Ecclesiastical Colleges

ECCLESIASTICAL COLLEGES. - Institutions located in Rome and established by the Roman pontiffs, where young men from various nations, aspiring to the priesthood, are sent by their bishops to attend courses in philosophy and theology under the authority and protection of the Holy See itself, and then return to their homelands to strengthen, together with the Catholic religion, union with the Papacy.

I. NORTH AMERICAN, PONTIFICAL

Founded by Pius IX and formally opened on 8 Dec. 1859, it is a seminary for students from the United States of America preparing for the priesthood. It can accommodate 150 students and was declared a Pontifical college by Leo XIII on 25 Oct. 1884.

Students attend the Gregorian University. Around a thousand former students of the seminary are currently living, mostly in the United States, among them the four American cardinals, Dougherty, Mooney, Stritch, and Spellman. Closed since June 1940, it was renovated and reopened on 14 Sept. 1948. On 26 July 1948, the current Pontiff had transferred the ownership rights of the section of the college located in Palazzo Orsini on Via dell'Umiltà from the Congregation of Propaganda to the American bishops. Martine G. O'Connor

At its inception, the Pontifical College Beda was housed in the venerable English College at via Monserrato 45, in Rome; but for approximately 35 years, it has had its own premises at via S. Nicola da Tolentino 67. The college has space for 54 students. The constitutions issued by the Sacred Congregation of Studies include a special abbreviated course for those who cannot attend other universities. Among those who have graduated from the Pontifical College Beda and have distinguished it with their names are: Archbishop David Mathew, writer and apostolic legate in Africa; Fr. Vernon Johnson, a well-known preacher; and Monsignor George L. Smith, who had once been a promising figure in the U.S. legal profession. Carlo Duchemin

IV. BELGIAN, PONTIFICAL

In 1843, the rector of the national church of San Giuliano dei Belgi, Monsignor Aerts, conceived the idea of founding in Rome an ecclesiastical college for young men selected from the seminaries of the six dioceses of Belgium. The idea was welcomed by the bishops and encouraged by the Apostolic Nuncio in Brussels, Monsignor Gioacchino Pecci (later Leo XIII).

In 1846, the convent of SS. Gioacchino ed Anna, belonging to the Spanish Trinitarians, was purchased on Via del Quirinale, and in the same year, Monsignor Aerts, as the first rector, presented the first students to Pope Gregory XVI. Among its former students are: Monsignor Kerkhofs, Bishop of Liège; Monsignor Charne, Bishop of Namur; Monsignor Delanotte; Monsignor Himmer, Bishop of Tournai. In March 1949, the rector Monsignor de Fürstenberg was appointed Apostolic Delegate to Japan. Giuseppe De Vroede

V. CANADÀ, PONTIFICIO

In 1886, Cardinal Howard, protector of the Sulpicians, entrusted Monsignor Colin, superior of the seminary of Montréal, with the task of founding the Canadian College, desired by the bishops of Canada, on Via Quattro Fontane. Cardinal Howard himself blessed the first stone on February 24, 1887. On November 11, 1888, the first 12 students entered. Since then, the college has welcomed and formed over 700 priests in the spirit of the Roman Church, of whom 40 have become bishops, and the majority have distinguished themselves in their respective dioceses, both in teaching and in pastoral care. The college was granted the title of pontifical on May 6, 1932. Currently, 45 priests, belonging to 15 different dioceses, attend the courses of the various Roman universities. Paolo Emilio Léger

VI. CAPRANICENSE, ALMO

It took its name from Cardinal Domenico Capranica, who founded it at Christmas in 1456, assigning all his goods as an endowment through a legal act on 5 January 1457. Having died shortly thereafter (August 1458), his brother Angelo took care of the new foundation, which began its activity in the following years. Although traces of some earlier foundations exist, the Sapientia Firmana, or Collegium Capranicense as it was later called, is the first of its kind established in Rome. The founder himself dictated its constitutions, wishing it to be open to poor students, of Roman birth (reserving places for young men from Fermo, his diocese), aspiring to the ecclesiastical state, so that they could study theology and canon law at the Roman University. He assigned them his palace at Santa Maria in Aquiro and his library, rich with two thousand volumes, and entrusted its legal guardianship to the three guardians and custodians of the archconfraternity of the Saviour at the Sancta Sanctorum of the Lateran and to the conservators of the City. They had the duty to oversee administration and discipline and the right to approve the appointment of the rector, who was elected annually by the students themselves. The latter had to be between 15 and 35 years old, already prepared for study, live in the college, wear clerical dress, receive sacred Orders within three years, and obtain a doctorate within the seven years of residence granted to them. In the 16th century, they numbered 31. The college, through various events and changes to its regulations, lasted until 1798, when it was closed under the Roman Republic. It was reopened in 1807 by Pius VII, who reserved the appointment of the rector to the Pope. The students attend the Gregorian University and provide liturgical service in the Liberian Basilica; in addition to those established by the foundation, boarders from all nations may be hosted there. Among its alumni were Benedict XV and, for a brief period, Pius XII, as well as numerous prelates and cardinals.

