The history of the College of Sant’Anselmo in Rome began in 1687 with the Inscrutable Apostolic Constitution by Pope Innocent XI. Today, S. Anselmo is an international university of the Benedictine order, committed to offering bachelor’s degree programs in philosophy and theology as well as post-graduate courses, diplomas, licenses, and doctorates with specializations in monastic spiritual theology, sacred liturgy, sacramental theology, history of theology, and philosophy of religion.
With its three departments and seventy tenured professors, S. Anselmo aims to provide high-quality theological instruction for the Benedictine Confederation. Both as a university and a place of residence, it attracts students from every Benedictine Congregation worldwide, lay and religious students from other orders and congregations, diocesan clergy, and students from different religious traditions. The current number of students – approximately 600 (across all curricular and non-curricular programs) – ensures that the university is able to maintain a personal approach to knowledge and skills, education and research.
Through its various affiliations with approximately a dozen institutes in Italy and abroad, S. Anselmo is playing its part in supporting theological and philosophical studies in the Benedictine tradition.