The Convictorio was very strict, and boarders were subject to rigid rules of conduct. Subjects taught there included Latin, theology, philosophy, social conduct, and Spanish language fundamentals.
The existence of the College was fundamental to the development of education at the time, as it was one of the few Chilean educational institutions in operation. In 1813 it was integrated into the nascent Instituto Nacional, which retained the same rector, and continues to uphold its academic standards to this day.
History
In the mid-18th century there were only two boarding schools in the Captaincy General of Chile – the Convictorio of San Francisco Javier and another in Concepción – both of the Jesuits.[1] Two other schools – Colegio del Santo Ángel de la Guarda (a theological seminary maintained by the Dominicans) and the Royal University of San Felipe – are not generally considered to be in the same category since the seminary was confined to those pursuing a career in the priesthood, and the University was focused on bachelor's degree programs.
The Convictorio of San Francisco Javier, a direct predecessor of the Convictorio Carolino, had a small number of students and a dilapidated building at the time. In 1767, King Charles III decreed the expulsion of the Jesuits from the dominions of the Spanish Empire. When this took effect in the Captaincy General of Chile, it interrupted classes. This greatly worried members of the government, because in order to receive some level of education, young people had to travel to the National University of San Marcos in Lima or to Córdoba del Tucumán in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.
On 9 July 1769, the King decreed the creation of boards to manage assets seized from the expelled Jesuits. In Chile this body was composed of Francisco Javier de Morales y Castejón de Arroyo, the Captain General, who presided; Juan de Balmaceda y Zenzano, judge of the Real Audiencia; Melchor de Santiago Concha, prosecutor of the same; Dr. José Antonio Martínez de Aldunate, Canon of the Cathedral of the Royal University; and Alonso de Guzmán, lawyer of the Real Audiencia, Natural Protector General (a post created to handle suits brought by Native Chileans), and professor of law at the University. On 14 July 1772 the board approved the foundation of a school named Royal Noble Seminary of Saint CharlesSpanish: Real Seminario de Nobles de San Carlos, in honor of Charles III. It was to be located on the site of the closed Convictorio of San Francisco Javier.
On 7 August of the same year, statutes were approved which established that its name was to be Convictorio Carolino, based on the patronage of Saint Charles. The door would bear the royal coat of arms and its students could make use of the hallmark of the crown.
Despite good intentions, for various reasons the Convictorio could not be put into operation immediately. Initially it was intended to establish it at the College of San Pablo, former residence of the Jesuits, but this was not possible due to the dilapidated state of the building. José Perfecto de Salas[es], a neat and hardworking man, thought of using the site of the Colegio Máximo de San Miguel, located behind the Cathedral, present site of the National Congress. In 1777 this locale was occupied by the Convictorio. In parallel, the process of filling positions began, and the priest Gabriel de Egaña was chosen as rector that November. On 14 January 1778, the awarding of professorships was concluded, with Mariano Zambrano in theology, Agustín Seco y Santa-Cruz in law, Mariano Pérez de Saravia in philosophy, José Antonio de Villegas in grammar and Latin, and José Cornelio Rojas as chancellor.
On 30 March 1778, the decree ordering its opening was issued, and this was carried out on 10 April of the same year, in a solemn ceremony attended by the main authorities of Chile, led by Captain General and Governor Agustín de Jáuregui.
Governor Agustín de Jáuregui, under whom the Convictorio was founded and opened
The college started operating with financial problems, which were worsened by new royal minister, José Gálvez, who reduced the budget for the Convictorio and even looked to merge it with the Theological Seminary. This elicited protests from the administrators of both institutions to the King, arguing that the schools were very different, with one focused on religious education and the other on language and general training for all professions. The rector Miguel Palacios, faced with closing the Convictorio if funding continued to decrease, protested to Captain General Ambrosio de Benavides in 1786. Forced to choose between accepting the cuts of Minister Gálvez or displeasing His Majesty, Benavides decided to convene an executive panel. This panel decided to maintain the revenues of the Convictorio. Thus, it continued to operate.
In 1804 the college again suffered economic difficulties and had to lower the wages of student teachers.
