Il Collegio di Spagna di Bologna come agente della diplomazia artistica spagnola (XVI - XVII secoli)

This study analyzes the role of the College of Spain in Bologna throughout the Early Modern period, highlighting its significance as a key actor in the city’s academic, political, and cultural life. Founded at the initiative of Cardinal Albornoz in 1364, the College of San Clemente consolidated its prestige through the success of its institutional model and its ability to articulate the Spanish presence in Bologna, becoming an essential point of reference for Hispanic representation in the Papal States. The research demonstrates how the College integrated into networks of power and court dynamics through its ties with the Spanish Crown, while also making use of the informal mechanisms typical of early modern diplomacy in order to operate effectively within this context. In this framework, artistic initiatives emerged as a fundamental instrument for projecting the institution’s prestige and defending national interests on the international stage. Shaped by the Bolognese cultural context, by Spanish interests, and by the College’s internal situation, the artistic policy of San Clemente developed around three main objectives: to exalt the Spanish nation and monarchy, to align the institution with the principles of the Counter-Reformation, and to assert its autonomy and institutional identity.