The Pontifical Faculty of Theology of San Esteban
The Dominicans came to Salamanca in 1222, attracted by the foundation of its University erected in 1218. The Dominican Order has had a General Studium of Theology in the Convent since 1299.
When finally in 1381 Cardinal Pedro de Luna (who would later become Pope Benedict XIII) organized the Faculty of Theology at the University of Salamanca, he was counting on the help of two important centres of theology: the Studia of San Esteban and San Francisco. It is not necessary to spend much time saying that the Dominicans, teachers and students, held with dignity and efficacy, the Theology Faculty of the University, contributing besides, with their School of Theology through several centuries.
Bearing in mind this historic commitment of the Studium of San Esteban with Theology, by the concession of His Holiness, Pius XII, the Sacred Congregation for Seminaries and Universities, erected the said Centre as a Theology Faculty on 15 November 1947, with the authority to confer academic degrees to members of the Order according to the norms of the Apostolic Constitution Deus scientiarum Dominus, and the annexed Ordinances and Statutes of the Faculty.
The Congregation for Catholic Education decreed on 4 October 1972 the integration of the First Cycle of the Faculty of Theology of San Esteban into the Theology Faculty of the Pontifical University of Salamanca. This Cycle, with the name of "the Theological Institute of San Esteban", is open to Religious, Clerics and lay people and has the character of a Superior centre that awards the First Cycle degree of a Theology Faculty. Preceding this was the approval given by the Episcopal Commission for Seminaries and Universities in its Acts of the meeting held on 27 and 28 April 1972 for the integration of the First Cycle.
Although the Institutional Cycle or First Cycle of teaching was interrupted at the end of the academic year 2005-2006, the Theological Institute however remains linked to the Pontifical University of Salamanca.
The second and third Cycles of the Faculty of San Esteban are reserved for members of the Order of Preachers, in accord with the principles of its establishment (1947) and according to the Congregation for Catholic Education. Its Grand Chancellor is the Master General of the Order of Preachers. The new configuration of these Cycles as well as the methodology used these last years, tutorial in character, had been favourably approved by the said Congregation with the endorsement of the new Statutes dated 10 May 2005. The revised Statutes are dated 20 November 2010.
The Licentiate and Doctorate degrees are issued by the Faculty and validated for civil purposes by the Spanish Ministry of Education, by the Royal Decree of 13 January 1995.
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