On 20 February 1811, Manuel de Salas[es], Director of the Academy of San Luis, proposed to the government a unification of all educational institutions of the time on one campus, comprising the Theological Seminary, the Natural College of Chillán, the Academy of San Luis, the Royal University of San Felipe, and the Convictorio Carolino. The rector of the latter, Pedro Tomás de la Torre endorsed this effort. The idea gained currency in society, being discussed by the Congress and finally materializing in 1813 with the founding of the National Institute. The last rector of the Convictorio, the priest José Francisco de Echaurren, became rector of the new Institute.[2]
Educational scheme
The Convictorio Carolino was a Catholic school under the patronage of King Carlos III. Its patron saint was Saint Charles. Its students enjoyed the privilege of using the royal hallmark. The King also provided scholarships for four students. Tuition for other students was $80 per year. The school only admitted "children of legitimate marriage, of known virtue, and of no known infamy."
The college incorporated into its statues severe punishments such as flogging and stocks. Students were expected to display exemplary behavior both inside and outside the Convictorio, not to participate in games or fights, and be correct and polite in speech.
Classes consisted of 45-minute lectures (lessons and repetitions), and on each Wednesday and Saturday, evaluations were performed by different professors. Thursday was given as a free day, with classes finishing at 9:00am.[3]
Notable alumni
Portrait of José Miguel Carrera, alumnus of the Convictorio
José Miguel Carrera, soldier and politician, first commander in chief of the Chilean Army, Chairman of the Interim Governing Board, Supreme Dictator of Chile, and considered father of the country
José Miguel Carrera Verdugo was a Chilean general, formerly Spanish military, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most important leader of the Chilean War of Independence during the period of the Patria Vieja. After the Spanish "Reconquista de Chile" ("Reconquest"), he continued campaigning from exile after defeat. His opposition to the leaders of independent Argentina and Chile, San Martín and O'Higgins respectively, made him live in exile in Montevideo. From Montevideo Carrera traveled to Argentina where he joined the struggle against the unitarians. Carreras' small army was eventually left isolated in the Province of Buenos Aires from the other federalist forces. In this difficult situation Carrera decided to cross to native-controlled lands all the way to Chile to once and for all overthrow Chilean Supreme Director O'Higgins. His passage to Chile, which was his ultimate goal, was opposed by Argentine politicians and he engaged together with indigenous tribes, among them the Ranquel, in a campaign against the southern provinces of Argentina. After the downfall of Carrera's ally, the Republic of Entre Ríos, and several victories against the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, Carrera's men were finally defeated by numerically superior forces near Mendoza. Carrera was then betrayed by one of his Argentine helpers, leading to his capture and execution in that city.
José Tomás Ovalle y Bezanilla was a Chilean political figure. He served twice as provisional president of Chile.
The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía region of Chile. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities and force Mapuches into servitude. It subsequently evolved over time into phases comprising drawn-out sieges, slave-hunting expeditions, pillaging raids, punitive expeditions, and renewed Spanish attempts to secure lost territories. Abduction of women and war rape was common on both sides.
The Royal Audiencia of Santiago was an Audiencia Real or royal law court that functioned in Santiago de Chile during the Spanish colonial period. This body heard both civil and criminal cases. It was founded during the 17th century and abolished in 1817.
The Chilean War of Independence was a military and political event that allowed the emancipation of Chile from the Spanish Monarchy, ending the colonial period and initiating the formation of an independent republic.
Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa was a Spanish politician and soldier who served as governor of Chile (1772–80) and viceroy of Peru (1780–84).
Colonel Luis Florentino Juan Manuel Silvestre de los Dolores de la Carrera y Verdugo was a Chilean military officer who fought in the Chilean War of Independence. Together with his brothers José Miguel and Juan José, they were some of most important leaders of Chilean struggle for independence during the period of the Patria Vieja. The Carrera family is of Basque origin.
Bishop José Antonio Martínez de Aldunate y Garcés de Marcilla was a Chilean Bishop and member of the First Government Junta of Chile.
Juan Francisco Meneses Echanes was a Chilean priest and political figure.
