Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies
Encyclopedia
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
that is dedicated to advanced studies in the culture of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
It was founded in 1929 as the Institute of Mediaeval Studies at the St. Michael's College
University of St. Michael's College
The University of St. Michael's College is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1852 by the Congregation of St. Basil of Annonay, France. While mainly an undergraduate college for liberal arts and sciences, St. Michael's retains its Roman Catholic affiliation through its postgraduate...
of the University of Toronto. Étienne Gilson
Étienne Gilson
Étienne Gilson was a French Thomistic philosopher and historian of philosophy...
, then of the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, was instrumental in its foundation, along with Henry Carr and Edmund J. McCorkell of the Congregation of St. Basil
Congregation of St. Basil
The Basilian Fathers, also known as The Congregation of Saint Basil, is an international order of Catholic priests and students studying for the priesthood, who focus on education and ministering through oratories....
and St. Michael's College. In 1939 it was granted a pontifical charter by which it was given the power to grant the licenciate and doctorate degrees in medieval studies. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto
Roman Catholic Archbishops of Toronto
This is a list of the Roman Catholic Archbishops of Toronto.The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto was created out of the Diocese of Kingston December 17, 1841....
, currently Thomas Christopher Collins
Thomas Christopher Collins
Thomas Christopher Collins is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of Toronto, having previously served as Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta and Archbishop of Edmonton .-Early life and education:Collins was born in Guelph, Ontario, the son of the...
, acts as the chancellor of the institute. The Praeses (or president) of the Institute is Richard Alway
Richard Alway
Richard Martin Holden Alway, was the first lay President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St. Michael's College. He is currently Praeses of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto....
, who was formerly president of St. Michael's College.
In 1964 the University of Toronto established the Centre for Medieval Studies as part of the School of Graduate Studies, for students pursuing a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
or doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in medieval studies
Medieval studies
-Development:The term 'medieval studies' began to be adopted by academics in the opening decades of the twentieth century, initially in the titles of books like G. G. Coulton's Ten Medieval Studies , to emphasize a greater interdisciplinary approach to a historical subject...
. Teaching at these levels gradually passed from the Institute to the Centre. (The Centre officially uses the spelling "medieval" while PIMS uses "mediaeval".) As of 1998 the institute became an exclusively postdoctoral research centre, and it accepts students who have recently completed their doctoral studies and wish to conduct specialized research in medieval studies. The centre offers programs within the School of Graduate Studies at the university, and continues to have access to the PIMS building and library. Graduates of the institute are normally awarded the Licence in Mediaeval Studies (LMS).
Up until 1958 the institute had its own charter. From 1958 to 2005, PIMS was a division of St. Michael's College. The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies Act of 2005 gave the institute academic autonomy from the university. Under the act, PIMS is administered by a board of governors with its academic affairs vested in the Institute Council of the academic staff, consisting of fellows and associate fellows.
The institute has its own library with over 100,000 volumes, one of the largest collections of medieval documentation in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It also has an extensive publishing program that includes its annual journal of research on the Middle Ages, Mediaeval Studies, which began in 1939.
Professors associated with the institute include Leonard Boyle
Leonard Boyle
Father Leonard Eugene Boyle was an Irish and Canadian scholar in medieval studies and palaeography and was the first Irish and North American Prefect of the Vatican Library in Rome from 1984 to 1997....
, Virginia Brown, Osmund Lewry
Osmund Lewry
Patrick Osmund Lewry was a Dominican who made significant contributions to the history of logic and the philosophy of language in the thirteenth century. Lewry studied mathematical logic under Lejewski and A.N. Prior at Manchester . From 1962–7 he taught the philosophy of language and logic at...
, Jacques Maritain
Jacques Maritain
Jacques Maritain was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised as a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive St. Thomas Aquinas for modern times and is a prominent drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
, Armand Maurer, Joseph Owens
Joseph Owens (Redemptorist)
Reverend Joseph Owens, C.Ss.R. , was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and a scholar in medieval philosophy.-Life and career:...
, and J. Ambrose Raftis.