The University

The University of Santiago de Compostela was established as a Grammatic Academy in 1495 by Don Lope Gómez de Marzoa. It commemorated the 500th anniversary of its foundation in 1995 and upholds one of the most important academic traditions in Europe.

Don Diego de Muros III, dean of the school in 1501, brought further distinction to the institution, which was definitively consolidated by Pope Julius II with his Papel Bull in 1504.
1555 saw the founding of three new faculties: Theology, Canon Law and Arts. Then in the 17th century, after many requests from the city authorities, schools of Medicine and Law were added.

In fact the 17th century was a time of change for the University of Santiago. It broke free of control by the religious orders, while losing part of its autonomy to the centralizing forces of the Spanish Crown. It was during this period that Charles III granted it the title of Regia (Regal).

The end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th was a period of continuity and progress for the university, with the addition of the school of Experimental Physics and of Chemistry.

The first third of the 20th century produced a generation of intellectuals who were closely allied to the university. They formed the core of a renaissance in the cultural life of Galicia. At the same time modern currents of thought began to find acceptance in the country.

The second half of the 20th century brought changes both qualitative and quantitative to this 500 year-old university. The number of students increased dramatically, together with an expansion both in schools and in courses offered.

Since 1994, the so-called Compostela Group has formed part of the fifty-seven European universities located along the secular Way to Santiago, who by means of mutual cooperation, organization of shared events and the promotion of mobility, seek to further the exchange of ideas, knowledge and experiences.