University Chapel – Royal Chapel of San Jerónimo and the Immaculate Conception
Located in the heart of the Escuelas Mayores Building, the Chapel of the University of Salamanca was transformed during the 18th century, specifically between November 1761 and March 1767, under the direction of Simón Gavilán Tomé and with the collaboration of Juan de Sagarvinaga and Jerónimo García de Quiñones. This sacred space currently presents its third intervention of the institution’s chapel. Some images of the previous altarpiece are preserved inside the Escuelas Menores.
The interior of the chapel is characterized by its barrel vaults and is adorned with an altarpiece of exquisite marbles and jaspers. The latter houses a work by Cacciániga that illustrates the commitment of university teachers to defend the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1618 (then a pious opinion), in clear reference to the teaching and pedagogical character of the University itself. So it is an identity portrait of the University itself.
The chapel houses treasures such as the niche that holds the tomb of Fray Luis de León and a baroque organ from 1709, the work of Pedro de Liborna Echevarría. Also noteworthy is a portrait of Blessed Juan de Ribera, a former student of the University, painted by Gregorio Ferro in 1796, the title of the first honorary doctorate awarded in a Spanish university to a woman: Saint Teresa of Ávila, and a representation of Saint Jerome at the entrance, attributed to Simón Pitti.
The work of Simón Gavilán Tomé in this altarpiece is a testament to his mastery and artistic skill. The Baroque, in its essence, seeks not only to adorn but also to evoke and move. In the chapel of the University of Salamanca, this quest reaches a particularly moving expression. Here, art and architecture intertwine to create an environment that is both a haven of tranquility and a space for deep reflection.
Built with marbles of varied colors and origins, it is decorated with gilded bronzes by Francisco García, sculptor of the Royal Mint. This includes lecterns and a presbytery railing with notable details such as the royal coat of arms of Philip V and the University. The altarpiece is organized into three streets and three bodies, with a larger central painting made in Rome by Francisco Caccianiga, portraying the oath of 1618. This painting, through some gears, can descend during certain rituals to uncover a transparent, a place to display a monstrance with the Sacred Host, demonstrating the Baroque era’s taste for dramatic effects.
On either side of this central canvas are two other works by the same artist representing San Juan de Sahagún and Santo Tomás de Villanueva. In the upper body of the altarpiece, three additional canvases are displayed, highlighting half-body works of Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Augustine, made by Vicente González, and crowned by a Calvary by Antonio González Ruiz.
The original Tabernacle, a notable work by the Salamancan silversmith Manuel García Crespo in 1756, was lost during the War of Independence. The altarpiece shows a more tempered Baroque language, offering a scene of bold color, diverse textures, and an impressive solemnity, in a space where spirituality, ceremony, and protocol coexist under a welcoming and integrating architecture.
Visiting this chapel is, therefore, much more than a tourist act. It is a pilgrimage to a place where art meets faith, where history meets devotion and learning, and where each visitor is invited on a spiritual journey. One only has to close their eyes and silently listen to the whisper of Fray Luis de León addressing his students: “As we were saying yesterday.”
HOURS
Monday to Saturday 10 am to 8 pm | Sunday and holidays 10 am to 2 pm
ACCESS
Admission fee required
LOCATION
Access via the Historical Building of the University: C/ Libreros, 19.
PLAN DE SOSTENIBILIDAD TURÍSTICA DE SALAMANCA
