This small and elegant courtyard was designed by the architect Timoteo Calvo in 1840 in the Classical style. It connects the entrance of La Nau with the main cloister of the building by means of the Plaza del Patriarca.

The walls of the courtyard are built with round arches, and in the niches nestled between the balconies on the first floor we can see small cherubs representing allegories of the university studies of the time: Law, Philosophy and Letters, Medicine and Science. The allegory of Law is a small angel holding a golden sword, the symbol of Justice, while another, seated at its right, is poring over a legal code. To the left, the allegory of Philosophy shows a winged cupid holding a mirror in its left hand, reflecting the sun of wisdom. Another angel watches him while writing in a book with a golden quill. The allegory of Medicine, opposite the allegory of Law, represents a cupid holding the chalice containing the serpent’s venom, the curative symbol of Asclepius. The allegory of Science, situated opposite the allegory of Philosophy, is a standing cupid holding a globe. Another cupid is seated, writing with a golden pen.

The series of allegories is completed on the second floor with medallions representing relief portraits of Justinian, Peter Lombard, Hippocrates and Isaac Newton, each associated with one of the areas of knowledge represented on the floor below. All of these ornamental elements are the work of the academic sculptor Bernardo Llácer. 

A wide, black marble staircase with wooden railings and cast-iron ornamentation works its way up from the courtyard to the principal offices on the first floor.

On the walls of the courtyard are several commemorative stones dedicated to important individuals related to the institution.