John Henry Newman's Second Journey to Rome: 1846-1847

John Henry Newman traveled to Rome a total of four times in his life. The first time was a voyage to the Mediterranean, along with Richard and Robert Froude. Fr. Joseph Elamparayil has traced Newman’s 1832–1833 journey in a four-part series: Part I: Background, Part II: Letters Home, Part III: Politics and Church Reform, and Part IV: Ecclesial Life beyond the Borders of Anglican Life. For interested Spanish speakers, Prof. Víctor García Ruiz, who was a visiting scholar at the National Institute for Newman Studies for a time, has published a book explaining Newman’s 1833 voyage entitled, John Henry Newman: el viaje al Mediterráneo de 1833 (Madrid: Ediciones Encuentro, 2019).

Newman traveled to Rome a second time, specifically for his seminary studies in preparation for his ordination as a Catholic priest. Arriving on 28 October 1846 with his friend Ambrose St. John, Newman embarked on his studies at the College of Propaganda Fide, which was located at a campus near the Spanish Steps. C. Michael Shea has published an excellent book, Newman’s Early Roman Catholic Legacy: 1845–1854 (OUP, 2017), that explains some of the historical and theological implications of his studies in Rome, especially pertaining to the reception of Newman’s newly composed Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine (1845).

Scholars are now able to walk with Newman step by step on his 1846 journey to Rome. Using the interactive map, it is now possible to read his letters, explore his personal diary entries, and experience what he experienced during his momentous excursion. Begin by clicking the interactive map on the NINS Digital Collections home page to review documents from each penned location.