The Collegio Alberoni is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

seminary located on Via Emilia Parmense #77 in

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

, Italy. The complex also includes a prominent art gallery, Galleria Alberoni. Affiliated with the seminary are an seismic and astronomical observatory (founded 1870), a museum of natural sciences, a library, and the church of San Lazzaro. The art gallery was refurbished and modernized in the 1960s by the architect Vittorio Gandolfi. The gallery is open on Sundays from 15:30 to 18:00 during October to June. Among the masterworks are: an ''Ecce Homo'' by

Antonello da Messina Antonello da Messina, properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio, but also called Antonello degli Antoni and Anglicized as Anthony of Messina ( 1430February 1479), was an Italian painter from Messina, active during the Early Italian Renaissance. ...

, a diptych by

Jan Provost Jan Provoost, or Jean Provost, or Jan Provost (1462/65 – January 1529) was a Belgian painter born in Mons. Provost was a prolific master who left his early workshop in Valenciennes to run two workshops, one in Bruges, where he was made a burgh ...

, and paintings by

Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Ear ...

and

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...

) (in the Cardinal's apartment); as well as

Giovanni Paolo Panini Giovanni Paolo Panini or Pannini (17 June 1691 – 21 October 1765) was an Italian painter and architect who worked in Rome and is primarily known as one of the ''veduta, vedutisti'' ("view painters"). As a painter, Panini is best known for his vi ...

; Giovanni Battista Lenardi;

Cristoforo Serra Cristoforo Serra (1600–1689) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in Cesena. Born in Cesena, Serra is exceptional in that painting was not his full-time vocation, yet he was prolific. He was a militia captain in the Papal troops ...

; Domenico Maria Viani;

Sebastiano Conca Sebastiano Conca (8 January 1680 – 1 September 1764) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born at Gaeta, then part of the Kingdom of Naples, and apprenticed in Naples under Francesco Solimena. In 1706, along with his brother Giovanni, who ...

; Sebastiano Martinez; and Italian genre artists. Among the latter are works by Bartolomeo Arbotori (1594–1676); Antonio Gianlisi junior (1677–1727); Marc’Antonio Rizzi (1648–1723);

Ludovico Stern Ludovico Stern (October 5, 1709- December 25, 1777) was an Italian painter of the Rococo or late-Baroque period, active in Rome. He is known for both large sacred and history paintings, as well as still lives, and portraits. Biography Stern wa ...

(1709–1777), Eberhart Keilhau (1624–1687);

David de Coninck David de Coninck or David de Koninck, also known as Rammelaer (ca. 1644, Antwerp – after 1701, probably Brussels) was a Flemish painter who specialised in still lifes and landscapes with animals and hunting scenes. Recognised as a leading ani ...

(1643–1701);

Gaspard Dughet Gaspard Dughet (15 June 1615 – 25 May 1675), also known as Gaspard Poussin, was a French painter born in Rome. Life Dughet was born in Rome, the son of a French pastry-cook and his Italian wife. He has always generally been considered as a Fr ...

(1615–1675);

Micco Spadaro Domenico Gargiulo called Micco Spadaro ( – ) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Naples and known for his landscapes, genre scenes, and history paintings. Life Domenico Gargiulo was the son of a sword maker. Th ...

(1609/10-1675); and

Jacques Courtois Jacques Courtois or Giacomo Cortese, called il Borgognone or le Bourguignon (12 ?December 162114 November 1676) was a Franche-Comtois–Italian painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He was mainly active in Rome and Florence and became known as the ...

, also called il Borgognone (1621–1670). The collection displays 18 large tapestries, including two 16th century Flemish tapestries. Among them are works weaved by the studio of Michel Wauters of Antwerp circa 1670 based on sketches by

Giovanni Francesco Romanelli Giovanni Francesco Romanelli (Viterbo, 1610Baldinucci claims the date is May 14, 1617.– Viterbo, 1662) was a major Italian people, Italian painter of the Baroque period, celebrated for his use of bright, vivid colors and also for his clarity ...

and some from

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, circa 1650, perhaps Jan Leyniers, and apparently based on sketches by

Jacob Jordaens Jacob (Jacques) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer known for his history paintings, genre scenes and portraits. After Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he was the leading Fle ...

. The institution was endowed by the Cardinal

Giulio Alberoni Giulio Alberoni (30 May 1664 OS – 26 June NS 1752) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal and statesman in the service of Philip V of Spain. Early years He was born near Piacenza, probably at the village of Fiorenzuola d'Arda in the Du ...

; construction began in 1732, and the seminary opened in 1751. In 1746, during the War of Austrian Succession, the structures of the time were nearly razed. It was administered by the Padri della Missione. The mission of the seminary as set forth by Alberoni was to provide for the subsidized education of the clerics for the diocese of Piacenza. Among its objectives were an "education in divinity", "virtuous orientation' for which the alumni should demonstrated "docility, and a realistic capacity to work for the common good, respect for the property of the college, distance from secularism, and the capacity to disrobe the spirit of the word, and garner those of Christ"a -> an. Admission was by contest. Studies lasted 8 years and included humanistic disciplines such as philosophy and morals. The institution rapidly adapted to an enlightened education, including scientific methods.Piacenza Musei website
.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alberoni Art museums and galleries in Emilia-Romagna Museums in Emilia-Romagna 1751 establishments in Italy Libraries in Piacenza Schools in Emilia-Romagna