@Test public void listenersInApplicationContextWithNestedChild() { StaticApplicationContext context = new StaticApplicationContext(); RootBeanDefinition nestedChild = new RootBeanDefinition(StaticApplicationContext.class); nestedChild.getPropertyValues().add("parent", context); nestedChild.setInitMethodName("refresh"); context.registerBeanDefinition("nestedChild", nestedChild); RootBeanDefinition listener1Def = new RootBeanDefinition(MyOrderedListener1.class); listener1Def.setDependsOn(new String[] {"nestedChild"}); context.registerBeanDefinition("listener1", listener1Def); context.refresh(); MyOrderedListener1 listener1 = context.getBean("listener1", MyOrderedListener1.class); MyEvent event1 = new MyEvent(context); context.publishEvent(event1); assertTrue(listener1.seenEvents.contains(event1)); SimpleApplicationEventMulticaster multicaster = context.getBean( AbstractApplicationContext.APPLICATION_EVENT_MULTICASTER_BEAN_NAME, SimpleApplicationEventMulticaster.class); assertFalse(multicaster.getApplicationListeners().isEmpty()); context.close(); assertTrue(multicaster.getApplicationListeners().isEmpty()); }