History
Kassianeum – holidays within historical walls
The building that now houses the Kassianeum facilities has a history that spans hundreds of years. It was built next to the cloister in 1756 to accommodate students who sang in the Bressanone Cathedral choir and was named after Saint Kassian – patron saint of the Bolzano-Bressanone diocese and bishop of Imola. According to legend, Kassian was the first bishop of Sabiona before dying a martyr in 304. Bressanone still keeps his memory alive each year on the second Sunday after Easter ("Kassian Sunday"), when a relic of Saint Kassian is carried in procession through the historical centre. The relic has been kept in Bressanone Cathedral for 300 years. Around the year 1600, the building housed the Bressanone seminary. It was transformed into a Royal Institute of Education by the Bavarians in 1808, and one year later it served as barracks.
In 1835, Kassianeum was reorganised and run as a students’ hostel until 1983. In the mid-1980s, the province of Bolzano rented the listed premises and converted them. The management of Kassianeum was transferred to the homonymous association, and the Kassianeum Youth Centre was created, together with the Jukas Educational Centre, the Kass Youth Centre and the Bressanone Youth Hostel.