If a survey were carried out asking random people what they think was the first university in Spain, probably the majority of answers would be Salamanca, Valladolid or perhaps Madrid. But this is wrong, since it was the city of Palencia, in Castilla y León, which housed the first center of higher education at the beginning of the 13th century.
A little history…
In the year 1212, King Alfonso VIII of Castile granted official recognition to the Studivm Generale de Palencia, something that had already been granted in the ecclesiastical sphere in 1208. Thanks to this royal verification, it stood out as the first center of higher education recognized by the crown and, therefore, received an annual income for their maintenance. Something that had already happened in other European universities such as Oxford, Paris or Bologna.
Its origin dates back to the 12th century, when it was still considered a cathedral school but in which renowned personalities such as the Dominican Santo Domingo de Guzmán were trained.
Palencia students could take two types of teaching cycles: Trivivm (Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic) and Quadrivivm (Arithmetic, Astronomy, Geometry and Music) and graduate with degrees in Theology and Arts. This Studivm Generale from Palencia also stood out for having studies in law.
The reason why the University of Palencia is so little known as the first university is because it was not until 1263 when a papal bull recognized the Studivm as “official”, and by this time the university was in full decline and in the shadow of other institutions like Salamanca or Valladolid.
Its decline came hand in hand with the death of King Alfonso VIII in 1214, without having signed an express founding document, followed by the fact that his successor Alfonso IX decided to transfer the university to Salamanca in 1218.
In general, setting an exact date for the birth of these study centers is very problematic, according to experts, because they normally began to function informally and when the public authorities intervened to support them, they had already been acting for some time. Normally, the foundation date of these Studivm Generale is taken as the date of the first known document that refers to them, which does not usually coincide with their precise origins.
And now?
At present there is no remains of the historic building of the University of Palencia and there are various theories about its possible location, such as the Plaza de San Pablo or in the old Calle Mayor, axis of the medieval city. Currently, a sculptural group stands in the Plaza de San Pablo in homage to the primitive Palencia university.