Scholae de litteris latinis: courses on ancient, Christian, medieval and humanistic Latin literature, and on Roman daily life
Non […] tam praeclarum est scire Latine quam turpe nescire.
Cicero, Brutus, 140.
In January we’ll continue our series of courses of Latin and Greek. They’ll be followed by other courses courses in April.
For now, you can register for the following courses (which have a limited number of participants):
Latin language: elementary (A1, A2), intermediate (B1, B2, B3) and advanced level (C1.1, C1.2);
Latin composition: elementary (A1, A2), intermediate (B1, B2, B3) and advanced level (C1.1, C1.2);
Christian Latin literature: for students at advanced level (C1 and C2);
Medieval Latin literature: for students at advanced level (C1 and C2);
Latin literature of the Renaissance: for students at advanced level (C1 and C2);
Roman life under emperor Claudius: for students at advanced level (C1 and C2);
Greek language: elementary (A2.1) and intermediate level (B1.2 and B3).
How to apply
The applications will close no later than December the 21st, but they might close even earlier if the maximum number of applicants is reached. So apply sooner rather than later!
To apply you must fill out the form at the bottom of the page. Upon receiving the application, you’ll be provided all the details needed to make the bank transfer.
The application will be valid the moment the deposit is received, provided this happens within ten days after the form is sent.
All those who register for two or more of the courses above (for the period January-March 2026), all those who have taken part in at least one course held from October to December 2025, and all those who are under 21 years of age at the time of registration, will receive a discount of 10%. The discounts are not combinable.
CHRISTIAN LATIN LITERATURE
In this course we will cover Christian Latin literature from the fourth to the sixth centuriy, with a particular focus on biography − including the lives of saints Martin and Hilarion − and on homiletics, examining Caesarius of Arles’s Sermones ad populum and Gregory the Great’s Homiliae in Euangelia.
A course tailored for you
The course will be entirely in Latin: participants will listen, speak, read and write. An advanced knowledge of the Latin language is required.
We want everybody to take an active part in our lessons; that’s why, each group will be composed of no more than ten participants.
Dates of the course
The course will be held from the 7th of January to the 11th of March (ten 75-minute lessons: one per week).
All lessons will be held on Zoom, every Wednesday: they will begin at 5:30 p. m., Rome time (UTC + 2).
Should you be unable to attend a lesson, the Schola Latina will be glad to provide you with a video recording.
To help participants to meet and make friends, we’ll form some groups on Whatsapp or similar platforms.
Teaching material and course programme
For the study of these authors and the important historical issues concerning the early centuries of Christianity, the following textbooks are recommended:
− Moreschini-Norelli, Manuale di letteratura cristiana antica greca e latina, Morcelliana, Brescia, 1999.
− Simonetti-Prinzivalli, Storia della letteratura cristiana antica, EDB, Bologna, 2010.
− Young-Ayres-Louth, The Cambridge history of early Christian literature, Cambridge University Press, 2008.
− Quasten, Patrology, vol. 1: The beginnings of patristic literature, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame (Indiana), 1983.
During the lessons we will read and discuss selected passages from Sulpicius Severus’s Vita Martini, Jerome’s Vita Hilarionis, Caesarius of Arles’s Sermones ad populum, and Gregory the Great’s Homiliae in Euangelia. All texts and necessary materials will be provided by the teacher. As for critical editions with commentary, these can be recommended by the instructor to anyone who is interested.
Teacher
The teacher will be Mr Luciano Romano.
Cost of the course
The course costs 175 euros.
All those who register for two or more of our courses (for the period January-March 2026), all those who have taken part in at least one course held from October to December 2025, and all those who are under 21 years of age at the time of registration, will receive a discount of 10%. The discounts are not combinable.
How to apply
The applications will close no later than December the 21st, but they might even close before that deadline, if the maximum number of applicants is reached. So apply sooner rather than later!
To apply, it is required to fill out the form at the bottom of the page. Upon receiving the application, you will be provided all details needed to make the bank transfer.
