Corporate Body
Colegio de San Hermenegildo de Sevilla (España)Other forms
from 1580 to 1767
The old college of San Hermenegildo was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1580. The presence of the Society in the city dates back to the 16th century. In 1554, they were settled in some borrowed houses. In 1558, they bought a private home with the alms and created the professed house. In 1561, they counted on four Grammar classes; there were Rhetoric classes in 1563 and Philosophy classes in 1964. Seville, one of the most prospering provinces, counted on 9 colleges and 260 priests in 1579. In this same year, the Provincial Father went to the Sevillian local government to ask for help for his study. A sumptuous church was built next to the professed house and this forced them to knock down some classrooms. So, they were forced to look for another location. In the memorial, they showed its almost one thousand students and the one thousand ones that were declined due to the lack of space. The local government repeated the request and commissioned two deputies to buy an adequate establishment in the city. The costs were defrayed with the incomes of the "Almojarifazgo mayor", with the condition that the house that was created belonged to the city and was dedicated to San Hermenegildo. So, they bought some houses in Las Palmas Street, in front of the church of San Miguel, on the 19th of September 1579. But it was not that easy for this college since the municipal canonry opposed. On the 28th of July 1580, this was proved when Juan del Castillo, on behalf of the "Cabildo de Jurados", asked the cancellation of the donation. They wanted the Jesuits to pay all the money that was spent for them. The College acquired strength and its prestige increased over time. In 1581, they were given the incomes of the old building that had become the Professed House and comprised 60 people that lived from the alms. In 1584, at the same time that the "Congregación de la Anunciata" was founded, they gave Theology lessons in San Hermenegildo, which counted on a real protection. The city gave the building and 5.000 ducats to them. On the 22nd of September 1587, some schools of Grammar were built next to San Hermenegildo. This was done at the expense of the city. The Jesuits taught free Latinity to the poor kids from Seville. The local government financed the works with a total amount of 23.000 ducats. The works were finished in 1690. The college became inoperative in 1767 due to the Pragmatic Sanction published by Charles III (1759-1788). By then, it counted on three theologians, three philosophers, three grammarians and one biblical teacher.
The church is the only building that remains of this school. It is well conserved as it was restored in 1981 by the local government of the city after being the Parliament of Andalusia's headquarters. In 1995, a congress and exhibition hall was established in it, and it is currently used for the same purpose.
VV. AA: Historia de la Educación en España y América. La educación en la España Moderna. Siglos XVI-XVIII. Vol. II. Madrid: Ediciones Morata-Ediciones SM, 1993.
PARES: Revisión realizada por el CIDA en 2015 para adecuación a APEx.
Documentos de la Compañía de Jesús en el Archivo histórico nacional: Inventario por Araceli Guglieri Navarro,... Introducción de Francisco Mateos, S.J.AHN, Editorial Razón y Fe, 1967.