In the adjoining building, monks from Ethiopia settled, JONA (v.) was renowned, and pilgrims from those lands were welcomed. By 1731, the structure, which had gradually become almost empty over time, was also assigned to the Copts. The lack of inhabitants continued until 1816. That year, the Ethiopian monk Giorgio Galabadda was appointed rector of the college. However, upon his death in 1845, the Discalced Trinitarians took possession of the building and remained there until 1919. Fr. Camillo Beccari (v.), S.J., petitioned Benedict XV to dedicate the house to the education of the Ethiopian secular clergy, which was first done provisionally in 1919 and then permanently when Pius XI had a new palace built in the Vatican Gardens in place of the demolished ancient hospice. With the constitution Curis ac laboribus of February 12, 1930, he established it as a pontifical college subject to his vicar general for the Vatican and entrusted it to the Capuchins of the Eritrean mission. The students attend the College of Propaganda.

In 1574, Gregory XIII donated to the college the palace and church of S. Apollinare, which served as its residence for nearly 200 years, and subsequently, especially through the efforts of St. Peter Canisius, granted it other rich endowments. In 1580, it was united with the Ungarico College (with the church of S. Stefano Rotondo). The selection of students in their countries of origin was overseen by nuncios; for a long time, preference was given to nobles in order to bring the Chapters, almost entirely overrun by heresy, back to the Catholic Church through their influence. After the suppression of the Society of Jesus, the college was also closed in 1798, but later reopened near the Gesù house in 1818. During the First World War, it moved to Innsbruck. The current seat, at Via S. Nicola da Tolentino 13, is a large modern building (1940-44); the church, still under construction based on the design of architect B. M. Apolloni Ghetti, will be dedicated to St. Peter Canisius.

Among its alumni, numbering approximately 7,000 to date, were Pope Gregory XV, 29 cardinals, 57 archbishops, 330 bishops, and other ecclesiastical figures of great importance (e.g., Cardinal Hergenröther, J. M. Scheeben, Carl Sonnenschein, Archbishop Steinach); 50 alumni died as martyrs for the faith, among whom two were beatified (Marcus Crisinus and Roberto Johnson); the red color of the cassock (with a black cincture) also symbolizes this spirit of martyrdom. Currently, the community, which suffered severe losses due to the war, numbers 80 students (full capacity approximately 120). The direction is entrusted to the fathers of the Society of Jesus. Generally, students study philosophy and theology for seven years at the Gregorian University.

From 1602, the Jesuits no longer administered the college, to which the protector, Cardinal Benedetto Giustiniani, called as collaborators a Somaschan and some Dominicans. In 1621, at the request of the leading Greeks residing in Rome, Gregory XV re-entrusted the governance of the college to the Jesuits, who maintained it until the suppression of their Order (1773). During this period, illustrious men were educated at the college, such as Allacci, Arcudio, and Comnenos Papadopolis. Urban VIII issued definitive rules in 1624, which remained in force for nearly 300 years. From 1773, the college passed under the direct dependence of Propaganda. However, in 1803, it was closed due to financial constraints and reopened only in 1835 for ten students. The settlement with Austria regarding the assets of the former Armenian-Ruthenian College of Lviv somewhat improved the finances of the Greek college. It was reopened in 1845 with eight students, almost all Ruthenians. In the administration of the college, secular clergy were succeeded for a time by the Resurrectionists from 1886, and again by the Jesuits from 1890. When Leo XIII, in 1896, established a separate college for the Ruthenians, to be entrusted to the Society of Jesus, he called the Benedictines to the Greek College, who took possession of it in 1897. Today, it is under the care of the Belgian Benedictine Congregation. The most recent revision of the new rules dates to 1923. The students, among whom Albanians and Melkites are also counted, attend the schools of the Angelicum.

