The University of Perpignan (; ) is a French university, located in

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

History

The first university of Perpignan was established in 1349 by King

Peter IV of Aragon Peter IV (Catalan: ''Pere IV d'Aragó;'' Aragonese; ''Pero IV d'Aragón;'' 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''El Cerimoniós''; Aragonese: ''el Ceremonioso''), was from 1336 until his death the king of ...

. It is one of the oldest regional universities, following in the steps of more renowned centers of learning, such as the far more influential

University of Toulouse The University of Toulouse (, ) is a community of universities and establishments ( ComUE) based in Toulouse, France. Originally it was established in 1229, making it one of the earliest universities to emerge in Europe. Suppressed during the ...

and

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier () is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous opera ...

. Peter IV, having conquered in 1344 the town of Perpignan and reunited to his estates the

Kingdom of Majorca The Kingdom of Majorca (, ; ; ; ) was an insular realm off the east coast of modern day Spain, which included the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The islands were conquered from the Almohad Caliphate by James I of Aragon, ...

, of which Perpignan became its capital, compensated that city for its loss of power by founding, at the request of the magistrates, 20 March 1349, the University of Perpignan, for the teaching of civil and canon law, and other arts and sciences. In the charter he praised "the deep learning of the professors of Perpignan". By the Bull of 28 November 1379, the

antipope Clement VII Robert of Geneva (; 1342 – 16 September 1394) was elected to the papacy as Clement VII () by the cardinals who opposed Pope Urban VI and was the first antipope residing in Avignon, France. His election led to the Western Schism. The son of ...

confirmed the foundation and privileges, and the university, in a petition addressed to him in 1393, declared him its founder: "Pater et Genitor". In 1381

John I of Aragon John I (27 December 1350 – 19 May 1396), called by posterity the Hunter or the Lover of Elegance, or the Abandoned in his lifetime, was the King of Aragon from 1387 until his death. Biography John was the eldest son of Peter IV and his third ...

, son of Peter IV, granted permission to the city authorities to build the university near the royal castle. The institution spread in Perpignan an atmosphere of learning, the study of law being specially developed. Theology was taught there during the first years of the fourteenth century, but it was not until 21 July 1447, that the faculty of theology was created by a Bull of

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V (; ; 15 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene IV made him a Cardinal (Catholic Chu ...

and it did not receive its statutes until 1459. The university of Perpignan was closed for two centuries between 1794 and 1971. A new ''University Center'' was established in Perpignan and in 1979 the University became autonomous financially, administratively and educationally.

Organisation

The university is composed of four Faculties: * Faculty of Pure and Experimental Science * Faculty of Law and Economics * Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences * Faculty of Sports and Physical Activities and three institutes: * University Institute of Technology * Institute of Business Administration * Institute of Franco-Catalan Studies

Notable people

Faculty

* Claude Combes (born 1935, in

) - biologist and parasitologist * Jean Meyer (born 1942, in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Nancy, France Nancy is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the northeastern Departments of France, French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It was the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, which was Lorraine and Barrois, annexed by France under King Louis X ...

) - historian *

Jacqueline Assaël Jacqueline Assaël (born 7 August 1957, Marseille) is a French Hellenist and a professor of Greek language and literature at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis since 2004. She is also an essayist and poet. Assaël is a specialist in the works ...

(born 1957,

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

) - Hellenist, essayist and poet *

Christophe Euzet Christophe Euzet (born 2 April 1967 in Perpignan) is a French politician who served as a member of the French National Assembly from 2017 to 2022, representing the 7th constituency of Hérault. Early life and education Of Catalan origin by ...

(born 1967) - politician

LREM Renaissance (RE) is a political party in France that is typically described as liberal and centrist or centre-right. The party was originally known as (EM) and later (, LREM, LaREM or REM), before adopting its current name in September 2022 ...

Pere Aragonès Pere Aragonès i Garcia (; born 16 November 1982) is a Catalan lawyer and former politician who served as President of the Government of Catalonia from 2021 to 2024. He previously served between 2018 and 2021 as Vice President and Minister of ...

(born 1982) - Catalan lawyer and politician;

President of the Government of Catalonia The president of the Government of Catalonia (, ) is head of government of Catalonia, leading the executive branch of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Catalan government. It is one of the bodies that the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia stipul ...

Alumni

Lídia Armengol i Vila Lídia Armengol i Vila (13 September 1948 – 26 November 1991) was an Andorran historian and civil servant who championed the restoration of her country's historic language and culture. Biography Armengol was born in the old quarter of Andorra ...

(1948 – 1991) - historian and civil servant

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

* Jeannie Mah (born 1952, in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...

) - Canadian ceramic artist * Chadi Massaad (born 1959, in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

) - architect * Chafik Rachadi (born 1963, in Marrakech, Morocco) - politician. * Asmaa Rhlalou - Moroccan journalist and politician *

Nicolas Lebourg Nicolas Lebourg (born 1974) is a French historian who specializes on far-right movements in Europe. Biography Born in 1974, Lebourg studied sociology at Aix-Marseille University and history at the University of Perpignan, from which he graduate ...

(born 1979) - historian * Nsah Mala (born 1988), writer and poet

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

Recipient of honorary degree

Predrag Matvejević Predrag Matvejević (7 October 1932 – 2 February 2017) was a Bosnian and Croatian writer and scholar. A literature scholar who taught at universities in Zagreb, Paris and Rome, he is best known for his 1987 non-fiction book ''Mediterranean: A ...

(1932 – 2017) - Bosnian and Croatian writer and scholar

Notes

;Attribution

External links

Official site
{{authority control Educational institutions established in the 14th century

University of Perpignan Via Domitia The University of Perpignan (; ) is a French university, located in Perpignan. History The first university of Perpignan was established in 1349 by King Peter IV of Aragon. It is one of the oldest regional universities, following in the steps ...

Educational institutions established in 1979 Universities and colleges in Perpignan 1979 establishments in France 1349 establishments in Europe 1340s establishments in France