| Description : On the 1st of March 1290, the Portuguese King
Dionysius of the House of Burgundy signed the founding treaty called "Scientiae thesaurus mirabilis" (admirable treasure of
knowledge) of the university, which was to include the faculties of art, theology, canon law, civil law and medicine. This
was confirmed by the papal bull "De statu regni Portugaliae" (The State of Portugal) on the 9th of August 1290
by Pope Nicholas IV. In the same year, construction of the university began ‐ making it the oldest educational
institution in Portugal and one of the oldest and most prestigious in the world. However, it was initially built in Lisbon
‐ but temporarily moved to Coimbra twice until 1377 ‐ and only finally moved to Coimbra in 1537 on the orders of
King João III. In 2013, it was elevated to the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university, where
today 1,500 lecturers teach 22,000 students, forms the network of the Coimbra Group with 38 other traditional, European,
multidisciplinary universities of high international stature in Europe. The large clock tower of the historic university
buildings depicted on the coin dates from the 18th century and is considered an example of the late Baroque style from
the time of Joãos V. It is located at the highest point of the city and thus became Coimbra's landmark. The
issue occasion "UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA 730 ANOS" (University of Coimbra 730 years) is shown in four lines, with the
"DE" written in ligature. Below is "PORTUGAL 2020", on the right the signet "Esc. J. J. BRITO" of the
sculptor (Portuguese Escultor = Esc.) and coin designer José João Brito, next to it the mint mark
"CASA DA MOEDA" of the Portuguese mint Imprensa Nacional‐ Casa da Moeda S.A. in Lisbon. |