The Royal and Conciliar San Carlos Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. It was established in the year 1702, by decree of King Philip V of Spain. At present, the institution houses seminarians belonging to various dioceses in Luzon, particularly from the Metro Manila region.
Many Basques arrived in Chile in the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th century from their homeland in northern Spain and parts of southwestern France, as conquistadors, soldiers, sailors, merchants, priests and labourers. Due to their traditional hard work and entrepreneurship, many of them rose to the top of the social scale and intermarried into the Chilean elites of Castilian descent, giving birth to the new Basque-Chilean aristocracy in Chile. This union is the basis of the Chilean elite of today. But also, they immensely contributed to the ethnic make up of the bulk of the Chilean population. The Basque settlers also intermarried into the Mestizo and Castizo population of central Chile in the middle of the colonial period to form the large Criollo population that exists in Chile today; Castizos create modern middle and lower classes. Many years after the first waves of settlers, thousands of Basque refugees fleeing Spanish Civil War in 1939 also settled and have many descendants in the country and have even intermarried with Spanish ethnic groups other than Castilians, and other European ethnic groups. An estimated 1.6 million (10%) to 5 million (30%) Chileans have a surname of Basque origin. This figure is to the least as the number of Basque descendence is great and plentiful. If one were to compare the large wave of Basques that fled to the population in the Basque Country you can see that in a way ethnically speaking Chile has more Basque blood than the country of origin.
Chilean literature refers to all written or literary work produced in Chile or by Chilean writers. The literature of Chile is usually written in Spanish. Chile has a rich literary tradition and has been home to two Nobel prize winners, the poets Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda. It has also seen three winners of the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, considered one of the most important Spanish language literature prizes: the novelist, journalist and diplomat Jorge Edwards (1998), and the poets Gonzalo Rojas (2003) and Nicanor Parra (2011).
José de Rezabal y Ugarte (1747–1800) was a Spanish lawyer and judge and jurist. He was born in Vitoria on July 19, 1800 and died in Santiago, Chile. He served as Spanish governor of Chile, on an interim basis, from 24 May to 18 September 1796. As judge and mayor over crime in Lima in 1781, he led the case against Túpac Amaru II, writing the judgment which condemned to death by hanging him and several of his followers, as well as penalties in prisons in Africa, Callao and Valdivia for many others.
The Grand Lodge of Chile is a regular Masonic body in Chile founded on May 24, 1862. The earthquake of 1906 destroyed the original headquarters and the archives of the Grand Lodge, which determined its definitive transfer to Santiago, settling in the Club de la República.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Santiago, Santiago Province, Chile.
Jaime Eyzaguirre was a Chilean lawyer, essayist and historian. He is variously recognized as a writer of Spanish traditionalist or conservative historiography in his country.
The Royal University of San Felipe was a university created by King Philip V in 1738, in territory which was then part of the Kingdom of Spain. It was officially founded in Santiago in 1747 and began teaching activities in 1758. It is the immediate predecessor of the University of Chile (1843).
José Santiago Rodríguez Zorrilla was the 21st bishop of Santiago, Chile, known for his fervent support of the Spanish government during the Chilean War of Independence.
José Antonio Raón y Gutiérrez was a Spanish general who served as Royal Governor of Panama, and the 50th Governor-General of the Philippines. He is known as an able administrator despite being perceived as corrupt.
Francisco de Paula Valdivieso y Prada was a Peruvian lawyer, magistrate and politician. He was Minister of Government and Foreign Relations from 1822 to 1824, president of the Supreme Court in 1825, and president of the General Constituent Congress in 1827.
References
↑ Report of 1771, by request of the Real Audiencia, cited in "Historia del Convictorio Carolina"[History of the Convictorio Carolino](PDF) (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: National Press. 1889. Retrieved 23 September 2016– via Memoria Chilena.
↑ "Historia del Convictorio Carolina"[History of the Convictorio Carolino](PDF) (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: National Press. 1889. Retrieved 23 September 2016– via Memoria Chilena.
↑ Constitution of the Convictorio Carolino, cited in "Historia del Convictorio Carolina"[History of the Convictorio Carolino](PDF) (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: National Press. 1889. Retrieved 23 September 2016– via Memoria Chilena.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
