Foundation for Religious Studies

The Foundation for Religious Studies (Fscire) is a National research infrastructure specialized in the history of Christianity and other religions. It was established in 1953 first as a library, then as a research institute, and was formally recognized in 1990 as a Foundation by a decree of the President of the Italian Republic.
As a private foundation, independent from Churches and universities, Fscire participates in and promotes cooperation with international research centers and networks. Fscire is the Project Coordinator of ReIReS, a starting community of twelve European institutions funded by the H2020 research and innovation program, and the Team Leader of Resilience, a project which is aimed at establishing a permanent European Research Infrastructure on Religious Studies.

Fscire hosts the UNESCO Chair in Religious Pluralism and Peace of the University of Bologna, which contributes to the dialogue between cultures and faith communities through the training of researchers, in the belief that peace for future generations can be constructed through historical research and true dialogue. Fscire is composed of a team of researchers and PhD students, the editorial team and the staff of the two libraries - one in Bologna (Giuseppe Dossetti Library on the history of Christianity), the other in Palermo (Giorgio La Pira Library and Research Center on the history and doctrines of Islam).

Courses open to international students