Academia Romana

semisecret society, Italy

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July 13, 2026

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The Academia Romana was a semi-secret society founded in Rome, Italy, around 1457 by the humanist Julius Pomponius Laetus. This society was dedicated to archaeological and antiquarian interests, and its members adopted pagan names to celebrate ancient Roman rites. The group's admiration for the ancient world led to a materialistic worldview that contrasted with Christian ideals, and they possibly aimed for revolutionary political reforms.1

Pope Paul II dissolved the Academia Romana in 1468, arresting its members, including Laetus. However, the society was reconstituted after Pope Sixtus IV came to power in 1471. The Academia Romana influenced a return to simpler poetic styles, inspiring similar groups in Italy.12

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Julius Pomponius Laetus
…in a semisecret society, the Academia Romana. The members, who changed their Christian names to pagan ones, met not only to discuss their antiquarian and archaeological interests but to celebrate, under the direction of Laetus as pontifex maximus, rites and mysteries of pagan Rome, such as the birth of Romulus…
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…in a semisecret society, the Academia Romana. The members, who changed their Christian names to pagan ones, met not only to discuss their antiquarian and archaeological interests but to celebrate, under the direction of Laetus as pontifex maximus, rites and mysteries of pagan Rome, such as the birth of Romulus…
Read More

theatre
Developments of the Renaissance
…humanist Julius Laetus at the Accademia Romana, a semisecret society he founded in the mid-15th century for the purpose of reviving classical ideals. In terms of staging, several medieval-type mansions were clustered to form a single large unit. There were, however, two elements not found previously. One was that the…
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…humanist Julius Laetus at the Accademia Romana, a semisecret society he founded in the mid-15th century for the purpose of reviving classical ideals. In terms of staging, several medieval-type mansions were clustered to form a single large unit. There were, however, two elements not found previously. One was that the…
Read More