800 years of the oldest medical school in the world

The year 2020 marks the 800th anniversary of the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier. This milestone makes it the oldest faculty of medicine in the world still in operation 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 began in the early 12th century, outside of any institutional framework. It was not until 1170 that a small group of practicing physicians and teachers formed the embryo of what would become the future medical university. In 1181, an edict by Guilhem VIII proclaimed freedom of medical education in Montpellier, and on August 17, 1220, Cardinal Conrad of Urach, apostolic legate of Pope Honorius III, granted/conferred (?) the "universitas medicorum" its first statutes. An institutional framework thus developed around medical education, and on October 26, 1289, Pope Nicholas IV sent the apostolic constitution "Quia Sapientia" from Rome to all doctors and students in the city of Montpellier.

Throughout its history, the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier has developed thanks to the sharing of Arab, Jewish, and Christian medical cultures, in a humanistic and scientific spirit that has been passed down through the centuries.

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

• The full program can be found on the website 800ans.fr.

August 17, 1220 – August 17, 2020: a commemoration on the exact day of the founding of the Faculty of Medicine

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

As the highlight of the festivities, Sophie Béjean, Rector of the Montpellier Academy and Chancellor of Universities, Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, and Michel Mondain, Dean of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine, unveiled the commemorative plaque.  This 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, enactedthe statutes of the Universitas medicorum, tam doctorum quam discipulorum, Montispessulani, the oldest medical university in the world."

On display from August 18 to September 20, 2020: Exhibition "Great Figures of Medicine in Montpellier"

The day after the evening commemorating the 800th anniversary, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole and the City of Montpellier presented the exhibition "Great Figures of Medicine in Montpellier." Presented 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 Faculty of Medicine on its new Arnaud de Villeneuve campus.

• More information at montpellier.fr