The ''Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum'', or simply ''Collegium Germanicum'', is a German-speaking

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

for Catholic priests in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, founded in 1552. Since 1580 its full name has been ''Pontificium Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum de Urb''e. It is located on the Via di San Nicola da Tolentino.

History

It was apparent to the Roman Curia that the advance of the Reformation in the Holy Roman Empire would not be addressed by a reform of the clergy in the empire itself. The ''Collegium Germanicum'' was established on 31 August 1552 by Pope Julius III with the

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

''Dum sollicita''. The initiative towards its foundation was taken by Cardinal Giovanni Morone and Ignatius Loyola. Pope Julius III approved of the idea and promised his aid, but for a long time the college had to struggle against financial difficulties. Ignatius formally opened it on 28 October and the direction of the college was given to the order he founded 12 years earlier - the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

("Jesuits"). After the '' Almo Collegio Capranica'', this is the oldest college in Rome. It opened in October 1552. The administration was confided to a committee of six Cardinal Protectors, who decided that the collegians should wear a red

cassock The cassock, or soutane, is a Christian clerical clothing, clerical coat used by the clergy and Consecrated life, male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in ...

, in consequence of which they have since been popularly known as the "boiled shrimps".Baglioni, Pina. "THE GERMAN-HUNGARIAN COLLEGE", ''30Giorni'', January 2, 2009
/ref> During the first year the higher courses were given in the college itself; but in the autumn of 1553 St. Ignatius succeeded in establishing the schools of

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

in the ''Collegio Romano'' of his Society. He also drew up the first rules for the college, which served as models for similar institutions. During the pontificate of

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV (; ; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559), born Gian Pietro Carafa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death, in August 1559. While serving as papal nuncio in Spain, he developed ...

the financial conditions became such that the students had to be distributed among the various colleges of the Society in Italy. To place the institution on a firmer basis it was decided to admit paying boarders regardless their nationality, and without the obligation of embracing the ecclesiastical state; German clerics to the number of 20 or more were received free and formed a separate body. In a short time 200 boarding students, all belonging to the flower of European nobility, were received.

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V, OP (; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (and from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 January 1566 to his death, in May 1572. He was an ...

placed 20 of his nephews in the college.

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...

, however, may be considered the real founder of the college. He transferred the secular department to the '' Seminario Romano'', and in 1573 endowed the college with the Abbey of '' S. Saba all' Aventino'' and all its possessions, both on the '' Via Portuense'' and on Lake Bracciano; moreover he incorporated with it the Abbeys of '' Fonte Avellana in the Marches'', ''S. Cristina'', and Lodiveccio in

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

. This allowed the practice of free education to be maintained. The new rector P. Lauretano, drew up another set of regulations. The college had already changed its location five times. In 1574

assigned it the ''Palazzi di S. Apollinare'' (the current seats of the Domus Internationalis Paulus VI and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross), and in 1575 gave it charge of the services in the adjoining church. The splendour and majesty of the functions as well as the music executed by the students under the Spaniard

Tomás Luis de Victoria Tomás Luis de Victoria (sometimes Italianised as ''da Vittoria''; ) was the most famous Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Orlande de Lassus as among the principal composers of the late Re ...

, and his successor

Annibale Stabile Annibale Stabile (c.1535 – April 1595) was an Italian composer of the Renaissance. He was a member of the Roman School of composition, and probably was a pupil of Palestrina. He was active mainly at Rome but moved briefly to Kraków, Poland ...

and other celebrated masters ( Annibale Orgas, Lorenzo Ratti, Giacomo Carissimi, Ottavio Pittoni, and others) constantly drew large crowds to the church. Too much attention indeed was given to music under P. Lauretano, so that regulations had to be made at various times to prevent the academic work of the students from suffering. The courses were still given in the Collegio Romano; but when Bellarmine terminated his lectures on controversy, a chair for this important branch of learning was established in the Collegio Germanico and somewhat later a chair of canon law. As a special mark of his favour, Gregory XIII ordered that each year on the

Feast of All Saints All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether they are know ...

