"La Sapienza" University
History of "La Sapienza"
The University of Rome "La Sapienza" was created for a precise objective. On the 20th of April 1303, Bonifacio VIII initiated the the Stamp of Institutes in Roma of a general "Studium" or University, in which appeared studies "in quarumlibet scientiae facultatum" geared toward the studious of all nations. The Studium was tied to the most antique Studium Curiae or the School Palatina, founded in 1218 by Onario III to transmit teachings and knowledge in the discipline of ecclesiastic interests. The first century of life of the Studium was not easy in a city abbandoned by Ponticefs who had transferred to Avignone.
It was the reform of Eugenio IV which succeeded to guarantee Papal stability and protection on the 10th of October 1431 with the Stamp "In Supremae" the Pontiff united the Rector and Chancellor, co-dividing four amministrators chosen by the Senate "exduodecim civibus romanis", and collected funds with the increase of 3 monies which came from a tax on wine imported by various wineries adjacent to San Eustachio, in the heart of Rome in places where two centuries later the edifice of "La Sapienza" rose.
In the four centuries which followed, phases of refounding and decadence alternated. During all of 1500 the construction of the building of La Sapienze followed. It was innaugarated in 1659 by Alessandro VII together with the adjoining church, the Church of Saint Ivo, one of the most beautiful works of art of Francesco Borromini. But at the end of the century the Roman University found itself in serious difficulty. Taken by the government, at the time under the Holy Seat, La Sapienza began to decline.
It took reforms of 700' to give strong impulse to many European universities. Benedetto XIV took the reigns of the Sapienza again in October of 1748 under the condition placed by Leone X which was that the professors couldn't take on other jobs that might interfere with their absolute committment to teaching. He also ordered that the Rector visit the the schools at least once a week and fill the scholastic calendar with the days and hours of the lessons that were to be held, divide the number of teaching chairs, including those of medicine as well as philosophy, and activate new disciplines such as chemistry, math, and experimental physics.
For the first time in 1756, the graduation ceremony was introduced for those reiceving their degree but honoring only the two best students with the "title of merit and honor". In 1804, under Pio VII with the new stamp of "Urbes dum menti nostrae" created the faculty of Natural History and Minerology also giving way to the collection of minerals founding the magnificent Museum of Minerology.
In 1808, when Rome subdued the the French Empire, the imperial decree of Marchdefined five faculties: Sacred Science, Law, Philosopy, Medicine and Surgery, Philology and Scientific Subsidiaries. After the fall of Napoleon at Waterloo, Pio VII once again dedicated his attention to the University. In 1815 the faculties of Clinical Medicine,Clinical Surgery, Zoology. Algebra, Sublime Geometry, and Calculus, were introduced. On "motu proprio" or of his own accord, Pio founded the School of Engineering in October of 1817 and introduced the teaching of Statistics, hydraulics, and Architecture. Leone XIII, with the Constitution "Quod Divina Sapientia omnes docet", established that Rome and Bologna were the primary
Universities of the Papal State.
Later in 1870, La Spaienza abandoned its university status of a Papal capitol and became a university of the capital of Italy. The construction of the Policlinic Umberto I, adjacent to the Sapienza, began in 1888 and was completed in 1903.
In October of 1935 a new seat was innaugerated. The university city was projected primarily by Marcello Piacentini and built between the Policlinic of Umberto I and the monumental cemetary complex of Verano. This begns the most recent history of La Sapienza.
Sapienza Numbers
In the accademic year of 2001 / 2002, there were roughly 139,000 students enrolled. Teaching Staff include 4,900; full time and assiciates 2,700 and researchers 2,200. Technical and administraive personnel total to 6,000.
Buildings owned or with consent to perpetual public use total to over 90 in which 38 enter in the Universtiy city with the remaining distributed throughout Rome. To these are also added buildings in lease. In the new metropolitan seats which includes Latina, Reiti and Civitavecchia, new spaces are rapidly being acquired.
The Universtiy City, today, occupies an area of roughly 439,000 square meters.
The property situation is destined to change profoundly in the coming years due to a model of "network of federate universties" which the Sapienza has chosen to put into effect, which could give bring them up to a total area of 900,000 square meters.
Presently, there are 21 Faculties, 19 faculites plus School of Areospace Engineering and School for Archivists and Librarians. Included in the total of the other 19 faculties are Medicine and its affiliates, Architecture, Communicational Sciences, subdivision of Psychology in two new facolties and the partitioning in four of the Faculty of Literature; Humanistic Scienzes, Literature and Philosophy, Philosophy, and Oriental Studies. The institutes and departments, which are gradually transforming into institutes as well, total over 130 with university courses totaling over 149.
The Universtiy also has over 171 libraries of which 77 of those possess a volume of roughly 10,000, for a complex of 4.5 million volumes. La Sapienza also accounts for a rich network of museums composed of 19 museums of a scientific-didatic character which realizes an exhibition of monothematic interdisciplinary every year. Im 1999 La Sapienza was gifted with its own monumental statue. |
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