The Juries
of València -registered and organic government institution created
by King Jaume I in 1245 with the aim of administering, governing and
ruling the city of València- compiled the studies dependent
on the city and the church at the beginning of the 15th century, but 
they
were separated again in 1416.This wish of the Juries to unify the
higher studies of València in one place only would come true
decades after. In 1498, Pere Compte, architect of well-known Valencian
works such as Palau de la Generalitat (local government building) or
La Lonja (the silk exchange) was appointed to adapt the buildings where
the General Study is located nowadays, at Carrer de la Nave.
On 30th April 1499, the "Constitutions" were published, drawn up after
a request by the Council of València. They are considered the founding
document of the Universitat, this being the reason why, from October 1999 to
July 2000, the commemorative events of the 5th centenary of this institution
took place.
The bull of Pope Alexander IV in 1501, together with the royal privilege
of Ferran II a year after, led to the official opening -on 13th October
1502- of the General Study of València, thus reaching the university status and equivalence
to the universities of Rome, Bologna, Salamanca and Lleida, as stated in different
prerogatives and distinctions.
For
centuries, the studies developed peacefully and, at some stages, they reached
great splendour. The classrooms became a place of wisdom, where people of high
stature learnt and taught: the philosopher Joan Lluís Vives, the humanists
Simón de Rojas Clemente y Rubio and Honorat Joan i Escrivà, the
naturalist Josep Antoni Cavanilles, the scientist Joan Baptista Coratjà,
the mathematician Vicent Tomàs Tosca, or the erudite Gregori Maians and
Francesc Pérez Bayer.
The university building underwent an importantdestruction during the bombing
of the city in 1808 by Napoleon's troops led by Suchet. The library was destroyed
and only the assembly hall and the chapel survived. The restoration during the
19th century was slow and difficult. Together with the library, renewed with
the collections which came from the expropriated convents, an interesting Museum
of Natural Science was created in 1836, but was destroyed by the flames in 1932.
The economic and institutional autonomy which Universitat enjoyed since its foundation
was taken away in 1844, and the General Studies then became dependent on the
state, their professors becoming civil servants.
In
time, the different studies started to leave their historic Universitat
venue and moved to the Blasco Ibáñez campus.
The Mare de Déu de la Sapiència chapel, also built by Pere Compte
in 1498, was completely reconstructed in 1736 in a very classicist Baroque style.
The Juries arranged to have a mural painting done for the chapel, with the image
of the Mare de Déu de la Sapiència Virgin, which was made in 1517
by the artist Nicolau Falcó and the sculptor Lluís Muñoz.
Only the central panel of the mural painting is kept, and today, it still presides
over the chapel; in 1780 some paintings were added to it on the sides. All of
the chapel has been refurbished recently (1985-90), and its opening in 1990 permitted
the celebration of cultural acts, such as concerts, recitals etc., as well as
religious ceremonies.
In October 1999, the global refurbishment of the building was completed thus
ensuring the continuation of academic, scientific, and artistic life.
