The restoration project of the St. Apollinare Palace
The Palace of St. Apollinare, with a rich architecture and history, was designed during the fifteenth century, and later restored in 1748 by architect Ferdinando Fuga. Since 1990, it has been the academic seat of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
Because the buildings were in a state of modest preservation at best, they were in need of extensive restoration in order to incorporate modern elements while maintaining the integrity of the original design. The material needs of the University, thanks to the increased enrollment, made it necessary to utilize areas that had previously fallen into disuse.
Various parts of the building were therefore reorganized – services, teaching, research, administration, management – in order to better utilize the space available; this has been done through the restoration of areas that had been previously unusable, such as the basement and attic.
The restoration work, commissioned by the university itself, took place over a period of four years and consisted of two consecutive phases, thereby permitting the academic activities to continue while construction was taking place.
As a result of the restoration, the workable space increased from 6,622 sqm to the current 9,366 sqm; the capacity of the classrooms has doubled, as has that of the main Assembly Hall.
Additional restorations
While the restorations of main University were taking place, work was also being done to the Research Center and Library which overlook Via dei Farnese and Via St. Girolamo della Carità, offering teachers and students a place for scientific and interdisciplinary research. On an historical note, the complex work of architecture once hosted the Archconfraternity of Charity. It was coincidentally the residence of Saint Philip Neri, a man who met and corresponded with some of the most influential men of his time: St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Felician, St. John Leonardi, St. Charles Borromeo, and Saint Camillus de Lellis.
Another building that underwent extensive work was the International Ecclesial College, Sedes Sapientiae, the eighteenth-century Conservatory of Saint Pasquale Baylon which is located in Rome’s Trastevere region. During the restorations there were many interesting archeological discoveries that offer a look into Imperial Rome’s ancient roads, frescos, and mosaics.
The priests’ residence Tiberino, on the other hand, is located in the Ancient Casino de’ Rossi (late XV, early XVI century); in addition to this, during the work that took place up to 2004, there were a number of important archeological discoveries that were recovered and safeguarded. Under the general supervision of the Superintendant for Architectural Heritage and Landscape and the Archeological Superintendent of Rome, the extensive renovations have restored the buildings to their original elegance.