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 1997 Aerogramme On September 15, 1997, Vatican City issued the aerogramme shown above to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the opening of the first tuition-free public school in Europe. Saint Giuseppe Calasanzio (also known as San José de Calasanz), was born in Spain in 1557. He was ordained as a priest in 1583 and came to Rome in 1592, becoming a member of the Confraternity of the Holy Apostles and starting his mission of visiting the poor in the the districts of Rome. He would remain in Rome for the rest of his long life, until his death in 1648.  "San José de Calasanz" Painting by Francisco Jover y Casanova (circa 1879) From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain One day, he noticed a group of dirty, shabby boys playing in the streets, and he "suddenly understood the mission for which he had come to Rome from his distant homeland: the school". He gathered boys from the streets intent on providing religious and general schooling. However, he met with resistance since the existing school teachers were poorly paid and refused to accept any new students without remuneration. He approached the pastor of the Church of Santa Dorotea in Trastevere, who offered to provide two rooms just off of the parish sacristy for teaching space. He also promised to assist in teaching, and two other priests also joined the effort. On November 27, 1597, he opened what is now considered the first free public school in Europe. From these humble beginnings, it can be said that a 'peaceful social revolution' began: the extension of education and culture to the masses. Formal education, until that time, had been reserved for the rich and privileged. This event presaged the intervention of the state to provide free education by over 200 years. As stated by famed historian Ludvig von Pastor in his epic work History of the Popes, the opening of the school represented "the birth of the first tuition free public school in Europe". The link to the Vatican Notes article below provides some of the technical details on the aerogramme, as presented by Thomas Crimando in his 'New Issues' article from January, 1998. The postal indicium on the aerogramme, denominated at 900 lira, features a design with a stylized number "400" surrounded by the words: "1597-Calasanzio-1997: 400 Years of School for All". REFERENCES: |