a student of the college should deliver a panegyric in presence of the pope. Meanwhile, in 1578 the ''Collegio Ungherese'' had been founded through the efforts of another Jesuit, Stephan Szántó, who obtained for it the church and convent of S. Stefano Rotondo on the Caelian Hill, and of '' S. Stefanino'' behind St. Peter's Basilica, the former belonging to the Hungarian Pauline monks, and the latter to the Hungarian pilgrims'

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

. In 1580

merged it with the Collegium Hungaricum (''"Hungarian College"''), founded in 1578, since when it has been called the Pontificium Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum de Urbe, or the Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum for short. The students generally numbered about 100, sometimes, however, there were but 54, at other times as many as 150. During the seventeenth century several changes occurred, in particular the new form of oath exacted from all the students of foreign colleges. Mention must be made of the work of P. Galeno, the business manager who succeeded in consolidating the finances of the college so as to raise the revenue to 25,000 scudi per annum. A country residence was acquired at

Parioli Parioli () is the 2nd of Rome, identified by the initials Q. II. The toponym is also used to indicate the urbanistic area 2B of the . The name comes from Monti Parioli, a series of tufa hills, and was given to the area before its incorporatio ...

. In the eighteenth century the college became gradually more aristocratic.

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...

performed the ceremony of laying the cornerstone of the new church of S. Apollinare in 1742, on the completion of which a new Palace of S. Apollinare was erected. At the suppression of the Society (1773) the direction was entrusted to secular priests; lectures were delivered in the college itself, and the professors were

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

. Discipline and studies declined rapidly. Moreover, Emperor Joseph II sequestrated the property situated in Lombardy and forbade his subjects to attend the college. The buildings, however, were increased by the addition of the palace opposite to S. Agostino. After Emperor Joseph II in 1781 forbade all students of his realm to study in Rome, and the city was shortly afterwards occupied by French troops, the college was obliged to close in 1798. It was reopened under

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

in 1818, and reorganised by

Pope Leo XII Pope Leo XII (; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death in February 1829. ...

, who strengthened its connection to the Jesuits and gave it the form which it still has today. On the proclamation of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

the property of the foreign national colleges was declared

escheat Escheat () is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied t ...

ed to the Government and was sold for an absurdly small sum. On that occasion the library and the precious archives of sacred music were scattered. Pius VII restored whatever remained unsold and ordered the rest to be repurchased as far as possible. In the first years the revenues were employed to pay off the debts contracted in this repurchase. In 1824 the palace of S. Apollinare as well as the villa at Parioli was reunited to the Seminario Romano. The first students were received in 1818 and lived in the

professed house In the Society of Jesus, a professed house was a residence where—in a spirit of radical poverty—no member had a stable income. The Jesuit priests who lived there, all of whom have made the profession of the four vows, undertake their spiritua ...

of the Jesuits at the Gesu, and there the college remained till 1851. From that time the administration was entrusted to the general of the Jesuits, who appointed the rector and other fathers in charge of the college. In 1845 the estate of S. Pastore near Zagarolo was acquired. In 1851 the residence was transferred to the Palazzo Borromeo in the ''Via del Seminario'' where it remained till 1886. In 1873 when the ''Collegio Romano'' was taken away from the Jesuits, the ''Collegio Germanico'' found a home in the Gregorian University. In 1886 owing to the necessity of having more extensive quarters, the ''Collegio Germanico'' was transferred to the Hotel Costanzi in the ''Via S. Nicola da Tolentino''. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the members of the college had to move to share the premises of the ''

Collegium Canisianum The Collegium Canisianum or simply Canisianum in Innsbruck, Austria, is an international school of theology for priests of the Catholic Church run by the Jesuits. History The Canisianum is one of many Jesuit seminaries worldwide named after Saint ...

'' in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

from 1915 to 1919.

Present day

The Hotel Costanzi was torn down in 1939 to make way for road construction. The present college was built in 1944. The leadership of the Germanicum and Hungaricum collegiums is entrusted to the Jesuit order, with the rector and three other priests belonging to the Jesuit community. Two Croatian nuns are also part of the household.Pontificium Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum
/ref> The college receives students from Scandinavia, from the old German Empire and from the old Hungarian kingdom; places are free, but there are some students who pay. They study at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

(for bachelors’ degrees) and at various pontifical universities in Rome for their licentiate and doctorate. The “official” language of the College is German and all of them study Italian, to be able to follow the courses conducted in Italian. After receiving their bachelor’s degree, they return to their diocese for to a "pastoral year". It is customary for college community to make the pilgrimage to the Seven Churches on a Sunday in Lent.

