Convictorio Carolino

Convictorio Carolino

Former names	Royal Noble Seminary of Saint Charles
Active	1778–1813
Founders	Melchor de Santiago Concha Gabriel de Egaña José Perfecto de Salas () Agustín de Jáuregui
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
Location	Santiago, Chile
Merged into the National Institute

The Convictorio Carolino was a school which operated in Santiago in colonial Chile. Some of the most important figures in the Chilean War of Independence were educated there.

The Convictorio was very strict, and boarders were subject to rigid rules of conduct. Subjects taught there included Latin, theology, philosophy, social conduct, and Spanish language fundamentals.

The existence of the College was fundamental to the development of education at the time, as it was one of the few Chilean educational institutions in operation. In 1813 it was integrated into the nascent National Institute, which retained the same rector, and continues to uphold its academic standards to this day.

In the mid-18th century there were only two boarding schools in the Captaincy General of Chile – the Convictorio of San Francisco Javier and another in Concepción – both of the Jesuits. Two other schools – Colegio del Santo Ángel de la Guarda (a theological seminary maintained by the Dominicans) and the Royal University of San Felipe – are not generally considered to be in the same category since the seminary was confined to those pursuing a career in the priesthood, and the University was focused on bachelor's degree programs.

The Convictorio of San Francisco Javier, a direct predecessor of the Convictorio Carolino, had a small number of students and a dilapidated building at the time. In 1767, King Charles III decreed the expulsion of the Jesuits from the dominions of the Spanish Empire. When this took effect in the Captaincy General of Chile, it interrupted classes. This greatly worried members of the government, because in order to receive some level of education, young people had to travel to the National University of San Marcos in Lima or to Córdoba del Tucumán in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.