# Pontifical Roman Major Seminary > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pontifical_Roman_Major_Seminary > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pontifical_Roman_Major_Seminary.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontifical_Roman_Major_Seminary > Source revision: 1352707636 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Major seminary of the Diocese of Rome Pontifical Roman Major Seminary Italian: Pontificio Seminario Romano Maggiore Type Major seminary Established 1565; 461 years ago (1565) Parent institution Diocese of Rome Religious affiliation Catholic Church Rector Michele Di Tolve Location Rome , Italy The **Pontifical Roman Major Seminary** ([Italian](/source/Italian_language): *Pontificio Seminario Romano Maggiore*) is the [major seminary](/source/Major_seminary) of the [Diocese of Rome](/source/Diocese_of_Rome). It is located at the [Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran](/source/Archbasilica_of_Saint_John_Lateran). Since 2017, the rector of the seminary has been Gabriele Faraghini, a priest of the [Little Brothers of Jesus Caritas](/source/Little_Brothers_of_Jesus_Caritas).[1] ## History The [Council of Trent](/source/Council_of_Trent) in its 23rd session decreed the establishment of diocesan seminaries. The **Roman Seminary** was established by [Pope Pius IV](/source/Pope_Pius_IV) in 1565. Although its administration was entrusted to the [Society of Jesus](/source/Society_of_Jesus), and the pupils studied at the [Collegio Romano](/source/Roman_College), founded by [Ignatius of Loyola](/source/Ignatius_of_Loyola) in 1551, these students were intended to serve as diocesan priests in Rome, rather than join the Jesuits.[2] Over the course of time the Roman Seminary occupied a number of different locations.[3] The residence was changed several times before 1608, when they settled in the [Palazzo Borromeo](/source/Palazzo_Gabrielli-Borromeo) in the Via del Seminario (now 'Collegio Bellarmino', a residence for Jesuit priests, students at the Gregorian University). Each year, at [Pentecost](/source/Pentecost), a student delivered a discourse on the Holy Ghost in the papal chapel.[3] After the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, direction of the seminary was under the care of diocesan priests and installed in the Collegio Romano of the Jesuits. After the changes in 1798 the number of the students, generally about 100, came down to 9. [Pope Pius VII](/source/Pope_Pius_VII) restored the [seminary](/source/Catholic_seminary) which continued to occupy the Collegio Romano until 1824, when [Pope Leo XII](/source/Pope_Leo_XII) returned this building to the [Jesuits](/source/Society_of_Jesus) and transferred the seminary to the [Palazzo di Sant'Apollinare](/source/Palazzo_di_Sant'Apollinare), formerly occupied by the [Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum](/source/Collegium_Germanicum_et_Hungaricum); the seminary, however, retained its own schools comprising a classical course, and a faculty of philosophy and theology, to which in 1856 a course of [canon law](/source/Canon_law) was added. The direction of the seminary and, as a rule, the chairs were reserved to the [secular clergy](/source/Secular_clergy). After the departure of the Jesuits in 1848 the seminary again removed to the Collegio Romano.[3] The Roman Seminary included not only young men who had already decided to become priests, but also younger boys still not sure of their vocation, and while the training of the former concentrated on the need for study and the practice of strict piety, the second needed a different formation, with training and pious exercises appropriate to their age. On 29 June 1913, [Pope Pius X](/source/Pope_Pius_X) issued the Apostolic Constitution "In præcipuis", promulgating the new regulations concerning the training of the Roman and Italian clergy. The Roman Seminary was divided into major and minor sections. The major seminary merged with the **Pontificio Seminario Pio** and the **Seminario Lombardo dei SS. Ambrogio e Carlo** and became the **Pontificio Seminario Romano Maggiore** (Pontifical Roman Major Seminary), with headquarters in a new building at the [Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran](/source/Archbasilica_of_Saint_John_Lateran). The law department was transferred to the **Collegio Leoniano**, but remained a school of the Seminary. The minor seminary merged with the **Vatican Seminary** to form the **Pontificio Seminario Romano Minore**. The Lombardo was merged temporarily with the Roman Seminary from 1913 to 1920, when it was re-established as a separate college. Pontificio Seminario Romano Minore The Collegio Cerasoli with four burses for students of the [Diocese of Bergamo](/source/Diocese_of_Bergamo) endowed by Cardinal Cerasoli, is connected with the seminary. The students take part in the ceremonies in the church of the Seminario Pio. Gregory XV, Clement IX, Innocent XIII, Clement XII, and John XXIII