Collegio Rotondi
Collegio Rotondi is a Catholic charter school located in Gorla Minore, a small town in the province of Varese, Lombardy. It was founded by the Italian nobleman Giovanni Andrea Terzaghi in 1599 and is the oldest recorded charter school in Italy.
The college was the first school in Italy to have a vertical curriculum. It has a nursery, a primary school, a secondary school, and two high schools. It includes a Museum of Natural Sciences, a Study Library, and the "Lina Airoldi Historical Library".
History
17th century
In 1599 Gorla Minore was governed by the Terzaghi family, native of Milan. Giovanni Terzaghi, the major canon of the Duomo, had no heirs and bequeathed his properties to the Oblates with the commitment to perpetually sustain the vitality of the Church of Saint Maurice and to create a place dedicated to the children's education.In 1629, the Collegio of Oblates was established for young people from Gorla Minore and neighboring areas. Operated by religious personnel, the institute originated as a boys' boarding school. Due to its innovative teaching methods, it soon became a cultural hub and gained widespread recognition. Initially, the rector also served as the Prefect of the Church of Saint Maurice, as Terzaghi specified in his testament. With the school's continuous growth and development, the rector's role evolved to encompass additional responsibilities, such as school administration, teacher coordination, and all the administrative tasks.
18th century
In the 18th century the Collegio modernized as Milan became one of the main poles of Illuminism, guided by the philosophical movement of rationalism and the growing affirmation of science.The renovation works facilitated the expansion of the structure, resulting in the construction of the main central building and the central courtyard used as a gathering place for the Collegio community.
The Collegio began to cooperate and collaborate with the institutional authorities which, at that time, were the Austrians; they recognized the work of the Collegio and its educational initiatives.
19th century
In the 19th century the Collegio was impacted by Italian unification in 1861, which altered the power of the Church of Rome and of Pope Pius IX. The two rectors Sioli and Rotondi used a series of legal actions to successfully free the Collegio from the congregation of the Oblates. This enabled the institute to have less pressure from the institutional authorities, allowing it to survive a tense period between the Church and the House of Savoy. For this reason, it changed its name to Collegio Rotondi, named after Rector Rotondi.With the administration of Director Rotondi, the Collegio became a Catholic school guided by the bishop but retaining its independence. The Collegio expanded to accommodate the evolving demands and requirements placed upon it by the changes that the Industrial Revolution brought.
In 1899, on the occasion of the third centenary of the Collegio, a new section of the school, the high school, was inaugurated. This new department's construction was overseen by Don Davide Rossi.
20th century
The early 20th century was a period of growth for the Collegio, with the railway to Milan, the Valmorea railway, increasing the number of people attending the school. In the final years of his rectorship, Don Rossi fought to obtain from the Italian Government new recognition to uphold the importance of the education the Collegio provided and restate its autonomy. In 1910, the board of direction of the Collegio approved the opening of a new branch of the school for girls, the Collegio Gonzaga that included an elementary school, middle school, high school, and a technical institute.After World War I, the Collegio returned to its regular life, reinforcing its renown and dealing with the school's needs, such as the contradictions of the Roman Catholic Church during fascism. During World War II, many students had to leave the Collegio to join the army, and the remaining ones struggled with hunger. The building was requisitioned and turned into an improvised military hospital.
When the war ended, the new rector, Don Pietro Cazzulani, started the first renovations from the monumental part of the old building and concentrated on education, continuing the teaching in the summer. The rectors that headed the school in the following years, Cazzulani, Mangini, Crotti, Silva, and Ferè, were all diocesan priests. The Oblates relinquished their attempt to keep the Collegio under their control. The authority of the school was reinforced, as well as the independence of its rectors. They aimed at a professional partnership between priests and teachers. The construction work of the Chapel of the Immaculate was completed.
The rector Don Lino Mangini opened two new educational courses, the classical and scientific high school programs. The succeeding rector, Don Carlo Crotti, completed several changes, finishing the construction of the new gym, initiated by Don Lino Mangini, and constructed new classrooms, functional buildings and new heating systems. The new auditorium, dedicated to the memory of the knight Benigno Airoldi, was inaugurated. The Collegio moved the female section in the original building, changing the norm of the school to a mixed-sex education model.
