The University of Naples “L’Orientale” has a rich history that begins with the foundation of the Chinese College, established by Matteo Ripa, an Italian priest and missionary. Ripa, who had spent more than a decade (1711-1723) at the court of the Manchurian emperor Kangxi, returned to Naples in 1724 bringing with him four Chinese youths and a fellow countryman, who was a Mandarin teacher. This group formed the core of what would later become the institution.
In 1732, Pope Clement XII officially recognized the Chinese College through a papal brief, with the aim of providing religious education and preparing Chinese youths for priesthood, so they could later return to China as missionaries. The College purpose expanded to training interpreters and specialists in the languages of India and China, who would assist the Ostend Company in its efforts to promote trade between the Far East and the Habsburg Empire, which included Naples.
The College also served as a boarding school for Neapolitan youth, offering education to the city young men, among them notable figures like Saint Alfonso Maria de’ Liguori and the venerable Gennaro Sarnelli. By 1747, the institution began admitting students from the Ottoman Empire, including Albanians, Bosnians, and other ethnic groups, with the goal of educating them for missionary work in their home countries.
From 1736 until 1888, the educational responsibilities were overseen by the Congregation of the Holy Family of Jesus Christ, a group of secular priests. In 1868, after the Unification of Italy, the Chinese College was renamed the Royal Asiatic College, which had two main sections: one focused on missionary work, and the other on teaching East Asian languages to young laymen. Even before educational reforms introduced by Francesco De Sanctis in 1878, the College already offered courses in Arabic and Russian.
With De Sanctis’ reforms, the curriculum expanded to include Hindi, Urdu, Persian, and modern Greek. In December 1888, a law transformed the Royal Asiatic College into the Oriental Institute, ending the missionary focus and elevating the institution to university status. The former College now became a secondary school.
Today, the University of Naples “L’Orientale” stands as the oldest institution for Sinology and Oriental studies in Europe. It has been teaching Mandarin Chinese since 1724, and Hindi and Urdu since 1878. Presently, the university specializes in linguistic, literary, and historical disciplines related to the Orient and Africa, while also maintaining a focus on Mediterranean, European, and American cultures.
