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COIMBRA

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Originally appearing in Volume V06, Page 653 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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COIMBRA , the See also:

capital of an administrative See also:district formerly included in the See also:province of See also:Beira, See also:Portugal; on the See also:north See also:bank of the See also:river Mondego, 115 M. N.N.E. of See also:Lisbon, on the Lisbon-See also:Oporto railway. Pop. (1900) 18,144. Coimbra is built for the most See also:part on rising ground, and presents from the other See also:side of the river a picturesque and imposing See also:appearance; though in reality its houses have individually but little pretension, and its streets are, almost without exception, narrow and mean. It derives its See also:present importance from being the seat of the only university in the kingdom—an institution which was originally established at Lisbon in 1291, was transferred to Coimbra in 1306, was again removed to Lisbon, and was finally fixed at Coimbra in 1527. There are five faculties—theology, See also:law, See also:medicine, See also:mathematics and philosophy—with more than 1300 students. The library contains about 150,000 volumes, and the museums and laboratories are on an extensive See also:scale. In connexion with the medical See also:faculty there are See also:regular hospitals; the mathematical faculty maintains an See also:observatory from which an excellent view can be obtained of the whole valley of the Mondego; and outside the See also:town there is a botanic See also:garden (especially See also:rich in the See also:flora of See also:Brazil), which also serves as a public See also:promenade. Among the other educational establishments are a military See also:college, a royal college of arts, a scientific and See also:literary See also:institute, and an episcopal See also:seminary. The See also:city is the seat of a See also:bishop, See also:suffragan to the See also:archbishop of See also:Braga; its new See also:cathedral, founded in 158o, is of little See also:interest; but the old is a See also:fine specimen of 12th-See also:century Romanesque, and retains portions of the See also:mosque which it replaced. The See also:principal churches. are See also:Santa Cruz, of the 16th century, and See also:San See also:Salvador, founded in 1169.

On the north bank of the Mondego stand the ruins of the once splendid monastery of Santa See also:

Clara, established in 1286; and on the See also:south bank is the celebrated Quinta das lagrimas, or See also:Villa of Tears, where Inez de See also:Castro (q.v.) is believed to have been murdered in 1355. The town is supplied with See also:water by means of an See also:aqueduct of 20 See also:arches. The Mondego is only navigable in See also:flood, and the See also:port of Figueira da Foz is 20 in. W. by S., so that the See also:trade of Coimbra is mainly See also:local; but there are important See also:lamprey See also:fisheries and manufactures of pottery, See also:leather and hats. A Latin inscription of the 4th century identifies Coimbra with the See also:ancient Aeminium; while Condeixa (3623), 8 in. S.S.W., represents the ancient Conimbriga or Conembrica.. In the 9th century, however, when the bishopric of Conimbriga was re-moved hither, its old See also:title was transferred to the new see, and hence arose the See also:modern name Coimbra. The city was for a See also:long See also:time a Moorish stronghold, but in 1064 it was captured by See also:Ferdinand I. of See also:Castile and the See also:Cid. Until 126o it was the capital of the See also:country, and no fewer than six kings—Sancho I. and II., See also:Alphonso II. and III., Pedro and Ferdinand—were See also:born within its walls. It was also the birthplace of the poet Francisco Si de See also:Miranda (1495-1558), and, according to one tradition, of the more famous Luiz de See also:Camoens (1524-1580), who was a studentat the university between 1537 and 1542. In 1755 Coimbra suffered considerably from the See also:earthquake. In 1810 it was sacked by the See also:French under See also:Marshal See also:Massena.

In 1834 Dom See also:

Miguel made the city his headquarters; and in 1846 it was the See also:scene of a Miguelist insurrection. The administrative district of Coimbra coincides with the south-western part of Beira; pop. (1900) 332,168; See also:area 15oa sq. m.

End of Article: COIMBRA

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