The Pontifical University of St. Bonaventure or Pontifical Theological Faculty of Saint Bonaventure ( it, Pontificia facoltà teologica San Bonaventura, la, Pontificia Facultas Theologica S. Bonaventurae), commonly called the Seraphicum, is the international study center of the

Friars Minor Conventual The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...

in Rome. As a Pontifical faculty, the Seraphicum is governed by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

according to the Apostolic Constitution ''Sapientia christiana.

History

The College of Saint Bonaventure was founded in Rome in 1587, by the Franciscan

Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

, in order to provide for the advanced study of theology by members of the Conventual branch of the Franciscan Order. Originally located within the General Curia of the Order, the college was attached to the Basilica of the Holy Apostles. The college became an international graduate school of theology in 1894, when it was moved to ''Via San Teodoro'', in the

Velabrum The Velabrum () is the low valley in the city of Rome that connects the Forum with the Forum Boarium, and the Capitoline Hill with the western slope of the Palatine Hill. The name Velabrum may translate to "place of mud." It was believed that befor ...

valley at the foot of the

Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." ...

, within the

Rione A (; plural: ) is a neighbourhood in several Italian cities. A is a territorial subdivision. The larger administrative subdivisions in Rome are the , with the being used only in the historic centre. The word derives from the Latin , the 14 su ...

of Ripa. The college was moved again in 1964 to its current location on the ''Via del Serafico'', just off the

Via Laurentina The Via Laurentina is the name born by an ancient and a modern road of Italy, both leading southwards from Rome. The ancient road The question of the nomenclature of the group of roads between the Via Ardeatina and the Via Ostiensis is somewhat ...

and near the popular

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

of . In 1986 it was visited by Pope John Paul II. In the same year (December 1986) the new, current statutes of Seraphicum were approved. Among the well-known professors and students of Seraphicum there were:

St Maximilian Kolbe Maximilian Maria Kolbe (born Raymund Kolbe; pl, Maksymilian Maria Kolbe; 1894–1941) was a Polish Catholic priest and Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a man named Franciszek Gajowniczek in the German death camp ...

, author, professor and missionary; fr. Leone Veuthey, servant of God and great theologian. On March 1, 2007, the Theological Faculty of the Seraphicum organized and hosted a national conference on the dialogue between

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and the Roman Catholic Church, an event that revamped the relationships within the two religious communions. Facolta Seraphicum Roma fc23

Divisions

The university is composed of two separate facilities.

Friary

The Friary of Saint Bonaventure refers to the community of Conventual Franciscan friars who teach in the Theological Faculty of Saint Bonaventure or some other Pontifical institute in the city. It also houses friars who serve the Roman Catholic Church at the Vatican and the various offices of the Church around the city.

School of Theology

The Theological Faculty educates those friars of the Order who are sent to Rome from provinces throughout the world in order to complete the canonical course of philosophical and theological studies, usually in preparation for Holy Orders.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1587 establishments in Europe Pontifical universities Catholic universities and colleges in Italy Educational institutions established in the 1580s Order of Friars Minor Conventual Franciscan universities and colleges