The application will be kept valid the moment the deposit is received, provided this happens within ten days after the sending of the form.
In short:
Language of the course: Latin
Level of knowledge of the language: advanced (C1 or C2)
Maximum number of participants per group: 10
Date of beginning: the 7th of January
Duration of the course: 10 75-minute lessons, every Wednesday for 10 weeks
Teacher: Luciano Romano
Cost of the course: 175 euros
MEDIEVAL LATIN LITERATURE
In this course, we will focus on some of the works of significant figures in medieval historiography (e.g. Gregory of Tours, Bede the Venerable, Otto of Freising and others), the diversity and importance of this genre for medieval society, and our perception of the Middle Ages as a historical epoch.
A course tailored for you
The course will be entirely in Latin: participants will listen, speak, read and write. An advanced knowledge of the Latin language is required.
We want everybody to take an active part in our lessons; that’s why, each group will be composed of no more than ten participants.
Dates of the course
The course will be held from the 5th of January to the 9th of March (ten 75-minute lessons: one per week).
All lessons will be held on Zoom, every Monday: they will begin at 7 p. m., Rome time (UTC + 2).
Should you be unable to attend a lesson, the Schola Latina will be glad to provide you with a video recording.
To help participants to meet and make friends, we’ll form some groups on Whatsapp or similar platforms.
Teaching material and course programme
There aren’t many histories of medieval Latin literature, in Latin or in another language, to be found and consulted for free on the Internet.
By way of example we’ll list just a few books, then, that handle the chief medieval authors: some of these have been translated into other languages.
– Curtius, Ernst Robert: Europäische Literatur und lateinisches Mittelalter, Tübingen und Basel, Francke Verlag, 19481.
– D’Angelo, Edoardo: Storia della letteratura mediolatina, Montella, Accademia Vivarium novum, 20041.
– Harrington, K. P.: Medieval Latin, Chicago-London, The University of Chicago Press, 19622.
– Leonardi, Claudio et al.: Letteratura latina medievale (secoli VI-XV), Firenze, Sismel-Edizioni del Galluzzo, 20021.
In any case, whatever book is found in print can work.
During the classes, we will read and discuss selected passages from Gregory of Tours’s Historia Francorum, from Bede’s Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, from Otto of Freising’s Chronica de duabus civitatibus etc. All texts and necessary materials will be provided by the teacher. As for critical editions with commentary, these may be suggested by the teacher to those interested.
Teacher
The teacher will be Mr Jiří A. Čepelák.
Cost of the course
The course costs 175 euros.
All those who register for two or more of our courses (for the period January-March 2026), all those who have taken part in at least one course held from October to December 2025, and all those who are under 21 years of age at the time of registration, will receive a discount of 10%. The discounts are not combinable.
How to apply
The applications will close no later than December the 21st, but they might even close before that deadline, if the maximum number of applicants is reached. So apply sooner rather than later!
To apply, it is required to fill out the form at the bottom of the page. Upon receiving the application, you will be provided all details needed to make the bank transfer.
The application will be kept valid the moment the deposit is received, provided this happens within ten days after the sending of the form.
In short:
Language of the course: Latin
Level of knowledge of the language: advanced (C1 or C2)
Maximum number of participants per group: 10
Date of beginning: the 5th of January
Duration of the course: 10 75-minute lessons, every Tuesday for 10 weeks
Teacher: Jiří A. Čepelák
Cost of the course: 175 euros
LATIN LITERATURE OF THE RENAISSANCE
This course will be entirely dedicated to Erasmus of Rotterdam, an author who embodied the main ideas and trends of the Renaissance.
A course tailored for you
The course will be entirely in Latin: participants will listen, speak, read and write. An advanced knowledge of the Latin language is required.
We want everybody to take an active part in our lessons; that’s why, each group will be composed of no more than ten participants.
Dates of the course
The course will be held from the 7th of January to the 11th of March (ten 75-minute lessons: one per week).
All lessons will be held on Zoom, every Wednesday: they will begin at 7:15 p. m., Rome time (UTC + 2).
