Letter from Girolamo Da Sommaia: The University of Salamanca
Michelle Lee Flores
February 19, 2004
E 320M
Prof. Bump
I would like to begin by explaining who the person I have chosen to write to
is. His name is Girolamo Da Sommaia, and I found him through a journal he
wrote while attending Salamanca between 1603 and 1606. I tried to be as
accurate with his time and the events that had already occurred. His feelings
though are all from his journal about what was going on around him, and I tried
to rewrite them as accurately as possible.
My project is in the form of two letters, one from Girolamo Da Sommaia writing to give me information about attending The University of Slamanca. The second letter is from me to Sommaia informing him about the University of Texas at Austin. I look forward to critiques because this was very hard to put together since all of his journal entries were mixed Spanish dialects, and I ran out of imagination during the process.
Dear Micaela Flores, 9 May 1605
My name is Girolamo Da Sommaia, and I am writing to you from Salamanca University in Spain. I’ve been studying here for three years and am expected to be here one more year. I am responding to a letter I received informing me of your interest in our institution. I would like to share the outstanding and academics and some examples of student life here at Salamanca.
I am studying law and I am also documenting my four years in a journal. I have documented some of the greatest lectures and moments of discovery in the classroom. I am proud to say that I have studied with great teachers including Galileo Galilie (Haley 28) who has invented the telescope and has recently discovered what he believes to be other planets like our own. The planets are one giant that surpasses our own, and one smaller with rings. This great teacher has advanced my mathematical abilities and has created a new interest for it here in Spain. The University of Salamanca is the best place to learn with great men like this but there is also a price for a great education.
Our curriculum is very vigorous with twenty-five proprietary and thirty-five temporal chairs, ten of each category in canon and civil law, six in theology, seven in medicine, eleven in “arts” or logic, and some fifteen in languages and science (Catholic Encyclopedia). They are also in the process of adding ten more proprietary chairs. This has certainly started to be an era of great growth in sciences and humanities (Addy 40). But the reason I’ve decided to study here is the emphasis Salamanca places upon law and theology. In the seventeenth century law is becoming the corner stone of politics besides religion.
As for attending our fine university you will have to attain a sponsor with your own ambition and knowledge. We once had a college for poor students; it was the first one in Spain. It was the College of San Bartolome, which we refer to as the Old College. Other major colleges like Cuenca, Oviedo, and Fonseca along with the smaller colleges (Catholic Encyclopedia) allowed poor students lacking monetary help to attend and receive a fine education associated with Salamanca. Politics in Spain forced these colleges to close and sadly provided no substitution.
Along with the great things Salamanca has to offer, I have to admit that there is also misery, violence, and death. (Haley 75). Because of the diversity of the students and their different beliefs they are not all equally represented and there has been much retaliation. Most recently at an activity some students of theater and poetry gave a misrepresentation of a very secular work, which caused a divide and eventually led to violence between students and also between people of Salamanca. Much of this distress has been brought because our king, Phillip II, has granted the university and those who attend it certain sweeping privileges to make Salamanca more desirable to attend. The situation affected the taxpayers of Salamanca in a profitable manner and the students in a negative way. A policy erected hundreds of years ago is now being enforced and certain unruly students have been imprisoned and expelled. * Things like this led to the Great Riot of 1644*
Many educational institutions around the world have their charm and their negative aspects but I must remind you that Pope Alexander IV called the University of Salamanca "one of the four leading lights of the world", and I call it home. My work in canon law and on my journal has inspired me to teach as well, I find that Salamanca is a very rich place, in history, knowledge, and beauty. Our cathedral and buildings date back to the thirteenth century and attract many visitors. I hope that this letter stirs your own interest about the University of Salamanca and everything it has to offer you.
Sincerely,
Girolamo Da Sommaia
Dear Girolamo Da Sommaia, February 19, 2004
I am writing from The University of Texas at Austin, the United States of America. I would like to extend my profound gratitude for your letter and information. I would also like to provide you with information about my university. I have been studying here for three years and plan to be here one more. I am a Hispanic English student and am also creating a portfolio of my study in one particular class. Austin is a growing city in Texas, and is also the capitol of the state. Here at U.T. I feel that I am growing intellectually, independent, and have become more aware of my surrounding and place. Academics and the beauty of campus are what drew me to Austin and this university and kept it my home.
I am an English major who has found
my passion in translating Spanish and Portuguese poetry. I have had many
wonderful teachers, each one bringing something different to my experience
here. I have professors who encourage me to find my own way and others that
guide me through every step. When I translate poetry I do it under a tree on
the South Mall, a courtyard type area for students to gather together or
independently. From the South Mall I can see the clock tower to the north, the
symbol of this university, like your cathedral, and to the south the Catholic
Center, spiritual refuge, and our capitol.
Around campus I see buildings that were constructed decades ago, and others that have just recently been erected. When walking around observing the changes, I can see history and its influence on the faces as well as inside these buildings. Different ages, and styles mixed together, like the students. I’ve found it very comforting to know that this universities history precedes it when I recognize the seals for the old universities in Europe. Like Salamanca, the different people also make for a rich history.
The attitudes and people on campus are very diverse and make the experience here very interesting. Every different political opinion, religion, and ethnicity is celebrated with many organizations. Academics are also very diverse, from people who study physical education to business majors. I think this school best represents business and law. Times change, law is still very much studied but with economics and industry growing, there is now a great demand for knowledgeable people in the business field.
Like Salamanca, Austin has had some problems of its own. For the past century the students have spoken out, protested, and even resorted to riots and violence for what they’ve believed in. What I admire most is that the students of this university have their rights, opposed to those at Salamanca who are ruled. Although students here are not protected if they choose to act violently for their cause, they are able to freely express themselves in any manner they choose.
I have found myself here under the trees and in the beautiful and historically diverse buildings. I am comfortable and am able to incorporate what I study and methods in which I study to my surroundings. I am forever grateful for my newly found sense of belonging.
Sincerely,
Michelle Flores
References
Catholic Encyclopedia: University of Salamanca. Online source. www.newadvent.org/cathen/13392a.htm
Diario De Un Estudiante De Salamanca. Haley, George, ed. Universidad de Salamanca 1977.
Addy, G.M. The Enlightenment in the University of Salamanca. Duke University Press, Durham, N.C. 1966.