Saint Isidore’s College was founded by the Irish Franciscan, Luke Wadding, in 1625 as a place where young Irish friars could study for the priesthood and where theological scholarship could be carried out. 
It was suppressed and taken over by the French revolutionary army in 1798-1800 and again in 1810 so that it was unavailable for Irish Franciscan students from 1798 to 1816. Most Irish Franciscan friars studying for the priesthood studied theology here through the last hundred years, apart from the period of World War II, 1939-1945.

The Church, dedicated to Saint Isidore, is the Irish National Church in Rome.

The College is now home to an international fraternity of OFM Franciscans. The College is one of several houses in Rome dependent on the Minister General of the Franciscan Order. It is the home of the Collegium Sancti Bonaventurae – International Center for Franciscan Studies and Research.

Friars in formation also form part of the community in St Isidore’s while attending colleges in the city.

The main activities of the community are research and scientific publication, the training of Irish friars in formation and the care of two major research libraries.

Check out - https://stisidoresrome.org/

Celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the College are planned throughout the year, including a symposium that will take place in May 2025. More details about this event will be announced later.