University of Perugia

The University of Perugia (Italian Università degli Studi di Perugia) is a public university in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale. The official seal of the university depicts Saint Herculan, one of the patron saints, and the rampant crowned griffin, which is the city symbol; they represent the ecclesiastical and civil powers, respectively, which gave rise to the university in the Middle Ages. History One of the "free" universities of Italy, it was elevated into a studium generale on September 8, 1308, by the Bull "Super specula" of Clement V. A school of arts existed by about 1200, in which medicine and law were soon taught, with a strong commitment expressed by official documents of the City Council of Perugia. Before 1300 there were several universitates scholiarum. Jacobus de Belviso, a famous civil jurist, taught here from 1316 to 1321. By Bull on August 1, 1318, John XXII granted the privilege of conferring degrees in civil and canon law, and on February 18, 1321, in medicine and arts.