Destinations Menu
RSS
SPAIN | Salamanca, Spain Travel Guide
Friday, April 19, 2024
2 Of 6
La Universidad de Salamanca
La Universidad de Salamanca
Founded in the 13th century, Salamanca’s university was soon recognized as one of the world’s leading educational centers. Foreign rulers were known to defer to its faculty to settle disputes; those same professors foretold the wrath of inflation in Spain with the introduction of so much new wealth from the New World. Mathematical and scientific concepts were continually challenged and reinterpreted; and year after year illustrious students enrolled – Miguel de Unamuno, Fray Luis de León, St. Ignatius Loyola, Hernán Cortes, Lope de Vega and Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, to name a few.
Presided over by the statue of its beloved rector Fray Luis de León in the Plaza de las Escuelas, the Gothic university building you see today was constructed in the 15th century. Its beautiful façade, in the Salamanca plateresque style, was added in 1529. It is carved with three friezes (nearsighted folks will be pleased to realize that the arabesques increase in size as they ascend). The first, above the twin doors, depicts the Catholic monarchs embracing a single scepter, said to represent the unity of Spain; the inscription, engraved in Greek, reads: “The Monarchs for the University and the University for the Monarchs.” The second frieze showcases Emperor Carlos V’s coat of arms and the third frieze a pope, though no one knows exactly which pope.
Look around for the famous frog of Salamanca, senn at left. According to tradition it brings good luck to anyone who locates it. (Hint: look for the three skulls on the right side of the façade.)
The interior quadrangle accesses the original lecture halls. An ancient American sequoia grows in the center and a stone stairway carved with the tree of life leads to the classrooms, each named for one or another of the school’s notable intellectuals. There is the room of Francisco de Vitoria, founder of international law; the room of the philosopher Miguel de Unamuno; and the most interesting, the room once presided over by Fray Luis de León, poet and professor of humanities. While in the midst of a lecture, León was arrested and imprisoned under the auspices of the Inquisition for teaching with a Hebrew version of the bible. The room was not disturbed and hasn’t been since. According to tradition, León was released several years later, whereupon he returned to his classroom and began his lecture with the line, “As we were saying yesterday....”
The university’s vast library is also located in the quadrangle, though access is restricted to scholars in order to protect the 50,000 ancient volumes. Ironically, Spaniards charged with censoring potentially damaging texts during the Inquisition left many permanently defaced.
Explore the Destination
Amenities and Resources
Overview
Hotels(10)
Restaurants(7)
Attractions(12)
Activities(3)
Map 
Weather Forecast
- Reported on:
Fri, 04/19/2024 - 21:00
- Reported on:
Trending Themes:
Guides to Popular Ski Resorts
-
Ischgl is a small mountain village turned hip ski resort, with massive appeal among the party-hearty young crowds. It is... Read More
-
Andorra la Vella is its own little world, and not just because it’s a 290-square-mile independent principality (a fifth the... Read More
-
Bariloche (officially San Carlos de Bariloche) is the place to be seen. It is to Argentina what Aspen is to the... Read More
-
Aspen is America's most famous ski resort. And that's an understatement. For, as a ski complex, Aspen is unsurpassed. Its... Read More
-
Zermatt is a small but glamorous mountain resort town, with a population of approximately 5,700. It is one of Switzerland's... Read More
-
St. Moritz is a glitzy, alpine resort town in the celebrated Engadin Valley of Switzerland, with huge notoriety as the... Read More
-
Lake Tahoe is the premier lake resort of America, and the largest alpine lake in all of North America. It is an absolutely... Read More
-
St. Anton, Sankt Anton am Arlberg in German, is Austria's premier ski-bum resort! It's actually a small village cum... Read More
-
Kitzbühel, a small, Tyrolian resort town in the Kitzbüheler Alps, comes with international renown and huge snob appeal, and... Read More