Real Universidad de San Felipe
The Real Universidad de San Felipe (German: Royal Saint Philipps University ) was the first university in Chile with a comprehensive range of subjects when it was founded in Santiago de Chile in 1747 . It is the direct forerunner of the Universidad de Chile .
history
First universities as precursors
Education and schooling in Chile, as in all of South America, were for a long time in the hands of religious communities . The first approaches for universities were reserved for the churches. In the Dominican - Convention of Santiago in 1622 that originated Universidad de Santo Tomás with chairs of theology and liberal arts , which for the first time further qualifications for the candidate of the clergy offered and colonial administration. In 1623 the Jesuits followed with the Convictorio Francisco Javier , a convict at which priests in particular were trained as missionaries for the Indian missions.
The need of the growing colony for knowledge transfer and professional qualifications went far beyond what the monks could offer. In 1713 the Alcalde (Mayor) of Santiago turned to the city council with a proposal to propose to the king that a university be founded. In 1724 an envoy was named to present the project to the court. In 1727 an envoy went to Spain to initiate the establishment of a mint ( La Moneda ) and a university. On July 28, 1738, King Philip V decided to found a comprehensive university and revoked the religious convents' right to award academic degrees and titles.
founding
The actual founding dragged on for a number of years: in 1747, the envoy Tomás da Azúa was elected the first rector. This day is considered the founding date of the university. Teaching started on January 9, 1758 - another 11 years later. The university (similar to the universities founded at the same time in Lima and Mexico City ) should consist of the faculties of theology , philosophy , law , medicine and mathematics . There were eleven chairs. Fixed chairs existed for theology, canonical and secular law, and medicine. There were temporary chairs for mathematics, rhetoric and languages, including one for Mapuche .
In contrast to the religious colleges, the course was subject to a fee. The university building was ready for occupancy in 1764.
During independence
In 1813, José Miguel Carrera founded the republican and secular Instituto Nacional to compete with the university's Spanish and ecclesiastical institution.
This was followed by changes in the wake of the War of Independence and the country's independence from 1818: the university dropped the addition of "royal" (Spanish: Real ). From 1835 it was called Universidad de San Felipe de la Republica de Chile .
Replacement by the Universidad de Chile
On April 17, 1839, the Minister of Education Mariano Egaña ordered the closure of the university and the establishment of a Universidad de Chile in its place, which was supposed to better meet the educational goals and requirements of the republican society of the time.
Graduates
More than a thousand graduates from southern South America passed through the Real Universidad de San Felipe , including many leading political figures in Chile, such as the future President Manuel Montt Torres .