received part of their formation in this seminary. During the Second World War, the Lateran and its related buildings provided a safe haven from the Nazis and Italian Fascists for numbers of Jews and other refugees. Among those who found shelter there were [Alcide De Gasperi](/source/Alcide_De_Gasperi), [Pietro Nenni](/source/Pietro_Nenni), [Giorgio Del Vecchio](/source/Giorgio_Del_Vecchio), and others. The [Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul](/source/Daughters_of_Charity_of_Saint_Vincent_de_Paul) and the sixty orphan refugees they cared for were ordered to leave their convent on the Via Carlo Emanuele. The [Sisters of Maria Bambina](/source/Sisters_of_Charity_of_Saints_Bartolomea_Capitanio_and_Vincenza_Gerosa_(SCCG)), who staffed the kitchen at the Pontifical Major Roman Seminary offered a wing of their convent. The grounds also housed Italian soldiers.[4] Fathers [Vincenzo Fagiolo](/source/Vincenzo_Fagiolo) and [Pietro Palazzini](/source/Pietro_Palazzini), vice-rector of the seminary, were recognized by Yad Vashem for their efforts to assistance Jews.[5][6] On 28 October 1958, the election of Angelo Roncalli, a former pupil of the Roman Seminary, as [Pope John XXIII](/source/Pope_John_XXIII) was a source of joy for the seminary community. [John XXIII](/source/John_XXIII) expressed his appreciation and support for the Seminary by visiting it on 27 November 1958, just one month after his election as Pope. In 2013 the enrollment was seventy seminarians.[7] The course of study is six years. The first two years correspond to philosophy studies oriented to self-understanding and discernment, and to understanding the self and the vocation. In the third year the seminarian takes the formal decision to enter Orders. In the remaining three years (lectorate, acolythate, diaconate) the role of the pastor is gradually emphasized. Twice a week students participate in pastoral activities in Rome in parishes, hospitals, prisons, and centers of assistance.[8] ## Our Lady of Trust The patroness of the Pontifical Major Roman Seminary is the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title [Our Lady of Confidence](/source/Our_Lady_of_Confidence). [Pope John Paul II](/source/Pope_John_Paul_II) started the custom of a papal visit to the seminary on her [feast day](/source/Feast_day), the last Saturday before Lent.[9] ## See also - [List of Jesuit sites](/source/List_of_Jesuit_sites) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Bergoglio nomina fratel Gabriele Faraghini rettore del Pontificio Seminario romano maggiore"](https://www.lastampa.it/vatican-insider/it/2017/07/31/news/bergoglio-nomina-fratel-gabriele-faraghini-rettore-del-pontificio-seminario-romano-maggiore-1.34460639). *lastampa.it* (in Italian). 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2021-11-11. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** *The Roman Seminary. History of an institution of culture and devotion*, (Luigi Mezzadri, ed.), Cinisello Balsamo, Sao Paulo, 2001, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [88-215-4521-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/88-215-4521-0) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Benigni_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Benigni_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Benigni_3-2) [Benigni, Umberto. "Roman Colleges." The Catholic Encyclopedia](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13131a.htm) Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 12 January 2016 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Marchione, Margherita. *Yours Is a Precious Witness: Memoirs of Jews and Catholics in Wartime Italy*, Paulist Press, 2001](https://books.google.com/books?id=013pJv7zwW4C&dq=pontifical+roman+major+seminary&pg=PA70) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780809140329](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780809140329) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Palazzini", the righteous among the Nations, Yad Vashem](http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=4043709) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Fagiolo", The Righteous Among the Nations, Yad Vashem](http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=4043695) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Priests for Rome", *L'Osservatore Romano*, 9 February 2013](http://www.osservatoreromano.va/en/news/priests-for-rome) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Interview with the Rector of the Roman Major Seminary", *L'Osservatore Romano*, 13 February 2008, p. 2](https://www.ewtn.com/library/PRIESTS/rectromsem.htm) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Madonna Della Fiducia", Pontificio Seminario Romano Maggiore](http://www.seminarioromano.it/home/la-storia/) **Attribution** This article incorporates text from a publication now in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain): Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "[Roman