Bologna Liceo Luigi Galvani – Ex Collegio Santa Lucia
Liceo Luigi Galvani – Ex Collegio Santa Lucia Photos
About Liceo Luigi Galvani – Ex Collegio Santa Lucia
This building in Via Castiglione was originally the school for the Jesuit Order of Santa Lucia founded between 1644-48 by Francesco Martini.
It was enlarged around 1672. After the suppression of the Order in 1773 due to Napoleon’s invasion the college passed over to the Barnabite Order who maintained the church of Santa Lucia next door.
This permanent museum which is not open to the public was established by the former president Spada and opened in 1999 in the old wing of the convent of Santa Lucia. This first room is typical of the Jesuit school and teachings aids that would have been used from 1882 to the middle of the 1900s. In the glass cabinet are many rare examples of animals, some of the records have been lost over time so there’s few details about from where some of them have actually originated.
Another important witness to history here is the ancient architecture of the wing itself since this is part of the old convent of the Jesuit Order. What’s more, this wing which used to be the Gozzadini building was only incorporated into the overall design in 1566 without actually involving much construction probably because the building was architecturally similar.
At first sight most of these instruments appear to be little other than old however some of them are works of art having broken boundaries and limits imposed by their time. There are 2 electrostatic machines here from Wimshurst and Holtz dating to the 1800s which are amazingly still in reasonable working order. They could even be used in the study of electrical phenomenon today. Another ground breaking instrument was the ancient equipment used in the Industrial Institute of Aldini Valeriani.
At the end of this corridor on the first floor is the library of Santa Lucia better known as the Zambeccari library after its donor Monsignor Francesco Zambeccari. It was designed by Giuseppe Antonio Ambrosi between 1742-52 for the reason that the Jesuits felt that their new enlarged library would be a suitable home for all the precious and ancient books, manuscripts and general literature they accumulated over the years.
It was for the sole use of the Jesuit priests and their students but in a city that had still no public library the doors were soon opened to include the public.
The cycle of frescoes were almost certainly the idea of a resident Jesuit since they illustrate the vision of Christianity through learning – this also being indicated by one of the angels in the ceiling holding a sign in Latin. Various artists who collaborated in this work include: Nicola Bertuzzi, Giuseppe Marchesi, Pietro Scandellari and Antonio Calegari.
In this next room leading back out on to Via Castiglione is a painting on the wall of Monsignor Zambeccari while above it is a beautiful balcony and frescoes on the vault.
In 1871 the college became a gymnasium for the nearby school of Liceo Galvani and at one point it passed to the Industrial Institute Aldini Valeriani. In 1874 it was even used as a military police base.
The latest reconstruction of the building took place in the late 1980s at the time when ownership of the church next door was also transferred to Bologna University.
Next to this room is another architectural wonder. This baroque stair case is rhomboid in shape and anyone climbing them will be met with a fabulous work of art high on the ceiling above.
Gian Luigi Spada, its most pioneering of presidents began to implement an educational path which would take it away from the usual classical studies. Languages were introduced and in fact, German and French were even the basis for classical courses, science and linguistics.
Past students of the school were the blessed Bartolomeo Maria dal Monte, Giosuè Carducci, Enrico Panzacchi, Padre Marella, Riccardo Bacchelli, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Pierferdinando Casini, Gianfranco Fini and Marco Biagi.