into six districts, Giuseppe was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the district comprising Tarxien, Paola, Żejtun, Żabbar, Gudja and Luqa (28 June 1815). Giuseppe's house at Tarxien, built by government funds as recompense for his share in the revolt, still stands unto this day, and is a tourist attraction.