Las Scuole Leopoldine de Florencia (1778-1976): Enseñanza y Funcionamiento

This work focuses on the study of the four schools for povere zitelle (girls from low-income families) that were founded by Peter Leopold of Habsburg-Lorraine (1747-1792) in Florence between 1778 and 1781, when he was the Grand Duke of Tuscany. They were named Scuole Leopoldine (Leopoldine Schools) after him and were evidence of his reforming policy, as he was one of the emblematic figures of the enlightened reform. The schools were located in each of the four historic quarters of the city: Santa Caterina school (via delle Ruote), the first in opening its doors on 1 June 1778; San Salvadore school (via di Camaldoli), which started functioning on 1780; San Giorgio school (Corso dei Tintori, numbers 36 and 36ª), which was created in the summer of 1780; and San Paolo school (piazza Santa Maria Novella), which opened up on 19 March 1781. This paper is based on consulting the documentary resources on the Scuole Leopoldine held in the Archivio Storico del Comune in Florence. Specifically, the analysis focuses on the training programme implemented by the Grand Duke in these centres, where girls could receive free primary education and train on hand needlework to build a future through a profession (which gave these schools a practical and functional purpose). The transformation of this institution, which remained until 1976, at an organisational and administrative level, is also examined.