- Joseph of Calasanz, of Aragonese origin, had a long, full life (b. Peralta de la Sal, 1557 – d. Rome, 1648) which he dedicated to the education of the young.
- Deeply moved by the pitiful situation of the children in the poor quarters of Rome, he founded, in the church of Santa Dorotea in Rome, in 1607, what has been defined as “the first public, popular and free school in Europe”: the Pious Schools. His educational philosophy is summarized in his motto “Piety and Learning” which in the present day would be “Faith and Knowledge”.
- The centre of his educational ideas was respect for each child’s personality, seeing Christ’s image in them.
- He tried to cover the physical and spiritual needs of the children in his care through the “pious schools”.
- Calasanz was a friend of Galileo, therefore he was a pioneer in introducing and giving importance to the teaching of science and mathematics to children.
- In order to continue and go more deeply into his educational work, he founded the Order of the Pious Schools, a religious order whose members, called Escolapios or Piarists, profess four vows: poverty, chastity, obedience and dedication to the education of children.
- Opposition and all kinds of difficulties almost wrecked his work, but Calasanz kept on trusting and hoping, stubbornly and patiently, against all evidence to the contrary, that his schools would become more widespread and efficient.
- Events have shown that his ideas were not the ramblings of an old dreamer but the vision of a prophet, a witness close to God’s heart. He was canonized in 1767.
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