Hospices, Hospitals, "National" Confraternities: The Institutions of Foreigners and Strangers in Rome between the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period

CYCLE: An international capital: Rome and foreigners.
SPEAKER: Anna Esposito
DATE: Thursday 4 December, 6 p.m.

Rome, from the late Middle Ages a cosmopolitan city and the capital of the Papal State as well as the center of Christianity, subject to intense and constant immigration, is exemplary for studying the phenomenon of “national” foundations from various perspectives. The focus of the conference will be on the foreign and expatriate communities present in Rome and their collective identities, which were manifested in the erection of churches, hospitals/hospices, and the establishment of confraternal associations, some of which still exist today. Therefore, the foreign (especially those of the Germans, Iberians, French, English, Dalmatians, etc.) and expatriate (Florentines, Lombards, etc.) associations, which constituted the largest colonies in the city during those decades, will be examined, highlighting their relationships and connections with the host society, as well as their internal organization, devotional purposes, and charitable commitment, especially during the Jubilee years.

Anna Esposito, formerly an associate professor of Medieval History at the University of Rome La Sapienza, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Società Romana di Storia Patria and a member of the Steering Committee of the Roffredo Caetani Foundation. She is a founding member of the Roma nel Rinascimento Association and a scientific correspondent for the National Institute of Roman Studies. Her research interests include the social history of the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance in its economic, religious, and cultural aspects, particularly the history of minorities (including the Jewish minority), confraternities, and women, subjects on which she has produced numerous publications.

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