International dispute breaks out in Rome over ownership of Spanish Steps and iconic churches

ROME – While Pope Francis was out of town in Asia and Oceania, a mini-tempest erupted in Rome after a French court appeared to assert that France, not Italy or the Vatican, actually owns not only the Church of the Trinità dei Monti in the city’s famed Piazza di Spagna, but also the famed 135-step adjoining staircase, referred to in Italian as the Scalinata but better known in English as the Spanish Steps.

To say the least, Italians did not react well to the suggestion that one of the most iconic sites actually belongs to a foreign state.

“It’s laughable,” wrote one prominent Italian politician on social media. “We will send experts to the Louvre to make an updated survey of the assets stolen from Italy throughout history, especially those of the 19th century or donated by geniuses who were perhaps forced to give up renowned works of art that made the Louvre the most visited museum in the world.”

The comments came in reaction to a ruling by France’s Cour des Comptes, essentially its chief auditing authority, regarding an institution called the Pieux établissements de la France a Rome, or “Pious Establishments of France in Rome.” It came after the court had dispatched inspectors to Rome to carry out an on-site evaluation.

Under a complicated series of international agreements, some reaching back to the 17^th century, France administers a total of 13 properties in Rome’s city center, all linked to France for various historical reasons. Five major churches are on that list, including not only the Trinità dei Monti but also San Francesco a Ripa, Santa Maria dell’Anima, San Claudio dei Francesci and the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, a major tourist destination because of the celebrated works by Caravaggio it contains.

The Spanish Steps, which are considered part of the grounds of the Church of Trinità dei Monti, are also among the properties run by the French foundation. Constructed between 1723 and 1725, the stairway was designed by a French architect and funded by King Louis XV of France.

In its ruling, the French court found serious difficulties in the financial administration of these properties by the Pieux établissements de la France a Rome, which is overseen by the French embassy to Italy, citing what the court called “opaque” decision-making, “numerous and obvious deficiencies” in maintenance and oversight, attributed in part to an “non-vigilant” embassy which permitted a “worrying delay in updating the inventory.”

The 107-page report from the court also cited cases of embezzlement as well as safety concerns and problems with procurement in several of the properties the foundation administers.

The court also objected to the fact that a structure linked to the Trinità dei Monti which was originally entrusted to a community of French nuns to run a school for girls is today occupied by an expensive private Italian school where only three percent of the student body comes from outside the country.

In a statement, the Pieux établissements de la France a Rome said that the complaints in the report referred largely to old problems which have since been remedied, and that today “purchases are conducted according to the rules, rents are set at market conditions, and a complete inventory is underway with the help of software.”

Legal experts cited in Italian media reports indicate that the historically French churches in Rome do not enjoy extra-territorial status in international law and therefore remain the property of either the Vatican or the Italian state, even if popes over the centuries have entrusted their care to priests and religious from France.

As a result, most observers believe that while the French court may be well within its powers to order an overhaul of the foundation which administers these properties, or to decree a transfer of that oversight to some other institution, it can’t actually assert French ownership of the properties, even if France did originally foot the bill.

At the moment, the Church of Trinità dei Monti is entrusted to religious of the Emmanuel Community, a Catholic group founded in France in 1972 which grew out of the charismatic movement.

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