Study in Universidad de Alcalá
Last edited on 24 Apr 2024
Welcome to the University of Alcalá, a World Heritage Site, one of the oldest universities in Europe, which has its origins in the Studium Generale established in Alcalá de Henares on 20 May, 1293. In 1499, Cardinal Cisneros gave fresh impetus to these studies with the creation of a Colegio Mayor (the Colegio de San Ildefonso), and the University of Alcalá became one of the first examples of a university town.
Some of the greatest names in Spanish history and culture have passed through its classrooms, including Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, Francisco de Quevedo, Tirso de Molina, Fray Luis de Leon, Ignatius of Loyola, Juan de Mariana, Arias Montano, Ginés de Sepulveda, and Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, among others. Located about thirty kilometres from the centre of Madrid, the city of Alcalá de Henares is also known as the birthplace of Cervantes, the creator of the unforgettable Don Quixote de la Mancha.
