Until the 15th century Scotland did not have a University. Why was the nation’s first one established in St Andrews?
The carved stone beside the doorway through which you entered this room, which dates from the town’s early Christian period, might suggest the reason.
The stone was reused within the foundations of the cathedral when it was built between 1160 and 1318.
The town’s cathedral was the seat of the most important church official in the country and a destination for pilgrims from all over Europe, who came to revere the bones of St Andrew. The town was therefore a centre of Christianity.
A mediaeval University was a place of Christian learning, therefore the religious centre of Scotland was the perfect place for the country’s first one.
If you walk towards the large wall case you will come to a sculpture of Henry Wardlaw.
Wardlaw was Bishop of St Andrews between 1403 and 1440 and it was at the time of his episcopacy, and perhaps at his invitation, that a group of scholars began to lecture in the town in May 1410.
Wardlaw formalised the community in 1412.
Look closely at the statue and you will see Wardlaw’s coat of arms at the bottom of his chasuble, which is the large garment he is wearing over his front.
The coat of arms consists of three crosses and three mascles, or diamond shapes, which are included on the University shield to show Wardlaw’s role in the University’s foundation.
The statue depicts Wardlaw holding the Papal Bull of Foundation. In the centre of the large case at the back of this room you will see what this document looks like.
Occasionally the original bull is displayed here. Usually, however, it is a facsimile copy, because even the low light levels in this room can damage the original document.
In the mediaeval period the pope needed to confirm a University before it was officially recognised and before it could award degrees.
In August 1413 six papal bulls were sent to St Andrews to provide this confirmation. This bull, which is written in Latin, is the only one of the six that survives today.
The document was sent by Pope Benedict XIII. There is a cast of his skull to the left of this case.
Pope Benedict’s birth name was Pedro de Luna. He was from Aragón, which is now part of Spain, and in his native Spanish language the word luna means “moon”.
That is why there is a crescent on the front of the casket in which the cast is displayed. You’ll also see this crescent on the University coat of arms to show the role that Pope Benedict played in the University’s foundation.