On 1 March 1290 the Portuguese King Dionysius of the House of Burgundy signed the contract for the foundation of the University, known as the "Scientiae thesaurus mirabilis" (admirable body of knowledge), which was to include the faculties of art, theology, canon law, civil law and medicine. This was confirmed by the papal bull "De statu regni Portugaliae" (The State of Portugal) on 9 August 1290 by Pope Nicholas IV. In the same year, construction began on the University, making it the oldest educational institution in Portugal and one of the oldest and most prestigious in the world, although it was first built in Lisbon, but was temporarily transferred to Coimbra on two occasions until 1377, and was not finally transferred to Coimbra until 1537, on the orders of King João III. In 2013 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university, where today 1,500 lecturers teach 22,000 students, forms a network called the Coimbra Group, together with 38 other traditional European multidisciplinary universities of high international standing. The large clock tower of the historic university buildings depicted on the coin dates from the 18th century and is considered an example of the late Baroque style of the time of João V. It is located at the highest point of the city and has become the symbol of Coimbra. |
