Roman Academy

Society of scholars established in Rome in the late 1450s. It was founded by Pomponio Leto with the aim of promoting the study of all aspects of classical Roman culture. Suspicious of its activities, Pope Paul II closed the Academy in 1468, but it was soon reopened under Sixtus V. It was finally dissolved after the sack of Rome 1527.

Its fame spread all over Europe, but its enthusiasm for all things Roman, including pagan rituals, caused Pope Paul II to accuse the Academy of trying to undermine the Church. He imprisoned and even tortured its leading members and ordered its closure. Leto, however, escaped serious punishment. Later it was revived and two popes – Julius II and Leo X – were among its members.