Royal Decree Establishing the Universidad Real y Pontificia de Caracas
- When
- 1721
- Where
- Lerma
- Episodes
- 1
On 22 December 1721, Philip V of Spain signed a Royal Decree in Lerma, transforming the Seminary of Saint Rose of Lima in Caracas into the Universidad Real y Pontificia de Caracas. This decree, later confirmed by Pope Innocent XIII in 1722, established the oldest university in Venezuela.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. The institution originated in 1673 when Friar Antonio González de Acuña founded the Seminary Saint Rose of Lima in Caracas. Due to harsh circumstances, Rector Francisco Martínez de Porras and local residents petitioned the royal court in Madrid for the creation of a university in the Viceroyalty of New Granada.
The Royal Decree. On 22 December 1721, Philip V of Spain signed a Royal Decree in Lerma. This act transformed the existing School-Seminary into the Universidad Real y Pontificia de Caracas. The decree was subsequently concurred by Pope Innocent XIII via a Papal bull in 1722.
Significance. Founded in 1721, the university is the oldest in Venezuela and one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. It remained the only university in the country until 1810, when the Seminary of Saint Bonaventura in Mérida became the Universidad de Los Andes.
People involved
- Philip V of Spain · King of Spain who signed the Royal Decree
- Francisco Martínez de Porras · Rector of the Seminary who requested the university's creation
- Pope Innocent XIII · Papal authority who concurred with the decree
Sources
- Central University of Venezuela Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-25
- Philip V of Spain Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-25
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.