800 Years of the World's Oldest School of Medicine

The year 2020 marks the 800th anniversary of the Montpellier School of Medicine. This milestone makes it the oldest continuously operating school of medicine in the world today.
Throughout its history, it has welcomed scholars and scientists from all eras and backgrounds. Rabelais, Lapeyronie, Chaptal, Arnaud de Villeneuve, and Gui de Chauliac have all left their mark on its history. Medical education in Montpellier originated from clinical practice, outside any institutional framework, in the early 12th century. It was not until 1170 that a small group of physician-practitioners-teachers laid the groundwork for what would become the future medical university. In 1181, an edict by Guilhem VIII proclaimed the freedom to teach medicine in Montpellier, and on August 17, 1220, Cardinal Conrad of Urach, apostolic legate of Pope Honorius III, granted (?) the “universitas medicorum” its first statutes. An institutional framework thus developed around medical education, and on October 26, 1289, Pope Nicholas IV issued, from Rome, the apostolic constitution “Quia Sapientia” to all doctors and students in the city of Montpellier.

Throughout its history, the Montpellier School of Medicine has flourished thanks to the exchange of Arab, Jewish, and Christian medical traditions, in a humanistic and scientific spirit that has been passed down through the centuries.

To celebrate this commemorative year, numerous events have already taken place since the beginning of the year. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some will be postponed until 2021.

• The full program is available on the 800ans.fr website.

August 17, 1220 – August 17, 2020: A commemoration on the exact day the School of Medicine was founded

On Monday, August 17, 2020, representatives from state institutions and local governments, along with partners of the University of Montpellier, joined researchers, Professors students from Montpellier in the heart of the historic Faculty of Medicine building to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the world’s oldest university-level medical school still in operation.

As the highlight of the festivities, Sophie Béjean, Rector of the Montpellier Academy and Chancellor of the Universities; Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier; and Michel Mondain, Dean of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine, unveiled the commemorative plaque.  The plaque bears an inscription, written in French and Latin, which professors, students, and visitors can read:

"OnAugust17,1220,Cardinal Conrad ofUbach,legate of Pope Honorius III in Languedoc, issuedthe statutes of the *Universitas medicorum, tam doctorum quam discipulorum, Montispessulani*, the world’s oldest medical university."

On view from August 18 to September 20, 2020: Exhibition “Great Figures in Medicine in Montpellier”

The day after the evening event commemorating the 800th anniversary, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole and the City of Montpellier presented the exhibition “Great Figures of Medicine in Montpellier.” Displayed outdoors on the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle in Montpellier, 18 panels trace the history of medicine in Montpellier through its leading figures, from the edict of Guilhem VIII to the establishment of the Montpellier-Nîmes School of Medicine on its new Arnaud de Villeneuve campus.

• More information at montpellier.fr