Didactic and Educational Pathways for the Sicilian élites (XVIIIth - XIXth Century)

The present work aims at offering an overview of the main educational and didactic institutions where most part of the Sicilian élite was educated in the time frame ranging from the second half of the XVIIIth century, immediately after the expulsion of the Company of Jesus from the island in November 1767, to the Italian Unification in 1861. In greater detail, the institutions here examined had been founded in Sicily either by the Bourbonic government, by religious congregations, by public corporations or by private citizens thanks to donations or charitable bequests. The research was carried out through the analysis of miscellaneous documents, both published and unpublished, kept in various Sicilian district archives as well as in the State Archive of Naples, such as: the instructions forwarded by “major” and “minor” royal institutes, by colleges or by private boarding Schools; the pertaining school curricula; the textbooks adopted throughout the years; the public end of the school’s pamphlets; a rich correspondence mainly including the applications sent by the aspiring students' fathers to school committees in the hope of having their heirs admitted. By means of examining the above-mentioned sources, this study intends to evaluate the didactic and educational pathways available in Sicily and to paint a picture of the different educational institutions operating on the Sicilian island, thus producing an “identikit” of the Sicilian ruling class between the XVIIIth and the XIXth century. A special focus has been put on the analysis of the schools specifically “designed” for the education of the élite in the three main Sicilian cities, namely Palermo, Catania and Messina, all hosting royal institutes, renowned academies and universities.