| Universidad de Sevilla | |
 | |
| Established | 1505 |
| Type | Public |
| Students | 73,350 |
| Location | Seville, Andalucia, Spain |
| Website | Official Website |
The Universidad de Sevilla or University of Seville, in English, is a top-ranked European university in Seville, Spain. Founded under the name of Colegio Santa María de Jesús in 1505, the University of Seville, with a student body of over 50,000, is one of the top-ranked universities in the country. It is located in the 2,000-year old artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir. The building itself dates back to the 15th century when the Catholic Kings recovered the area from the Moors, a history reflected in its architecture. It is located centrally in the city next to the prestigious Hotel Alfonso XIII which hosts Europe's royalty and international celebrities.
History
The University of Seville is steeped in history and is one of the most important cultural centers in Spain, dating back to the 15th century when the Catholic Kings recovered the area from the Moors. It was originally the Colegio de Santa Maria de Jesus which had been created by Arcediano Maese Rodrigo Fernandez de Santaella and was confirmed as a practising university in 1555 by the papal bull of Pope Julius II. Today, the University of Seville is well known for its vital research in Technology and Science which not only aids the development of science as a whole but, more importantly, enriches and develops not only the culture of Seville but all of Andalusia..
In the middle of the thirteenth century the Dominicans, in order to prepare missionaries for work among the Moors and Jews, organized schools for the teaching of Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek. To co-operate in this work and to enhance the prestige of Seville, Alfonso the Wise in 1254 established in that city "general schools" (escuelas generales) of Arabic and Latin. Alexander IV, by Bull of 21 June 1260, recognized this foundation as a generale litterarum studium and granted its members certain dispensations in the matter of residence. Later, the cathedral chapter established ecclesiastical studies in the College of San Miguel. Rodrigo de Santaello, archdeacon of the cathedral and commonly known as Maese Rodrigo, began the construction of a building for a university in 1472; in 1502 the Catholic Majesties published the royal decree creating the university, and in 1505 Julius II granted the Bull of authorization; in 1509 the college of Maese Rodrigo was finally installed in its own building, under the name of Santa María de Jesús, but its courses were not opened until 1516. The Catholic Majesties and the pope granted the power to confer degrees in logic, philosophy, theology, and canon and civil law. It should be noted that the colegio mayor de Maese Rodrigo and the university proper, although housed in the same building, never lost their several identities, as is shown by the fact that, in the eighteenth century, the university was moved to the College of San Hermanegildo, while that of Maese Rodrigo remained independent, although languishing.
Influence
The influence of the University of Seville, from the ecclesiastical point of view, though not equal to that of the Universities of Salamanca and of Alcalá, was nevertheless considerable. From its lecture halls came Sebastián Antonio de Cortés, Riquelme, Rioja, Luis Germán y Ribón, founder of the Horatian Academy, Juan Sánchez, professor of mathematics at San Telmo, Martín Alberto Carbajal, Cardinal Belluga, Cardinal Francisco Solis Folch, Marcelo Doye y Pelarte, Bernardo de Torrijos, Francisco Aguilar Ribon, the Abate Marchena, Alberto Lista, and many others who shone in the magistracy, or were distinguished ecclesiastics. The influence of the University of Seville on the development of the fine arts, was very great. In its shadow the school of the famous master Juan de Mal Lara was founded, and intellects like those of Herrera, Arguijo, and many others were developed, while there were formed literary and artistic clubs, like that of Pacheco, which was a school for both painting and poetry. During the period of secularization and sequestration (1845–57) the University of Seville passed into the control of the State and received a new organization. At present it comprises the faculties of philosophy and letters, law, sciences, and medicine, with an enrolment (1910) of 1100 students.
At the same time that the royal university was established, there was developed the Universidad de Mareantes (university of sea-farers), in which body the Catholic Majesties, by a royal decree of 1503, established the Casa de Contratación with classes of pilots and of seamen, and courses in cosmography, mathematics, military tactics, and artillery. This establishment was of incalculable importance, for it was there that the expeditions to the Indies were organized, and there that the great Spanish sailors were educated. This species of polytechnic school, which, according to Eden, Bourné, and Humboldt, taught a great deal to Europe, following the fortunes of Spanish science, fell into decay in the seventeenth century. .
Equality, Liberty, Justice and Pluralism
The university takes pride in its self-government and independence but, above all, in its ability to provide a service at such a high standard due to the calibre of the professors and lecturers that teach there. This motivation is reflected in their ancient motto with the four qualities that the university lives by:`Equality, Liberty, Justice and Pluralism´. This motto applies to both teaching and learning but above all, the progress made in science, technology and culture.
At present, the university's main aim is to continue with the innovations developed in the scientific and technological fields as they look towards the future with a new and exciting perspective. This is reflected by the number of degrees offered; students attending the university have the choice of 65 different subjects and one of the widest ranges of academic and sporting facilities in Spain, making it a very popular university for both Spanish and international students.
In 2004 it had 73,350 students scattered around different campuses, being the second Spanish presential university by number of students.
Organization
It comprises
- Governed by the Department Council (Consejo de Departamento): The Departments
- Governed by Centre Council (Junta de Centro): consists of
- Faculties,
- Technical Sciences Schools (Escuelas Técnicas Superiores), and
- University Schools (Escuelas Universitarias).
The main building of University of Seville is known as the "Old Tobacco Factory", because of the building's original use. Built in the 18th century, Seville's tobacco factory was the largest industrial building in the world at that time and it remained a tobacco factory until the 1950s. This beautiful building is also the setting for the very well-known opera by Bizet, Carmen. Carmen was a fictional worker in the tobacco factory, the original story being a novella by Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée. This building houses two of the university's faculties: the School of Literature & Philology and the School of Geography & History.
Other Faculties are located throughout Seville, including the Health Science schools in La Macarena, the Business School in Nervion, the Engineering School and School of Communications in La Cartuja and its Languages Institute Instituto de Idiomas and Science Schools in Reina Mercedes.
The City of Sevilla
Seville is more than 2,000 years old. The passage of the various civilizations, instrumental in its growth, has left the city a distinct personality, and a large and well-preserved historical centre. Although with a strong medieval, renaissance and baroque heritage, the city received heavy influences from Arabic culture, which can be seen in the most famous monuments and places in the capital of Andalucia, the cultural and financial centre of southern Spain. A city of just over 700,000 inhabitants (1.6 million in the metropolitan area, making it Spain's 4th largest city), Seville has much to offer the traveller.
The city is situated on the banks of the smooth, slow Guadalquivir River, which divides the city into two halves: Sevilla and Triana. The river head is located much further West, and its basin is very large. The river mouth is in Sanlúcar de Barrameda and crosses the Doñana National Park (one of the most important wetlands in Europe, breeding ground to many species of birds). The Guadalquivir (known as Betis by the Romans and as Betik Wahd-Al-Khabir by the Arabs) has had a major impact in the history of the city. The location of Sevilla is roughly coincident with the point where the Guadalquivir stops being useful for navigation. It is at this point that the cereal producing region of the Guadalquivir Valley starts, and Sevilla has acted as a seaport for commerce of agricultural goods produced further West. Intense trade existed in the area from Roman times, continued under Muslim rule, and exploded as Seville monopolized the new trade with the Americas. As the monopoly was broken Cádiz largely took Seville's place, the city entered a period of relative decline.
Seville has played host to two international exhibitions - the Ibero-American Exhibition in 1929 and the International Exposition in 1992.
Inhabitants of the city are known as Sevillanos .
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