• PHILIPPINIANA SACR, Vol. XLVIII, No. 145 (September-December, 2013) pp. 485-504. Fr. Fidel Villarroel, O.P. and the History of the University of Santo Tomas: A Life Dedicated to Historical Writing Augusto V. de Viana As the foremost historian in the University of Santo Tomas, Fr. Fidel Villarroel is known for his works of great scholarly value. Fr. Villarroel wrote 23 major books on Church history and biographies which included men of the Church such as Fr. Miguel de Benavides, the founder and Bishop of Manila and saints and martyrs like St. Lorenzo Ruiz and St. Liem de la Paz. His work about these saints and martyrs formed the basis of their beatifcation and eventual canonization. Fr. Villarroel’s writings extended to stories about heroes like Marcelo H. del Pilar, Jose Rizal and Apolinario Mabini. Te common denominator about the personages that Fr. Villarroel wrote about was that at some point in time they were connected to the Dominicans and the University of Santo Tomas. Fr. Benavides was a Dominican; San Lorenzo was a resident of Binondo, then under Dominican supervision; St. Liem de la Paz, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Jose Rizal and Apolinario Mabini were students in the University of Santo Tomas. Fr. Villarroel’s treatment of the history of the Order in the Philippines and that of the University was that these were told within the context of Philippine history which gave added signifcance. While serving as the Archivist of the University Fr. Villarroel had access to important documents from which he based his work. It allowed him to give a more factual presentation of history and in many cases debunked the biases of the so-called nationalist historians while at the same time correcting historical information. As chief historian of the University, he was able to write its history on several occasions, the latest of whom was a two-volume work entitled A History of Santo Tomas: Four Centuries of Higher Education in the Philippines (1611-2011). It was a monumental work in which Fr. Villarroel made skillful use of the documents he had at his disposal. Te work told the story of the University from a humble school for men aspiring for the priesthood to a University at the end of the Second World War. It withstood upheavals, both natural and man-made including atempts for its suppression in the course of centuries. Fr. Villarroel has interwoven the story of with its narration with the events of the country’s history which made the history of the University of Santo Tomas a part of the history of the Philippines.