The Collegium Sapientiae (Sapience College; College of Wisdom; ''Sapienzkolleg''; ''Sapienz''; ''Sapienz-Collegium'') was a preparatory academy and later

theological seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

in the early modern period. The ''Collegium Sapientiae'' was founded by Elector Frederick II in 1555 on the location of the former

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

Cloister in Heidelberg. Frederick received papal permission to redirect ecclesiastical revenues for the support of this preparatory academy for up to 60 poor students under the oversight of the arts faculty of the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. Under Elector Otto Henry, the foundation became an explicitly

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

institution. The Reformed Elector Frederick III, the Pious, transformed the school from a preparatory arts academy into a Reformed

in 1561. With this transformation, administration of the Collegium passed from the university to the church council. Under the leadership of

Zacharias Ursinus Zacharias Ursinus (18 July 15346 May 1583) was a sixteenth-century German Reformed theologian and Protestant reformer, born Zacharias Baer in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland). He became the leading theologian of the Reformed Protestant movement ...

, the Collegium became a leading center of Reformed theological education in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

and enrollments increased. Under Elector Ludwig IV, the institution returned to Lutheranism in 1577, and Reformed students left the school ''en masse''. The institution took on a Reformed character again during and after the regency of

Count Palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

Johann Casimir John Casimir, Count Palatine of Simmern (German: ''Johann Casimir von Pfalz-Simmern'') (7 March 1543 – Brockhaus Geschichte Second Edition) was a German prince and a younger son of Frederick III, Elector Palatine. A firm Calvinist, he was a lea ...

from 1584, and there was a concomitant exodus of Lutheran students. Outstanding faculty in this period included

David Pareus David Pareus (30 December 1548 – 15 June 1622) was a German Reformed Protestant theologian and reformer. Life He was born at Frankenstein in Schlesien on 30 December 1548. At some point, he hellenized his original surname, ''Wängler'' (mean ...

, Heinrich Alting, and

Bartholomäus Keckermann Bartholomäus Keckermann (c. 1572 – 25 August (or July) 1609) was a German writer, Calvinist theologian and philosopher. He is known for his ''Analytic Method''. As a writer on rhetoric, he is compared to Gerhard Johann Vossius, and consider ...

. The school closed with the military occupation of the

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...

in the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

in the 1620s. After the restoration of the Palatine Wittelbachs in the aftermath of the war, Elector Karl Ludwig empowered the leading Swiss Scholar

Johann Heinrich Hottinger Johann Heinrich Hottinger (10 March 1620 – 5 June 1667) was a Swiss philologist and theologian. Life and works Hottinger studied at Geneva, Groningen and Leiden. After visiting France and England he was appointed professor of church history ...

to reopen the Collegium in 1656. The institution again suffered hardship as its structures were destroyed with much of the rest of Heidelberg in the Palatine Succession War in 1693. The school reopened in 1707 and continued in a more humble fashion until its final dissolution in 1805.Eike Wolgast, "Das Collegium Sapientiae in Heidelberg im 16. Jahrhundert," in ''Zeitschrift für die Geschichte des Oberrheins'' 147 (1999): 315-18

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Link no longer functional {{DEFAULTSORT:Collegium Sapientiae Educational institutions established in the 1500s Defunct universities and colleges in Germany Electoral Palatinate 1555 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire

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