Colleges](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Roman_Colleges)". *[Catholic Encyclopedia](/source/Catholic_Encyclopedia)*. New York: Robert Appleton Company. ## External links - [Pontificio Seminario Romano Maggiore](http://www.seminarioromano.it/) - [Pope Benedict XVI, *Lectio Divina* at the Pontifical Major Roman Seminary, 8 February 2013](https://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2013/february/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20130208_seminario-romano-mag.html) More information on the Seminary (Pontificio Seminario Romano Maggiore) and its history is available at its website in Italian @ [http://www.seminarioromano.it/](http://www.seminarioromano.it/) and in English translation @ [https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.seminarioromano.it/&ei=W9AAT4X2L8HX0QGdspC5Ag](https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.seminarioromano.it/&ei=W9AAT4X2L8HX0QGdspC5Ag) v t e Papacy Episcopate of the bishop of Rome Jurisdiction Holy See (full communion) Pope Leo XIV as bishop of the Diocese of Rome primacy history Vatican City (index, outline) Enclaved in Rome, Italy Lateran Treaty, 1929 along with extraterritorial properties of the Holy See Headquarters Vatican City: Apostolic Palace papal apartments Sistine Chapel Italy: Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (cathedra) Major basilicas Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran St. Peter's Basilica Basilica of Saint Mary Major Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls Titles (Papal names) His Holiness Bishop of Rome Vicar of Jesus Christ Successor of the Prince of the Apostles Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church Patriarch of the West Primate of Italy Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province Sovereign of the Vatican City State Servant of the servants of God Symbols Coats of arms Coat of arms of the Holy See Cross Keys of Heaven Regalia and insignia Rota Umbraculum Proclamations Infallibility Apostolic constitution Bull list Encyclical Apostolic exhortation Ecclesiastical letter Interdict Activities Arbitration deposition Blessing "pontifical" Urbi et Orbi Conclave list Coronation Consistory 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Council of Europe Apostolic nunciature Nuncio Treaties Concordats Diocese of Rome with universal full communion (Papal primacy) Synods Ordinary general assemblies Extraordinary general assemblies Special assemblies Ecclesiastical province of Rome (Vicariate: Rome, Vatican City) Suburbicarian sees Ostia Velletri–Segni Porto–Santa Rufina Frascati Palestrina Albano Sabina–Poggio Mirteto Territorial abbeys Monte Cassino Subiaco Suffragan dioceses Gaeta Anagni-Alatri Civita Castellana Civitavecchia-Tarquinia Frosinone-Veroli-Ferentino Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno Rieti Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo Tivoli Viterbo Properties including extra- territoriality Inside Rome Major basilicas St. Peter's Basilica Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls Lateran Palace Lateran University Scala Sancta Sancta Sanctorum Adjoining buildings Palace of Saint Callixtus Gianicolo Hill area Pontifical Urban University Pontifical North American College Bambino Gesù Hospital Palazzo della Cancelleria Palace of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Palace of the Holy Office Palace of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Palazzo Pio Palazzo Maffei Marescotti (Palace of the Vicariate} Pontifical Roman Minor Seminary Collegio Teutonico Teutonic Cemetery Benedictine monastery Pontifical Oratory of San Paolo Beda College Paul VI Audience Hall St. Peter's Square Non- extraterritorial Palace of the Holy Apostles Palace of San Carlo ai Catinari Collegio Bellarmino Archaeological Institute Pontifical Oriental Institute Pontifical Lombard Seminary Russian College Two Palaces of Sant'Apollinare House of Retreat for the Clergy of Saints John and Paul Nympheum of Nero Outside Rome Palace of Castel Gandolfo Papal farm Gardens of the Villa Cybo Villa Barberini Adjacent gardens Pontifical College Josephinum Summer estate of Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide Vatican Radio antennae area of Santa Maria di Galeria Non- extraterritorial Basilica della Santa Casa Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua See also Acta Apostolicae Sedis Awards Papal household Peter's Pence Roman Rota Apostolic Penitentiary Apostolic Signatura Swiss Guard Vatican.va Vatican City portal Catholic Church portal Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF National United States Other IdRef Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pontifical Roman Major Seminary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontifical_Roman_Major_Seminary) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontifical_Roman_Major_Seminary?action=history)). 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