Despite some internal discord between Welsh and English students, as well as between supporters and opponents of Jesuit direction, the college prospered, its reputation spread, and it had the glory of giving the Church 41 martyrs, among whom were the blessed Ralph Sherwin (1581), the blessed Henry Walpole, the blessed Robert Southwell (1595), the blessed John Wall, and the blessed David Lewis (1679).

From 1579 onward, it was under the direction of the Jesuits, among whom Fathers Agazzari and Vitelleschi are to be remembered. From 1598, the rectors were always English, including Father Robert Persons (1595–1610). Among its guests were several Protestants, such as Milton (1638) and John Evelyn. In 1685, the college was rebuilt, and the church was restored by its protector, Cardinal Howard, who added the chapel of the sodality. In 1773, following the suppression of the Jesuits, the college was placed under the direction of Italian secular priests. When Napoleon’s troops invaded Rome in 1798 and sacked the building, ruining the church, there were only 10 students.

In 1818, the college reopened with 10 students, including the future Cardinal Wiseman, under the rectorship of Dr. Gradwell, an English secular priest. All his successors were English secular priests, among whom were the aforementioned Cardinal Wiseman (1828–40), Hinsley (1917–30), and the Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain, Monsignor G. Godfrey (1930–39).

From its inception until 1773, the students attended the Collegio Romano; from that year until 1793, they had their own school. From 1819 to 1824, they returned to the Collegio Romano, which in that year was restored to the Jesuits; subsequently, until 1859, they attended the Apollinare. From that date to the present, they have been students of the Collegio Romano and the Gregorian University. Their greatest academic triumph was marked by Cardinal Wiseman in 1824. The college’s tradition is to combine a just sense of patriotism with fidelity to the Holy See, and its aim for its students is to emulate their glorious martyrs, being true Englishmen and integral Catholics. The conversion of England remains the object of their particular desire. The new church was built between 1866 and 1888.

After the death of Cardinal Ludovisi, the governance of the Irish college passed to the Society of Jesus, which maintained it until 1772. From that year until 1798, its rector was Abbot Luigi Cuccagni. From 1639 until 1798, the year in which the Irish college was suppressed by the Napoleonic invaders, the residence was on via degli Ibenesi. When it was reestablished in 1826, it occupied the buildings near S. Lucia dei Giunasi, from which it was transferred in 1858 to S. Agata in Suburra. In 1926, it settled in its current residence, near the church of SS. Quattro. Since 1826, the superiors have been chosen from the diocesan clergy of Ireland. The students attend the schools of the Ateneo Lateranense. Among the notable alumni are: Plunket (v.), beatified in 1920; Abbot Columba Marmion, O. S. B.; Cardinal Patrizio Francesco Moran, the first cardinal to be created in Australia and author of several historical works. Dionisio Mac Daid

XII. LITHUANIAN «S. CASIMIRO». — The Lithuanian College, whose establishment was decided on 11 October 1945 by the bishops of Lithuania in exile, under the presidency of Metropolitan Giuseppe Skvireckas, archbishop of Kaunas, opened on 1 November 1946 with 38 students in the building at via Casalmonferrato n° 20, donated by A. Briska, parish priest of the archdiocese of Chicago. Pius XII canonically erected it on 1 May 1948 under the protection of St. Casimir. The students attend the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Ateneo Lateranense. Ladislao Tulaba

XIII. PONTIFICAL MARONITE

Gregory XIII founded in 1581 a hospice to accommodate pilgrims from Lebanon, located in the present-day Via dei Maroniti in the Trevi district. Later, on July 11, 1584, that hospice, by virtue of the bull Humana sic ferunt, became a college for seminarians and was entrusted by the protector Cardinal Caraffa to the Jesuits, who administered it until their suppression in 1773. It subsequently suffered dire conditions and financial hardships that kept its doors closed for decades.

The old building was then purchased in 1866 by the Polish College. Finally, Leo XIII, responding to the requests and financial collaboration of the Maronite episcopate, re-established the ancient foundation in the new location at Via Porta Pinciana 18. The same rules as those of the College of Propaganda were adopted. Benedict XV confirmed the established custom that the Rector should belong to the Roman secular clergy. However, Pius XI, at the request of the Maronite episcopate, re-entrusted the college to the Society of Jesus. From the eve of the Second World War until now (1949), the college has remained closed. The students attended the schools of the Pontifical Gregorian University (v. MARONITI).

