PORTUGAL, 2007, the finalists for the 7 wonders of Portugal
In the 2007 Seven Wonders of Portugal contest from an initial list of 793 entries 21 finalists were selected and commemorated on Portuguese stamps. The University of Coimbra, which though founded in 1290 has some Jesuit connection, was one of the 21 finalists. The stamps were issued on three mini sheets with seven stamps and a label on each sheet. The Coimbra stamp above shows the old section of the University with its clock tower, the Patio das Escolas or Royal Palace, and to their right the Via Latina, a wide balcony attached to the north face of the university palace.
PORTUGAL, 1972, bicentenary of the Pombalian Reform of the University
of Coimbra, Scott 1153-55
featuring Pombal, symbols of science, and the insignia of the University
Two of Ignatius' first companions, Simon Rodriguez and Francis Xavier, came to Portugal in 1540 on their way to the Indies. Their preaching while in Portugal so impressed King John III that he wanted to keep them there. Ignatius and the king compromised: Francis went on to India, Rodriguez and some other Jesuits in 1542 opened in Coimbra a "college" endowed by the king. This "college" was at first a residence for Jesuits who studied at the University of Coimbra, especially those preparing to go to the Indies. No classes or academic instruction was given at this "college." By 1544 Jesuits had seven such residential colleges but the one at Coimbra was the largest and most financially stable; it opened in 1542 with a dozen students and by 1546 had about 100.
In 1547 King John created the Royal College of Arts and Humanities at Coimbra because Portuguese candidates to the university did not have any place prepare for higher studies, a college whose quality of education was recognized in other countries. This college was staffed with quality teachers of grammar, language, history, geography and mathematics, rhetoric, the humanities, and philosophy. Initially it functioned independently of the University, but it eventually became a Faculty of the University and was confided to the direction of the Jesuits in 1555.
In 1561, it was decreed that no one could register in the University Faculty of Law without a certificate from this Jesuit College of the Arts. This effectively gave a monopoly on secondary education to the Jesuits, and gave them great influence within the University, influence that lasted until 1759 when Pombal banished the Jesuits from Portugal. More
The
University of Évora
PORTUGAL, 1959, the University's 4th centenary, Scott 857-59
The Universidade do Espírito Santo at Évora opened under the Jesuits on 1 November 1559 and closed after 200 years when in 1759 they were expelled from Portugal by the Marquês de Pombal. It reopened after more than two more centuries in 1973 so that what Portugal celebrated in 1959 was the 400th year from the foundation of the university, not 400 years of university existence. More