Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare is a former pontifical university in Rome, named after St. Apollinaris of Ravenna. Its facilities are now occupied by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
Previously the premises was the site of the Palace of St. Apollinare. Around 1417, Martin V gave Cardinal Branda da Castiglione the use of the Palazzo di Sant'Apollinare in the Piazza Navona.[1] In 1455, Cardinal Guillaume d'Estouteville took up residence there, [2] and built the Church of S. Agostino just to the east.
In January 1574, Pope Gregory XIII granted the property to the Jesuits as the seat of the Collegium Germanicum. Founded by Ignatius Loyola, it is, after the Capranica, the the oldest college in Rome. The students studied at the Collegio Romano, founded by Ignatius in 1551. In 1575, Gregory gave the college charge of the services in the adjoining church of Sant'Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine. The Collegium Germanicus became well known for its music and drew large crowds to the church. In 1580, it merged with the Hungarian College.
Notable people who have attended include: