Foundations In 1560, the
Scottish reformation parliament introduced a
Protestant confession of faith and
abolished papal authority in Scotland. Priests who continued the old religion in Scotland slowly began to die out.
Catholicism all but disappeared surviving only in pockets the north-east and south-west of the country, or where local noblemen held on to the old faith. At this time, exiled clergy attempted to recover and reform existing Scottish ecclesiastical institutions abroad, or establish new ones, in accordance with the
counter-reformation ethos of the
Council of Trent (1545–63), which recommended the training of diocesan priests within
seminaries. Petitioning began for such a Scots institution to be established in the central location of
Rome where there already had been an existing Scots Hospice dating from 1475. It was placed under the authority of a
Cardinal protector, the first of whom was
Camillo Borghese. The college opened in 1602 with only eleven students, but was not at first constituted solely for the training of priests to return to Scotland as missionaries. The first Rector was a papal official, Monsignor Paolini, who died in 1612. After petition by the students themselves, administration was handed over to the Jesuits in 1615. The martyrdom of
Saint John Ogilvie in
Glasgow compelled the students to take a mission oath whence the sole purpose of the college became the training of priests. The foundation of the
Congregation De Propaganda Fide proved a significant turning point for missionary efforts in Scotland. At this time the college also became strongly linked with the powerful
Barberini family. A church,
Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi, was constructed in the 1640s adjacent to the buildings of the college for the celebration of feasts and burial of the dead.
17th century The College of the mid seventeenth century was at times embroiled in the competition between
secular clergy and
Jesuits, the latter being accused of recruiting students for their own number. In 1645
Pope Innocent X ruled that the mission oath was a commitment of life-long service to the Scottish mission, even if a student decided to enter a religious order. A meeting of Scots seculars in
Paris during the winter of 1649–50 decided that a mission of secular priests should formally be set up with a superior, and one of their own remaining in Rome as an agent to protect its interests. The first of these agents sent to Rome was William Leslie, who was to become a significant figure in the history of the college. He kept a watchful eye over its affairs. Disputes with the Jesuits continued, they argued that the oath deterred students and desired full control over the college, but Leslie was able to persuade the
Propaganda to rule the oath perpetually binding in 1660. During the
Glorious Revolution of 1688, the students remained loyal supporters of the Catholic
King James. This was controversial in Rome due to the decision of the latter to seek refuge with
Louis XIV of France, an enemy of the Pope.
18th century , Cardinal Duke of York and great benefactor of the Scots College, from a painting in possession the Scots College. William Leslie died in 1707, having seen in his lifetime the college become the a main source of priests for the Mission, and in the early eighteenth century the college enjoyed relative prosperity. In 1724, the administration was turned over to Italian Jesuits at the request of the Scottish clergy due to their discontent with the administration. Happy years followed under the rector-ship of Lorenzo Alticozzi, who cleared debts and was able to refurbish and enlarge the college villa at
Marino. Notable students of this era included
George Hay,
John Geddes and
Charles Erskine. The students were educated in philosophy and theology by the Jesuits at the
Roman College. The Jesuit period of the college came to an end soon afterward when the society was
suppressed in 1773 by
Clement XIV, by his brief
Dominus ac Redemptor. The administration was passed to the Italian secular clergy. The college suffered in this period, with the maintenance of discipline failing and some administrators viewing it as a mere
sinecure. Following visitation by Bishop Hay, John Thomson was sent as Scottish agent and was eventually replaced by
Paul MacPherson upon the latter's death in 1792. MacPherson worked towards the college being handed over to Scottish superiors, however these efforts were interrupted by the
French invasion of Rome in February 1798. The college was occupied by the French and MacPherson fled with the students, including those from the English and Irish Colleges who had been abandoned by their own superiors. The group of twenty-two arrived in
London in June 1798 and were presented to the
Prince of Wales and government ministers.
19th–20th century MacPherson returned in the summer of 1800 to recover the college properties, and found them in a state of disrepair. He was thereafter made Rector, albeit without students. He remained in Rome throughout the quarrels between
Pius VII and
Napoleon, protecting the properties until he was expelled by the French in June 1811. He returned to Rome in 1812 where the defeat of Napoleon at
Waterloo in 1815 relieved some pressure, and after much petitioning students finally returned in 1820. MacPherson was eventually replaced as Rector in 1826 by Angus MacDonald, however the latter's death and subsequent crisis warranted his return in 1834. He died in 1846 and was succeeded by his Vice-Rector, Alexander Grant. Grant set about renovating the buildings, and began with the refurbishment of
Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi, reopened on
Saint Andrew's Day 1847.
John Henry Newman sang the High Mass of dedication. In 1861, funds given in compensation for the loss of the
Scots Monastery in Ratisbon made possible an entire reconstruction of the college itself. Demolition of the buildings began in 1864, and the new building was completed in 1869 under the direction of
Luigi Poletti. Busts of notable Scottish Catholics can still be seen on the façade of the building, including the last of the Stuarts,
Henry Cardinal Duke of York. The building was solemnly inaugurated on Saint Andrew's Day 1869. Mackintosh was succeeded as Rector by his Vice-rector, Father William Clapperton, who was to become another long term Rector and significant figure in the college's history. In the early years of his rector-ship he saw to the reconstruction of the college villa at
Marino as well as seeking the addition of a
spiritual director to the staff, and saw the rise of
Benito Mussolini in Italy - under whom the college building on the
Via Quattro Fontane was threatened by radical plans for the city. When Italy entered the
Second World War, Clapperton decided that staff and students should return home. Seminarians studying philosophy were sent to
Blairs College while those in theology were transferred to
St Peter's College, Bearsden. Clapperton was kept up to date with college affairs from his temporary posting in
Banff while an administrator managed it. Students and staff finally returned in 1946. On 14 April 2016, the community of the Scots College were granted a private audience with
Pope Francis at the Apostolic Palace to mark the 400th anniversary of its becoming a seminary. In 2017, seminarians from the college were invited to serve at the Easter Vigil at St. Peter's Basilica. After a 2020 review projected unaffordable upgrade costs for the Via Cassia seminary, the Scottish Bishops announced a plan to relocate to a more central location in Rome beginning in 2021. A temporary move was announced in May 2023 to the
Beda College in September 2023, until a permanent location is found. == Rectors ==