Ignazio Ortiz de Urbina

XIV. NEPOMUCENE, PONTIFICAL

This college, initially called Bohemian because it was limited to the four dioceses of the Kingdom of Bohemia, owes its existence to the munificence of Leo XIII, who, supported by the then Bishop of Budejovice, Francesco of the princes of Schönborn (later Archbishop of Prague), established in 1884

a first nucleus of students at the Institute of the Anima, and later at the Lombard College at S. Carlo al Corso.

However, in 1890 the Pontiff donated a seat in Via Sistina; endowed the college with sufficient financial means, erected it as a pontifical college with the apostolic letter Vicarium of 1 January 1890, stipulating that it should accommodate up to 30 students from the four dioceses of Bohemia: Prague, Hradec Králové, Budejovice, Litoměřice, of both Czech and German nationalities, and that they should continue to attend the Athenaeum of Propaganda Fide. The statutes, inspired by those of the College of Propaganda Fide and adapted to the particular needs of the new college, were approved by Cardinal Rampolla, Secretary of State, on 15 May 1893. The first rector was Monsignor Lorenzelli, later nuncio to Paris and cardinal, who served for over 20 years, assisted as vice-rector by Monsignor Francesco Zapletal, later titular bishop of Salona and auxiliary to the Archbishop of Prague. After 1893, Monsignor Hais, Bishop of Hradec Králové, donated a villa in Trevi in Umbria to the college for summer vacations. In May 1915, due to the First World War, the students left Rome, continuing their studies at the theological faculty of Charles University in Prague. In 1919, with the establishment of the new Czechoslovak Republic, which included, in addition to Bohemia, also Moravia and Slovakia, the college was extended to all 12 dioceses of the Republic itself. As the seat became too small, Pope Pius XI in 1927 donated the land for the construction of the new seat in Via Concordia. From the academic year 1928-29, the students attend the Lateran Athenaeum. The new statutes were approved with the apostolic letter Ubi primum on 23 April 1930, and from then on the college took the name Nepomucene, in honour of the martyr St. John Nepomucene. In 1931, Pius XI donated the Villa Maria, near the sanctuary of the Madonna di Montenero (Livorno). Due to the detachment of the Sudetenland from the Czechoslovak Republic, annexed to Germany on 28 September 1938, the students of German nationality from the Sudetenland were transferred to the German College by order of Pope Pius XI on 26 October 1938. During the great war of 1939-45, the college remained open, but from 1941 Czech students could no longer return to their homeland, nor could new students come to Rome. The following November, the college resumed its life, as 31 new students arrived from the reborn Republic: now all dioceses are represented according to the importance of the dioceses themselves. Among the former students are many bishops, and in particular the late Cardinal Carlo Kaspar, Archbishop of Prague. Currently, the students number 42: 25 of Czech nationality and 17 of Slovak nationality. Ferdinando Roveda

XV. DUTCH PIO XI, PONTIFICAL

Founded on 26 October 1930 and constructed by its first rector, Monsignor Bernardo Eras, it accommodates only young Dutch priests who come to Rome to further their ecclesiastical studies. Since 1931, it has welcomed 55 students attending the Angelicum, the Gregoriana, the institutes of Utriusque Iuris, Biblical, Oriental, Sacred Music, and Christian Archaeology. One former student is a bishop, three are university professors, and many teach in Dutch major seminaries.

It also serves as a cultural-religious center for the Dutch community in Rome. Giuseppe Damen

XVI. PONTIFICAL PIO BRASILIANO

Located in Rome on Via Aurelia, it was inaugurated on 3 April 1934 for the religious and scientific formation of young Brazilian clerics, who since the 19th century had been educated at the Pontifical Pio Latino Americano College. However, with the increase in dioceses in Brazil and the growth in their numbers, and given that their language differed from that of other Latin American nations, Pope Pius XI decided to separate the Brazilian collegians, gathering them in a separate college.

Thus, the bishops of Brazil, led by Mons. B. Aloisi Masella, then Apostolic Nuncio in Brazil (now cardinal), and by Cardinal Sebastiano da Silva Leme, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, founded the new college, whose first stone was laid on 27 October 1924. Its direction was entrusted to the Jesuits, and the students attend the academic courses of the Gregorian University.

