University of Zaragoza

The University of Zaragoza, sometimes referred to as Saragossa University is a public university with teaching campuses and research centres spread over the three provinces of Aragon, Spain. Founded in 1542, it is one of the oldest universities in Spain, with a history dating back to the Roman period. Prime Ministers Pascual Madoz, Manuel Azaña, Salustiano de Olózaga and Eusebio Bardají, the Nobel Prize laureate and father of modern neuroscience Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the Catholic saint Josemaría Escrivá and the Cuban national hero Jose Marti studied at this university. History Beginnings Ecclesiastical schools were the initial elements of the University of Zaragoza. These schools were later consolidated into the School of Zaragoza, led by Bishop Braulio during the seventh century (who would later be made the patron saint of the university). The School of Arts officially became a university in 1542, though some scholars argue it could be considered a university of arts since 1477.