University of Altamura

University of Altamura

Università degli Studi di Altamura
The residence of the prelate (next to Altamura Cathedral), the location of the ancient University of Altamura
Active	1747 (1747)[1]–1812 (1812)[2]
Founder	Marcello Papiniano Cusani Charles III of Spain
Rector	Gioacchino de Gemmis
Location	Altamura , Apulia , Kingdom of Naples 40°49′38″N 16°33′11″E / 40.827120°N 16.552990°E / 40.827120; 16.552990
Language	Italian

The University of Altamura (Italian: Università degli Studi di Altamura) was a former university located in Altamura, Apulia, Kingdom of Naples. It was established in Altamura in 1747 by Charles III of Bourbon, following the idea of the archpriest of Altamura Cathedral Marcello Papiniano Cusani.^[1] It was officially closed in 1812, mainly due to the lack of funds, even though some documents kept inside library Archivio capitolare in Altamura show that professors continued to teach until 1821.^[2]

Based on the statements of notable scholars, such as Bernardo Tanucci and Vitangelo Bisceglia, it can be concluded that the university had an excellent reputation at that time.^[3] Because of the university, Tanucci described Altamura as Appula Atene ("Apulia's Athens").

The subjects taught underwent considerable change over the history of the university. In total, the following subjects were taught: Law, ecclesiastical law, Latin, Ancient Greek, Hebrew, mathematics, geometry, physics, chemistry, botany, agronomy, mineralogy, medicine and theology.^[4]

The main sources about the history of the university are the documents stored in Altamura's libraries, mainly Archivio capitolare and Archivio Biblioteca Museo Civico (A.B.M.C.). The University of Altamura undoubtedly helped to spread scientific knowledge inside Altamura and the Kingdom of Naples. Prior to the founding of the university, there was very little or no interest at all in science.