2016Jesuits (FDC S - First Day Cover

The arrival of the Society of Jesus in Portugal, in 1540, was one of the most significant events in Portuguese culture. In parallel with intercontinental missionary efforts, within just a few decades the Order, founded by Ignatius of Loyola, created a network of secondary education institutions, called colleges, and universities (it established the second Portuguese university, in Évora, in 1659). The Jesuits created the first education network in Portuguese history, based on a new teaching methodology and with links to learning institutions governed along the same lines in various parts of the world. The Jesuit colleges in Portugal, numbering thirty by the time the Society was expelled by the Marquis of Pombal, were spread across the major Portuguese cities, including Madeira and Azores and overseas Portuguese territories. When the Jesuits returned following that expulsion, and the others that followed, the Society’s commitment to education, culture, and science continued to leave its mark on Portuguese history. An example is the Colégio de São Fiel, which was founded in the 19th century and attended by the first Portuguese Nobel prizewinner, Egas Moniz. It was also the founding site of the journal Brotéria, which is still being published today.