Istituto Antoniano was created in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

in 1953 by the

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

, (the ''Lesser Friars''). The Convent of the Franciscans who govern the establishment is built next to the Church of St. Antonio, hence the name of the Institute. The Institute was established as a community services initiative with the goal of helping the less fortunate, a life rule of the Franciscans. In 1953 poverty was quite widely spread throughout Italy and the Antoniano set up a soup kitchen that still exists today. Over the years however the Antoniano has expanded and widened its range of initiatives particularly so as to service the needs of children, and since 1961 the Institute has been the prime organiser of the

Zecchino d'Oro Zecchino d'Oro (; meaning "Golden Sequin") is an annual Italian competition dedicated to children's music established in 1959 by Niny Comolli. It is broadcast by Rai 1 and is open to singers aged 4 to 10. The first two contests were held i ...

festival of song for children. The Instituto Antoniano has three choirs, ballet school, drama school etc. There is also a special after-school for children with Down syndrome.

External links

Official Homepage - ''English Version (Google translation)''

External links

See also