Sapienza University

Sapienza University, established in 1303 by Pope Boniface VIII in Rome, is one of the oldest universities in the world and a top performer in international university rankings as well as Europe’s largest university by enrollments. Founded as ‘Studium Urbis’, Rome’s first university kept on growing in prestige over the coming centuries, promoting history, humanities, archeology, and science and thus attracting prolific scholars from around Europe. In 1660, the Studium Urbis relocated to a new building on the Corso Rinascimento and came to be known as Sapienza from the engraving over its main gate: Initium Sapientiae timor Domini (‘The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord’). The Sapienza University of Rome is a member of the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies.