This new book (2021) by Prof. Rui Lobo, published by the Editorial do Departamento de Arquitectura da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra (edarq), focuses on the history of Jesuit architecture in Coimbra.
The Colleges of Jesus and Arts of Coimbra (1542-1759) analyzes the building process of these two colleges belonging to the Society of Jesus, in Coimbra’s Alta quarter, over more than two hundred years. The College of Jesus, was the first Jesuit college in the world, established in 1542, just two years after the Society’s approval in Rome. The neighboring College of Arts, built from 1568 on, hosted the Arts and Humanities classes, preparatory to all main faculties of the University.
The documental data is relatively well known, but a comprehensive architectural study, that illustrated the evolution, in space and time, of this important ensemble – through a set of schematic drawings – was still missing. It is this study that is presented to us by Rui Lobo in this book, with a preface by Professor Alexandre Alves Costa.
Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- The establishment of the College of Jesus (1542) and the
- beginning of its construction (1547)
- First phase — the joint design for the Colleges of Jesus
- and Arts (1568)
- Second phase — the first stone of the new church of the
- College of Jesus, the current “Sé Nova” (1598)
- Third phase — the opening of the classrooms at the College
- of Arts (1616)
- Fourth phase — inauguration of the new church nave (1640)
- Fifth phase — completion of the new church dome and
- chancel (1698)
- Sixth phase — the suppression of the Jesuits (1759)
- Epilogue
- Notes
- Bibliography