The Royal and Pontifical University of Cervera ( es, Real y Pontificia Universidad de Cervera) was a Spanish university located in

Cervera Cervera () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain. The title Comte de Cervera is a courtesy title, formerly part of the Crown of Aragon, that has been revived for Leonor ...

, Province of Lleida,

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

. The institution was founded in 1717 by

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...

, who sought to compensate Cervera for its supportive stance during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. Conversely, he also sought to penalize the rest of Catalonia for its support to the Habsburgs. Thus, the six existing universities in the Principality were banned and their faculties disbanded or transferred to Cervera. By 1767, the influence of the university had decayed and it finally closed its doors in 1835. On 7 November 1947, the former building of the university, designed by Francesc Soriano and constructed from 1718 to 1740, was declared a cultural monument of national significance by the Spanish government.

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«Universitat de Cervera»Printer's Devices(Universitat de Barcelona. CRAI Biblioteca de Reserva)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cervera, University of Educational institutions established in 1717 1835 disestablishments in Spain Universities in Catalonia Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Lleida 1717 establishments in Spain