800th anniversary of the world's oldest medical school

The year 2020 marks the 800th anniversary of the Montpellier School of Medicine. This milestone makes it the oldest continuously operating medical school in the world today.
Throughout its history, it has welcomed scholars and scientists from all eras and backgrounds. Figures such as Rabelais, Lapeyronie, Chaptal, Arnaud de Villeneuve, and Gui de Chauliac have left their mark on its history. Medical education in Montpellier emerged from clinical practice, outside any institutional framework, in the early 12th century. It was not until 1170 that a small group of practicing physicians and teachers began to lay the groundwork for the future medical university. In 1181, an edict by William 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 spirit of humanism and scientific inquiry that has been passed down through the centuries.

To celebrate this significant year, numerous events have already taken place since the start 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 anniversary of the founding of the School of Medicine

On Monday, August 17, 2020, representatives from state and local government agencies and partners of the University of Montpellier joined researchers, Professors students from Montpellier in the historic building of the Faculty of Medicine 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 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 will be able to read:

“OnAugust17,1220, Cardinal Conradof Ubach,legate of Pope Honorius III in Languedoc, issuedthe statutes of the Universitas medicorum, tam doctorum quam discipulorum, Montispessulani, the oldest medical university in the world.”

On view from August 18 to September 20, 2020: Exhibition “Great Figures of 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 Faculty of Medicine on its new Arnaud de Villeneuve campus.

• For more information, visit montpellier.fr