Pontifical Oriental Institute, Pontifical institute near Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, Italy
The Pontifical Oriental Institute is an academic institution in central Rome, near the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, specializing in the study of Eastern Christian churches. It has two faculties, one for Eastern ecclesiastical sciences and one for Eastern canon law.
Pope Benedict XV founded the institute in 1917 to promote the study of Eastern Christian churches in Rome. From 1922, the Society of Jesus took over its direction and has led it ever since.
The institute is one of the few places in the world devoted entirely to the study of Eastern Christian churches, from the Byzantine to the Coptic tradition. Walking through it, a visitor encounters texts, liturgies, and legal traditions that remain little known in the Western world.
The institute is in central Rome and easy to reach by public transport. Anyone wishing to use the library should check access conditions in advance, as it is primarily intended for researchers and students.
The institute shares its campus and many resources with the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Biblical Institute, so students can access the facilities of all three institutions. This arrangement makes this corner of Rome an unusual hub for religious and historical studies.
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