Should you be unable to attend a lesson, the Schola Latina will be glad to provide you with a video recording.
To help participants to meet and make friends, we’ll form some groups on Whatsapp or similar platforms.
Teaching material and course programme
This course will be dedicated to a single author who embodied the main ideas and trends of the Renaissance, a writer who worked in various genres and on diverse themes, who joked and castigated, taught and complained, argued and admired. Come read Erasmus! We will explore his life, main works, his circle, and his impact on Renaissance.
The passages will be provided by the teacher during the lessons.
Teacher
The teacher will be Natalija Čepeláková.
Cost of the course
The course costs 175 euros.
All those who register for two or more of our courses (for the period January-March 2026), all those who have taken part in at least one course held from October to December 2025, and all those who are under 21 years of age at the time of registration, will receive a discount of 10%. The discounts are not combinable.
How to apply
The applications will close no later than December the 21st, but they might even close before that deadline, if the maximum number of applicants is reached. So apply sooner rather than later!
To apply, it is required to fill out the form at the bottom of the page. Upon receiving the application, you will be provided all details needed to make the bank transfer.
The application will be kept valid the moment the deposit is received, provided this happens within ten days after the sending of the form.
In short:
Language of the course: Latin
Level of knowledge of the language: advanced (C1 or C2)
Maximum number of participants per group: 10
Date of beginning: the 7th of January
Duration of the course: 10 75-minute lessons, every Wednesday for 10 weeks
Teacher: Natalija Čepeláková
Cost of the course: 175 euros
ROMAN LIFE UNDER EMPEROR CLAUDIUS
In this course, we will explore how ancient authors portrayed Claudius and his family, especially his wives (Messalina, Agrippina, etc.), and what their accounts reveal about Roman politics, culture, and everyday life.
A course tailored for you
The course will be entirely in Latin: participants will listen, speak, read and write. An advanced knowledge of the Latin language is required.
We want everybody to take an active part in our lessons; that’s why, each group will be composed of no more than ten participants.
Dates of the course
The course will be held from the 9th of January to the 13th of March (ten 75-minute lessons: one per week).
All lessons will be held on Zoom, every Friday: they will begin at 7:15 p. m., Rome time (UTC + 2).
Should you be unable to attend a lesson, the Schola Latina will be glad to provide you with a video recording.
To help participants to meet and make friends, we’ll form some groups on Whatsapp or similar platforms.
Teaching material and course programme
In this course, we will explore how ancient authors portrayed Claudius and his family, especially his wives (Messalina, Agrippina, etc.), and what their accounts reveal about Roman politics, culture, and everyday life. Together we will read and discuss selections from prose, poetry, and inscriptions about incredible cruelty and comic absurdities, about mad luxury and unrestrained vice, about betrayals, conspiracies, entertainments, and love: everything that makes up the vivid picture of the age.
The passages will be provided by the teacher during the lessons.
Teacher
The teacher will be Natalija Čepeláková.
Cost of the course
The course costs 175 euros.
All those who register for two or more of our courses (for the period January-March 2026), all those who have taken part in at least one course held from October to December 2025, and all those who are under 21 years of age at the time of registration, will receive a discount of 10%. The discounts are not combinable.
How to apply
The applications will close no later than December the 21st, but they might even close before that deadline, if the maximum number of applicants is reached. So apply sooner rather than later!
To apply, it is required to fill out the form at the bottom of the page. Upon receiving the application, you will be provided all details needed to make the bank transfer.
The application will be kept valid the moment the deposit is received, provided this happens within ten days after the sending of the form.
In short:
Language of the course: Latin
Level of knowledge of the language: advanced (C1 or C2)
Maximum number of participants per group: 10
Date of beginning: the 9th of January
Duration of the course: 10 75-minute lessons, every Friday for 10 weeks
Teacher: Natalija Čepeláková
Cost of the course: 175 euros
About us
To find out how a host of people, from all ages, felt about our courses, click here.