There are ten Pontifical academies headquartered at the Vatican in Rome. • The
Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Letters of the Virtuosi al Pantheon or in
Italian was established in 1542. Its purpose is to study, cultivate, and perfect the fine arts. • The
Pontifical Academy of Sciences or was founded in 1603 to honor and promote research. • The
Pontifical Academy of Theology or , founded in 1718, promotes the Catholic faith. • The
Pontifical Academy of Archaeology or , founded in 1810, promotes
Christian archeology and the history of
Christian art. • The
Pontifical Academy of Martyrs or dates from 1879 and promotes the veneration of the martyrs and the study of the
catacombs. • The
Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas or , founded in 1879, promotes the study of
Thomism. • The
Pontifical Academy of Mary or was established in 1946 and promotes
Mariology. • The
Pontifical Academy for Life or was founded in 1994 to promote the
consistent life ethic of the Roman Catholic Church; it was formerly headed by
Bishop Elio Sgreccia, and now by
Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, former rector of the
Pontifical Lateran University. • The
Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences or , founded 1994, promotes social, economic, political, and legal sciences in the light of the church's social teachings. • The
Pontifical Academy for Latin, also or was established in 2012 for the dissemination and education of
Latin. ==Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy==