Colegio Antonio Rosmini is an Italian private & religious school in

Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...

(

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

), created in the 1960s by the

Rosminians The Rosminians, officially named the Institute of Charity (), abbreviated I.C., are a Catholic Church, Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded by Antonio Rosmini-Serbati, Antonio Rosmini and first organise ...

History

The Colegio Italo venezolano "Antonio Rosmini" was created in 1960 in the urbanization "Los Cerros de Marin",

, by the catholic missionary fathers ''Rosminiani'' Giambattista Zantedeschi, Josito Gattoni and James Connolly. They started it while associated with the Italian private school "Garibaldi", but in 1966 they created in a huge area of 70,000 square meters the actual big "campus" of the Colegio Rosmini. Initially the school was opened with only a group of nearly one hundred Italian students, distributed between preschool and basic education from first through fifth grade (the courses were mainly in

Italian language Italian (, , or , ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. It evolved from the colloquial Latin of the Roman Empire. Italian is the least divergent language from Latin, together with Sardinian language, Sardinian. It is ...

, but with some Spanish courses). In 1965 the ''Colegio Italo – Venezolano Antonio Rosmini'' of Maracaibo (estado

Zulia Zulia State (, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of t ...

) had 1300 students and it was the main school for the 87000 Italians residents in the Zulia area. Until the 1980s the "Rosmini" (as was called) was considered one of the Italian schools in Venezuela. Actually the Unidad Educativa "Colegio Rosmini" has nearly 3000 students (including evening students) and the courses are only in

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

; however Italian is done as a foreign language, mandatory in High School ("Bachillerato venezolano"). In 1995 the Colegio Rosmini was enriched with a church dedicated to

Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, he ...

, the saint patron of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The Italian community in Maracaibo made possible the construction of the temple in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. On the altar, San Francisco is depicted in a painting by Italian artist Giovanni Vitti. Soon in Italy arose the view that the sanctuary of Maracaibo deserved a worthy bell tower of the great devotion to the venerable saint born in

Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines. History Prehistory The ol ...

: so, because of large donations from Italians, Maracaibo has a bell tower, that is a unique replica of the existing tower in St. Mark's Square in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. In addition to its majesty, it has eight bells made by hand in

Anagni Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic centre of the Latin Valley. Geography Overview Anagni still maintains the appearance of a s ...

, capable of reproducing musical notes to offer a true concert of bells, in order to remember the message of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

to neighbors and parishioners. All the students of the Colegio Rosmini celebrate often in the area under the church and the

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

. Celebrations in the Colegio Rosmini
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Notes

Bibliography

* Cassani Pironti, Fabio. ''Gli italiani in Venezuela dall’Indipendenza al Secondo Dopoguerra''. Roma, 2004
Rosminians
Official Site *

External links

Official Website
{{coord missing, Venezuela Italian international schools in South America International schools in Venezuela Educational institutions established in 1960 1960 establishments in Venezuela

History

See also

Notes

Bibliography

External links