XVII. PONTIFICAL PIO LATIN AMERICAN COLLEGE

Founded in 1858 at the initiative of Monsignor Ignacio Eyzaguirre, a Chilean, blessed by Pius IX, who wished it to be named Pio after his own name and entrusted to the Society of Jesus, it began its life at Sant'Andrea della Valle, later moving to the Minerva and then to Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, until its current seat on Via G. Belli was constructed in 1877, thanks to the tireless efforts of Father Santinelli.

Pius IX donated a suburban villa (Maffei) to the college for weekly vacations. In 1925, a summer residence was built at Montenero near Livorno. The title of pontifical was granted by Pius X. Over 2,000 students, hailing from the Republics of Latin America, have received their education at this college, attending courses at the Gregorian University and affiliated institutes, earning academic degrees, and distinguishing themselves in their homelands, while many of them ascended to the highest ranks of the ecclesiastical hierarchy: 6 cardinals and approximately 200 archbishops and bishops. Many others have excelled as writers, preachers, organizers of Catholic Action, spiritual directors, and founders and professors in public universities: around 100 embraced religious life. The good that Latin America has derived from this providential institution is immense and continues to grow ever wider.

XVIII. PIO ROMANO, PONTIFICAL

At the request of the Romanian episcopate, Pius XI founded the Pontifical Romanian College on the slopes of the Janiculum on 12 May 1930. It is entrusted to the secular clergy. The students attend the courses of the College of Propaganda.

XIX. POLISH, PONTIFICAL

Established in Rome to enable the Polish clergy to pursue ecclesiastical studies at the heart of Catholicism and thus contribute to strengthening the Catholic spirit in Poland, which was gravely threatened.

This idea, suggested by Bogdano Jański to the first Resurrectionist Fathers in Paris, was proposed by Montalembert to Pope Pius IX in 1850 at their request and was accepted; however, due to various difficulties, it could only be realized in 1868, with funds collected among Poles at home and abroad. The Pope appointed Fr. Semenenko as the first rector, took the college under his special protection, and conferred upon it the title of pontifical. It had various locations. Since 1936, it has been situated in Piazza Remuria. In 1947-48, it was restored and expanded with substantial aid from American Poles. In 1938, at the request of the Polish episcopate and by decision of the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries, the direction of the college passed from the Resurrectionists to the secular clergy, and on 11 February 1949, it came under the direction of the Jesuits. Among its former students are 3 cardinals, 18 bishops, and many professors of ecclesiastical sciences in seminaries and universities in Poland. The students attend courses at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Wladimiro Konopka

XX. PORTUGUESE, PONTIFICAL

Founded by Leo XIII on 20 October 1900. It admits priest-students and clerics, selected from among the best of the dioceses of Portugal, both from the mainland and overseas. Its seat is at via Banco di S. Spirito n. 12, and it can accommodate 45 students. Currently, it has 31, among whom are 5 Indians (Goa) and 2 Angolans (Portuguese West Africa).

Students attend the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. The alumni formed in Rome are generally appointed to teach ecclesiastical sciences in their respective dioceses and also work in the various organizations of Catholic Action. Among the former students of the Portuguese College are one cardinal and 12 bishops.

Gioacchino Carreira
XXI. RUSSIAN OF ST. THÉRÈSE OF THE CHILD JESUS, PONTIFICAL. — Founded by Pius XI near the church of Sant'Antonio Abate on the Esquiline in 1929, it was entrusted to the Jesuits. The students, destined for apostolate among the Russians, attend the schools of the Pontifical Gregorian University.
XXII. PONTIFICAL RUTHENIAN COLLEGE OF ST. JOSAPHAT. — Leo XIII founded it on 18 December 1897 with the letter Paternum benevolentiam as a college specifically for the Ruthenians or Ukrainians, who until then had been guests for centuries at the Greek College.

The new building, arranged near the church of SS. Sergius and Bacchus, welcomed its first students, initially directed by the Jesuits, until the latter were replaced by the Basilians in 1904. Given the increasing number of students, Pius XI in 1930 had a new palace dedicated to St. Josaphat built on the Janiculum, the current seat of the college. The students attend the classrooms of the College of Propaganda.

BIBL.:
Ortiz de Urbina, Il Collegio Ruteno di S. Giosafat, in Orientalia Christiana Periodica, 1935.

