Collegio Ghislieri, University of Pavia

Collegio Ghislieri, Universita di Pavia, 1571-85​

Image 1.  Interior courtyard. Photo: 7 July 2016. Source: Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Image 2. External view. Photo: Giorgio Gonnella, 30 August 2003. Source: Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Founded in 1567 by Pope Pio V Ghislieri, the college which bears his name was constructed between 1571 and 1585 by Pellegrino Tibaldi, one of the leading architects and painters of the time.  Its purpose was to prepare deserving young men lacking financial means for the responsibilities of government.  The austerity of the architecture suggests the serious purpose also expressed in its motto: 'Sapientia cum probitate morum coniuncta humanae mentis perfectio' ('Wisdom conjoined with moral integrity is the perfection of the human mind').