Teaching

At its foundation the defence against the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, improvement of theological training and the education of priests loyal to Rome were the principal aims. "From the territories, endangered in faith, of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation" were to be trained "fearless warriors for the faith" (quotations from the founding bull). After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 it was possible to restore the original internationalism of the college.

Saints and Blesseds

The college commemorates some saints and blessed who have a special relationship with the college or were alumni. * Rodolfo Acquaviva, missionary *

Peter Canisius Peter Canisius (; 8 May 1521 – 21 December 1597) was a Dutch Jesuit priest known for his strong support for the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland and the British Isles. The ...

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the S ...

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

* Marko Krizin *

Primus and Felician Saints Primus and Felician (Felicianus) () were brothers who suffered martyrdom about the year 304 during the Diocletian persecution. The ''Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' gives under June 9 the names of ''Primus and Felician'' who were buried at the ...

* Theodore Romzha, bishop and martyr * Aloysius Stepinac, cardinal *

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

Known students

* Béla H. Bánáthy * Barkóczy Ferenc (érsek) bishop of Eger * Hieronymus von Colloredo, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg * Friedrich Dörr, German priest, professor and hymnwriter * Marcin Dunin * Jean-Baptiste Fallize, first Vicar Apostolic of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

* Alexander Frison * John Gibbons * Gerhard Gruber *

Joseph Höffner Joseph Höffner (24 December 1906 – 16 October 1987) was a German Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Archbishop of Cologne from 1969 to 1987 and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969. Biography ...

* Hugo Hurter * Benedict Kishdy, bishop of Eger * György Klimó, later bishop of Pécs,

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

* József Koller, canon in

Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...

Kurt Krenn Kurt Krenn (28 June 1936 – 25 January 2014) was an Austrian Roman Catholic prelate and Bishop of Sankt Pölten, near Vienna, from 1991 to 2004. Childhood and youth Kurt Krenn was born in Rannariedl, in the municipality of Neustift im Mühlk ...

* St. Marko Krizin * Hans Küng * Karl Lehmann, cardinal * Heinrich Maier, important Austrian resistance fighter against National Socialism * Johann Maier, executed by Nazis * Johann Michael Raich *

Karl-August von Reisach Karl-Auguste Graf von Reisach (7 July 1800, in Roth (district), Roth, Bavaria22 December 1869, in the Redemptorist monastery of Les Contamines-Montjoie, Contamine, France) was a Roman Catholic German theologian, Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal a ...

* Blessed Theodore Romzha, Bishop of Mukachevo, Martyred by

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

and

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

. * Franz-Josef Overbeck, bishop of Essen, Germany * Andreas Steinhuber, cardinal * Franjo Šeper, Cardinal and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith * Bela Tonković * Friedrich Wetter, cardinal *

, Spanish composer

References

Sources

* Dachsberger, Johann and Leiber, Robert, 1934. ''Kollegien'' in ''Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche'', 1st edition. vol. 6. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder. * Schmidt, Peter, 1984. ''Das Collegium Germanicum in Rom und die Germaniker. Zur Funktion e. röm. Ausländerseminars (1552 - 1914)''. Tübingen: Niemeyer. * Leitgöb, Martin, 2004. ''Vom Seelenhirten zum Wegführer. Sondierungen zum bischöflichen Selbstverständnis im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert. Die Germanikerbischöfe 1837-1962''. Rome: Herder. * Maurizio Tani: ''La rinascita culturale del '700 ungherese: le arti figurative nella grande committenza ecclesiastica'', Gregorian University Press / Biblical BookShop, Rom 2005, *

External links

*
Official website
*
Brief description at www.kath.de
*
Peter Walter: Die Gründungen des Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum: Etappen der Kollegsgeschichte
:''This article is a translation of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia'' {{Authority control Germanicum Educational institutions established in the 1550s 1552 establishments in the Papal States