COIMBRA, Portuguese city on the north bank of the river Mondego, 115m. N.N.E. of Lisbon, on the Lisbon-Oporto railway. Pop. (1930,27,343. Coimbra derives its present importance from the fact that it is the seat of the only university in the kingdom—an institution which was originally established at Lis bon in 1291, was transferred to Coimbra in 1306, was again re moved to Lisbon, and was finally fixed at Coimbra in 1537. There are five faculties—theology, law, medicine, mathematics and philosophy. The library contains about 150,00o volumes, and the museums and laboratories are on an extensive scale. Among the other educational establishments are a military college, a royal college of arts, a scientific and literary institute and an episcopal seminary.
The city, picturesquely situated on a hill above the river, is the seat of a bishop, suffragan to the archbishop of Braga; its new cathedral, founded in 158o, is of little interest, but the old one is a fine specimen of 12th-century Romanesque, and retains portions of the mosque which it replaced. The principal churches are Santa Cruz, of the i6th century, and San Salvador, founded in 1169. On the banks of the Mondego stand the ruins of the once splendid monastery of Santa Clara, established in 1286; and the celebrated Quinta das Lagrimas, where Inez de Castro (q.v.) is believed to have been murdered in A Latin inscription of the fourth century identifies Coimbra with the ancient Aeminium; while Condeixa, 8m. S.S.W., represents the ancient Conimbriga or Conembrica. In the ninth century, how ever, when the bishopric of Conimbriga was removed hither, its old title was transferred to the new see, and hence arose the modern name Coimbra. The city was for a long time a Moorish stronghold, but in 1064 it was captured by Ferdinand I. of Castile and the Cid. Until 126o it was the capital of the country, and no fewer than six kings—Sancho I. and II., Alphonso II. and III., Pedro and Ferdinand—were born within its walls. It was also the birthplace of the poet Francisco So. de Miranda and, according to one tradition, of the more famous Luis de Camoens (1524-158o), who was a student at the university be tween 1537 and 1545. In 1755 Coimbra suffered considerably from the earthquake. In 181 o it was sacked by the French under Marshal Massena. In 1834 Dom Miguel made the city his head quarters; and in 1846 it was the scene of a Miguelist insurrection. The administrative district of Coimbra coincides with the south western part of Beira; pop. (193o), 387,808; area 1,508 sq.m.