Crest
The crest of the Collegio was created after World War II and represents a shield, which is divided into four parts by a cross. Two of these parts contain a red and white chessboard, already present in the coat of arms of the Terzaghi family, as with other noble families, to represent battles and the strategies needed to win them. In the crest of the Collegio, it represents the struggle against ignorance as well as a tribute to the Milanese family. The remaining two parts are light blue and represent incorruptibility. In these parts, there is the effigy of an open book with a lily resting on it, the noblest of flowers. The book symbolizes erudition, while the lily symbolizes purity. At the center of the cross, there are three rings, already present in the crest of the Borromeo family. These recall Cardinal Federico, whose work led to the bequest of the Collegio to the Oblates from Giovanni Terzaghi. At the top left, there is the cross of Lorena, a symbol of faith, and at the top right the sword, a symbol of the strength of faith. Around the shield, there is bay tree, a symbol of glory, and oak, a symbol of strength against difficulties. At the top, there is a crowned eagle, evocative of the Holy Roman Empire, which is a symbol of power, victory, prosperity, and greatness.The motto of the Collegio, represented in the lower part of the crest, is a phrase in Latin, taken from Giovanni Terzaghi's will and it is, "erudire et edocere". "Erudire", to teach, is the first step, followed by "edocere", to educate. Both steps are needed to bring out an individual's talents.
Buildings and architecture
Central quadriporticus
The quadriporticus, in Italian quadriportico, was erected in the 18th century and is the center of the academic life of Collegio Rotondi. The yard is surrounded on both floors by a series of marble columns, except for the entrance side on the second floor. The two orders of columns create two logge, used by both students and professors to move from one side of the building to the other. It provides shelter from the rain in autumn and spring, and in summer from the sun and heat. Since its construction, this space has been used for didactical purposes.Lower loggia
In the 19th century, several tridimensional maps were added on the walls of the lower loggia for didactic purposes. Only one exemplar remains, representing Italy. The others were removed in the second half of the 20th century to build new windows to create more light in the classrooms located on the lower level of the quadriporticus.Upper loggia
The walls of the upper loggia were decorated with a series of 24 pictures representing some of the most significant characters in Italian culture, called spiriti magni. Each figure is portrayed in statuesque poses inside a painted niche, with their names at the bases. The characters wear the typical garments of their corresponding era and each is represented with symbolic objects associated with them. The cycle of paintings was used by the professors to show and instruct students about the achievements or literary works made by the characters. The choice of the figures to be represented was carefully designed by the commissioners. All of the spiriti magni are Italian citizens, enclosed in the scientific, artistic, and literary context, and lived between the 18th and 19th centuries, except for two of them, Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarca, considered ubiquitous as the fathers of Italian Literature. Giovanni Boccaccio and other historical characters such as the poet Giacomo Leopardi and the musician Giuseppe Verdi, were not selected by the commissioners of the cycle of paintings due to their anticlerical and atheistic position towards the Church of Rome.Chapel of the Immaculate
During his rectorship, Don Giovanni Re wanted to build a chapel, the so-called Chapel of the Immaculate , to provide the Collegio with a place of worship. The initiative was taken in 1885, as recorded on a marble memorial table inside. Since then, all the rectors have been responsible for its preservation. In the post-war period, Don Lino Mangini renovated the structure and enriched it with new artwork. Don Carlo Crotti modernized it by removing the baroque balustrade; this renovation process directly connected the nave with the altar.The stained glass windows on the walls were added in the 1970s and are decorated with the representation of the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church.The ceiling is richly decorated by stucco work and by the representation of Saint Charles Borromeo, founder of the Oblates, and of Aloysius Gonzaga, protector of the youth, in the act of adoring Our Lady with her child Jesus. On both sides of the ceiling are portrayed angels.
Above the altar is located a large painting, representing the canonical coronation. Virgin Mary's crown of stars was added during a ceremony in the presence of Pope Paul VI.
The physical representation of the crest of Collegio Rotondi is located inside the Cappella dell'Immacolata.''