Russian College Founded in Rome, 1929

The Collegium Russicum (Pontificium Collegium Russicum or Pontifical Russian College) is a Catholic college in Rome dedicated to studies of the culture and spirituality of Russia. It is located near the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, separated from the Pontifical Oriental Institute by the Church of Saint Antony, and is known informally as the Russicum. It was founded on August 15, 1929 by Pope Pius XI, who was moved by the large flow of immigrants from Bolshevik Russia and the persecution of Christianity in that country. The money for the college building and its reconstruction was taken from an aggregate of charity donations from faithfull all over the world on the occasion of the canonization of St. Thérèse de Lisieux. The Collegium Russicum is run by the Society of Jesus and provides education and accommodation for Roman Catholic and Orthodox students.
(From Wikipedia)