
Sant'Isidoro a Capo le Case is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
church, monastic complex and college of the
Franciscan Order, in the
Ludovisi district on the
Pincian Hill
The Pincian Hill (; it, Pincio ; la, Mons Pincius) is a hill in the northeast quadrant of the historical centre of Rome. The hill lies to the north of the Quirinal, overlooking the Campus Martius. It was outside the original boundaries of th ...
in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. It contains the Cappella Da Sylva, designed by
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...
, who also designed the funerary monument of his son Paolo Valentino Bernini in it. Since the giving of
San Patrizio a Villa Ludovisi to the United States of America for use as their national church, Sant'Isidoro has become the
National Church
A national church is a Christian church associated with a specific ethnic group or nation state. The idea was notably discussed during the 19th century, during the emergence of modern nationalism.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in a draft discussin ...
of Ireland in Rome.
The monastery was founded by a gift from the nobleman Ottaviano Vestri di Barbiano, as shown in a
bull
A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species '' Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions,
incl ...
of
pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...
of 1625. Its construction was begun in response to
pope Gregory XV
Pope Gregory XV ( la, Gregorius XV; it, Gregorio XV; 9 January 15548 July 1623), born Alessandro Ludovisi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 to his death in July 1623.
Biography
Early life
Al ...
's 1622 canonisation of
Isidore of Madrid
Isidore the Labourer, also known as Isidore the Farmer ( es, San Isidro Labrador) (c. 1070 – May 15, 1130), was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid ...
and four other saints – in that year, some Spanish
Discalced
A discalced congregation is a religious congregation that goes barefoot or wears sandals. These congregations are often distinguished on this account from other branches of the same order. The custom of going unshod was introduced into the West b ...
Franciscans
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
arrived in Rome wanting to found a convent for Spaniards and build a church dedicated to Isidore.
Saint Isidore's College, Rome
After two years, however, the church and monastery passed to Irish Franciscans, who had fled Ireland due to English persecution and who still own the complex, and it became the Saint Isidore's College, Rome ( it, Collegio S. Isidoro, Roma or ga, Coláiste Naomh Iosadóir, An Róimh) They were led by
Luke Wadding
Luke Wadding, O.F.M. (16 October 158818 November 1657), was an Irish Franciscan friar and historian.
Life
Early life
Wadding was born on 16 October 1588 in Waterford to Walter Wadding of Waterford, a wealthy merchant, and his wife, Anastasia ...
OFM, who also founded a school of studies which was recognised by Urban VIII's 1625 bull, becoming the
Pontifical Irish College
The Pontifical Irish College is a Roman Catholic seminary for the training and education of priests, in Rome. The College is located at #1, Via dei Santi Quattro, and serves as a residence for clerical students from all over the world. Designated ...
, Rome.
Saint Patrick was also added to the monastery church's dedication. Francis O'Molloy succeeded Wadding at St. Isidore's.
A Franciscan
novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
was established in 1656 in Capranica near Sutri.
The monastery was
dissolved for a time by Napoleon I and from 1810 to 1820 its monastic buildings housed the artistic colony known as the
Nazarenes. It became a monastery again after his defeat and it remains so to this day.
At one point virtually every member of the Irish Franciscans (and Australian Franciscans which were part of the Irish Province) would have studied at some point in St Isidore’s.
Letter from William T. Cosgrave to Benito Mussolini (Rome)
Dictionary of Irish Foreign Policy, February 24, 1934.
People Associated with St. Isidore's
* Hubert Quinn OFM
* James McCormack OFM, Guardian during the Napoleonic Invasion
* Mícheál MacCraith OFM Guardian (2011-2017)
* Hugh McKenna OFM, Guardian (2017- )
See also
;Irish Franciscan Colleges
* St Anthony's College, Leuven
The Irish College of St Anthony, in Leuven, Belgium, known in ga, Coláiste na nGael, french: Collège des Irlandais à Louvain and nl, Iers College Leuven, has been a centre of Irish learning on the European Continent since the early 17th cen ...
* College of the Immaculate Conception, Prague (Franciscan College founded by priests from Leuven in Prague then Bohemia)
;Other Irish Colleges in Rome
* Pontifical Irish College
The Pontifical Irish College is a Roman Catholic seminary for the training and education of priests, in Rome. The College is located at #1, Via dei Santi Quattro, and serves as a residence for clerical students from all over the world. Designated ...
, Rome
* San Clemente al Laterano
The Basilica of Saint Clement ( it, Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano) is a Latin Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Pope Clement I located in Rome, Italy. Archaeologically speaking, the structure is a three-tiered complex of buildings: (1) ...
, Rome, Irish Dominican College.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isidoro A Capo Le Case, Sant
National churches in Rome
Franciscan monasteries in Italy
Monasteries in Rome
Churches of Rome (rione Ludovisi)
Irish diaspora in Europe
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...