Ignazio Ortiz de Urbina

XXIII. OF PRIESTS FOR ITALIAN EMIGRATION

Founded on March 13, 1914, and opened on January 6, 1920, to assist Italian emigrants; its seat is located in Via della Scrofa, in the premises of the former Pio Seminary, founded by Pius IX. XXIV. OF S. GIROLAMO DEGLI ILLIRICI. — Established by Pope Leo XIII on 1 August 1901 with the brief Slavorum gentem. This Pontiff, suppressing the homonymous hospice and Chapter, founded the ecclesiastical college for the higher education of the Croatian clergy under the name Collegium Hieronymianum pro Croatica gente, later changed on 7 March 1902 to Collegium Hieronymianum Illyricorum.

The purpose of the college is advanced studies in subjects related to theological studies, such as philosophy, biblical sciences, Oriental studies, canon law, ecclesiastical history, Christian archaeology, archival science, missiology, sacred music, sacred art, etc.

For political reasons, the aforementioned college was not opened under Leo XIII but under the pontificate of Pius X in 1911, and was again closed in 1915 due to the First World War. Reopened in 1924, it operates according to the aims assigned by its founder. By 1948, it had educated 102 students, including 2 bishops, 11 university professors, 29 secondary school teachers, 17 in diocesan central offices, and others in pastoral care.

The college's property, which consisted of six houses in the vicinity of the Augustan Mausoleum, was recently (1937-39) transformed into a single building, its current seat (piazza Augusto Imperatore and via Tomacelli). The previous seat was in via di Ripetta.

Admission to the college is open to Croatian priests from 17 dioceses, of which 16 belong to the F.N.R. Yugoslavia, namely: 11 to the Republic of Croatia, 3 to the National Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2 to the National Republic of Montenegro, and the other is the diocese of Trieste.

Giorgio Magirec

XXV. OF S. MARIA DEL LAGO: V. CHICAGO.
XXVI. OF S. PIETRO APOSTOLO. — In order to provide the indigenous clergy of the missions with the opportunity to perfect their ecclesiastical studies, Propaganda established on 18 January 1947 on the Janiculum the college of S. Pietro Apostolo, intended as the completion of the Urban College of Propaganda Fide. The direction of the college is entrusted to the priests of the Society of the Divine Word. Its students attend the various Roman universities.

Initially, the college occupied a house located opposite Santa Maria di Costantinopoli on Via del Tritone, but in 1604, the Pope donated a house on Via Quattro Fontane to the college, on the site of the present building. The church of Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi, which serves as the college chapel, was built in 1645. Nine years later, the college acquired a country house and a vineyard in Marino.

Like the medieval colleges, the Scottish one was not intended solely for priestly education. However, in 1616, due to the scarcity of missionaries for Scotland, Pope Paul V—who, as a cardinal, had been the protector of the Scottish College—decided that henceforth it should exclusively provide for the formation of priests for the Scottish mission. After its foundation, the college was governed by the papal datary. In 1615, it was placed under the direction of the Society of Jesus. Until 1671, the office of rector was held by Scottish Jesuits. Thereafter, many rectors were Italian Jesuits or secular priests, until 1800, when Paul Macpherson became rector. From then on, all rectors have been Scottish secular priests. Since its foundation, the college has sent a steady stream of priests to Scotland, except for two periods when it remained closed: from 1798 to 1820 due to the French invasion, and from 1940 to 1946 because of the war. Currently, the college has 40 students attending the Gregorian University, the Biblical Institute, and the Pontifical School of Sacred Music.

XXVIII. SPANISH, PONTIFICAL

The Pontifical Spanish College of St. Joseph was founded on 1 April 1892 by the Servant of God, Don Manuel Domingo y Sol. It was confirmed by Pope Leo XIII with his letter ad Episcopus Hispaniae of 25 October 1893 and received the title of pontifical on 16 December 1904 from Pope Pius X.
Its permanent seat is the Palazzo Altemps, on Via S. Apollinare, granted in perpetuity by Leo XIII. The number of students soon reached one hundred, which remains the usual number today.

A great glory of the college is its 105 victims of the Spanish Revolution of 1936-39; the two cardinals, one patriarch, two archbishops, and 26 bishops. The majority of the students attend the schools of the Pontifical Gregorian University, but there are also students at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Oriental Institute, and those of Sacred Music, Christian Archaeology, the Lateran Athenaeum, etc.
XXIX. TEUTONICO, IN S. MARIA DELL'ANIMA. — It was founded by apostolic brief on 10 March 1859 for the formation of priests needed for the diocesan curias of Austria and Germany (study of canon law, activity in the Sacred Congregations, etc.).

