La pia scuola serale di Bergamo alta (1796-1940)

Father Luigi Mozzi, a former Jesuit, opened a night school of charity in Bergamo high city in 1796. It was the first night school for poor young workers and craftsmen in Italy and also in Europe. It was closed suddenly the following year, after the Napoleonic invasion; it was reopened only in 1814, thanks to the efforts of the priests Giuseppe Benaglio and Marco Celio Passi. In 1845, the school was placed in the cloister of Seminarino and had nearly 200 students each year. In the first six grades, young students could learn writing, reading and also counting, helped by some members of the S. Louis congregation. In the seventh grade, they were introduced to the practice of technical and artistic drawing. After the unification of Italy, the night school of charity maintained only the seventh grade, as post-primary school aimed at vocational training of young people. There was a strong competition with other vocational courses organized in Bergamo by state schools, professional associations or entrepreneurs. In 1919, also Aldo Agazzi attended the night school of charity; after some years, he returned to the school working as a teacher of seventh grade. That experience made him realize the importance and the richness of popular education. The night school of charity was closed permanently in 1940.