St Salvator's College, St Andrews
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St Salvator's College was a
college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
of the
University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...
in
St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. Founded in 1450, it is the oldest of the university's colleges. In 1747 it merged with St Leonard's College to form United College.


History

St Salvator's College was founded in 1450 by James Kennedy, Bishop of St Andrews. King
James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...
had provided an endowment at the college's foundation and this allowed the training of ten students. Several of the original medieval buildings survive, including the college chapel, tower, tenement building (adjoining to the west of tower, actually older than the adjoining tower, but much restored) and the Hebdomadar's building. The dramatic west tower was built in the 1460s with the upper part of the spire being remodelled in 1851 by the
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
architect Robert Matheson.Buildings of Scotland: Fife by John Gifford In 1528, the Protestant martyr, Patrick Hamilton, was burned alive outside the college, though Hamilton himself was a member of St Leonard's college. Initially a
college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
of
Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and the Arts, St Salvator's was created to revitalize and focus the university after its somewhat disorderly foundation. Due to financial considerations, fall in student numbers and general decline of the university, St Salvator's and St Leonard's Colleges amalgamated into the United College of Saint Salvator and Saint Leonard in 1747. Shortly after this, the initial site of St Leonard's College was sold, though the university retained ownership of St Leonard's College Chapel. Although the buildings of St Salvator's College (including the college chapel) were grand by medieval standards, they eventually fell into disrepair. From 1837 the quadrangle was rebuilt and extended into its current form, with a north and a west wing in Jacobean style (in similar style to Madras College on South Street built at the same time). To the south is the
Chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
, where many university services are held. St Salvator's College was residential until the unification with St Leonard's. The current
St Salvator's Hall St Salvator's Hall (affectionately known as Sallies) is a student hall of residence at the University of St Andrews. It lies close to the quadrangle of the United College, St Andrews and St Salvator's Chapel, a foundation which was endowed by K ...
(built from the 1930s), which lies east of the college, is one of the halls of residence for students. The chapel, tower and Hebdomadar's Building are all designated as Category A listed buildings by Historic Scotland. Other buildings and structures are listed as Category B. The college chapel is unusual for a collegiate church in that the main entrance faces out into the town, and not like those in Oxford or Cambridge, closed into the college itself. It is indeed the only collegiate chapel in Scotland with this arrangement. From 1761 the chapel was used as a parish church after the St Leonard's college chapel lost its roof in the 1750s, and this arrangement continued until this arrangement was withdrawn by the university in 1904, when the chapel became the University Chapel. The 1450 college had cloister buildings to the north of the college chapel - the two doors to the north side of the chapel show the alignment of the cloister. Today, with the
university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
having abandoned the Collegiate system in all but name, the St Salvator's/United College site houses various lecture theatres, and the departments of Spanish, Russian, and social anthropology. It is commonly referred to as “the quad”, and is the setting of Raisin Monday festivities, the finish point of the post-Graduation processions, and occasionally hosts student events.


References


Bibliography

*R.G. Cant ''The University of St. Andrews, A Short History'' (Oliver and Boyd Ltd. 1946) {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Salvator's College, Saint Andrews Colleges of the University of St Andrews 1450 establishments in Scotland Educational institutions established in the 15th century Category A listed buildings in Fife Listed educational buildings in Scotland Category B listed buildings in Fife Former colleges of universities in the United Kingdom