It can accommodate 30 priests, who attend courses at the various pontifical universities. One of the priests, under the direction of the rector, is tasked with the religious and moral assistance of German-speaking Catholics in Rome and its surroundings. Among the college's former students are Cardinals Faulhaber, Bertram, Hartmann, Nagl, Missia, bishops, and professors (Grabmann, Haberl, Commer, Schell, Schmidlin).

XXX. TEUTONICO, IN S. MARIA IN CAMPO SANTO. — Founded by Pius IX on 21 November 1876 with the brief Pietatis monumenta, for priests originating from the territories of the former Holy Roman Empire of the German nation.

Under the wise direction of its first rector, Antonio De Waal, it soon experienced a fortunate expansion, interrupted only during the First World War. Fostering primarily the study of sacred archaeology and ecclesiastical history, its members largely pursued academic careers, becoming renowned professors and scholars, among them A. H. L. Hensen, J. Wilpert, J. P. Kirsch, A. Gauchie, J. Schlecht, J. Schnitzer, S. Merkle, R. Stapper, J. Sickenberger, G. Pfeilschifter, F. Wieland, E. Göller, M. Besson, J. Sauer, J. Schmidlin, N. Hilling, J. Wittig, F. J. Dölger, E. Krebs, F. X. Seppelt, P. Styger, Th. Klauser, H. Jedin. Its premises host the Roman Institute of the Görres Society, with which it collaborates on the scientific edition of the acts of the Council of Trent. It possesses a rich library specialized in the aforementioned theological disciplines, as well as a museum of Christian antiquities (v. CAMPO SANTO TEUTONICO, MUSEO DEL, MUSEO del), inscriptions, sarcophagi, architectural fragments, collections of lamps, sacred furnishings, and pontifical seals. In 1887, Antonio De Waal founded the journal Römische Quartalschrift (v.). On Saturdays, it holds its "sabbatine," evening lectures of a scientific nature.

Ermanno Maria Stöckle

XXXI. URBANO DI PROPAGANDA FIDE

Canonically established by Pope Urban VIII with the bull Immortalis Dei Filius of 1 August 1627. Its initiator and founder was Giovanni Batt. Vives (b. in Valencia in 1542, d. in Rome in 1632), who benefited from the encouragement and counsel of St. Giovanni Leonardi, founder of the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God, and of Father Michele Ghisleri, a Theatine. After overcoming many difficulties, in 1625 he succeeded in obtaining possession of the palace of the late Cardinal Ferratini, located in Piazza Trinità dei Monti (today Piazza di Spagna), which, by notarial act of 1 June 1626, he donated, along with other assets, to Urban VIII, so that it might receive students « ex omni gente et natione, to be sent by the Supreme Pontiff throughout the whole world to defend and propagate the Catholic faith ». The papal bull of erection placed the new college under the Holy See, entrusted it to the supervision of three canons from the three patriarchal basilicas of Rome, and endowed it with its own schools, with the faculty to confer degrees in philosophy and theology.

Cardinal Antonio Barberini, brother of Urban VIII, appointed prefect of Propaganda in 1632, purchased the houses and gardens adjacent to the palace and had a new building constructed on that site, which was annexed to the college. He also founded new scholarships and placed the college under the jurisdiction of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda, which in 1633 had moved into the same Palazzo Ferratini, and entrusted its direction to the Theatines (1641). In 1646, direction was entrusted to secular priests; it then passed, toward the end of the 17th century, to the Fathers of the Mission, who held it for a short time (1711), before being resumed by the secular clergy almost uninterruptedly until 1836, when it was given to the Jesuits (1836–48), and then returned into the hands of the secular clergy until the present day.

The French Revolution declared it closed in 1798, forcing the students to repatriate and imprisoning about ten who had not obeyed the order to return to their countries in Castel Sant’Angelo. From 1803 to 1809, the college had a provisional seat in the house of the Fathers of the Mission at Montecitorio. In 1809, Napoleon suppressed II. It was definitively reopened in 1817.

In 1925, the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda acquired a vast expanse of land on the Janiculum, where it had the new seat of the college constructed, inaugurated and blessed personally by Pope Pius XI on 24 April 1931. Young men from the most distant regions, representing the five parts of the world and the various rites of the Catholic religion, of the most diverse colors and languages, are prepared here to become « heralds of the Great King ». From its origins to around 1949, approximately 7,000 students had passed through its halls.