Solar Marias do Loureiro - Coimbra, Portugal - Fraternity and Sorority Houses on Waymarking.com

"Repúblicas" are university residences, originally in the town of Coimbra, which historical roots are deeper than they might appear. It was in 1309 that King D. Dinis decreed the creation of residences for university students, at the time located in the area of Almedina. A model of social housing for students was created, which, evolving, has remained until today.

In 1940 the Council of the Republics was created, an association representing all these communities. In 1957 they had their first modern legal framework. In the 1960s they became politicized, became strongholds of resistance to the regime, gave shelter to those persecuted by PIDE and there germinated revolutionary ideals.

After the 25th of April, the Republics moved away from one of their recent vocations - the organization of praxes - and became anti-praxis, with more recently some of them having a non-praxist position.

There are currently just over two dozen republics in Coimbra. In many ways they remain true to their usual principles. The libertarian and bohemian environment reigns in these communities and their management is done in a democratic way. Residents - "republics" - are considered equal in rights and obligations. In the 1940s and 1950s, community management was divided into ministries, each with its own minister. As you can see, the most demanding portfolio was that of the Minister of Finance of the Republic. At that time, it was customary for each house to have a lady to take care of most of the domestic work. The bonds between her and the students were deep, as if it were a connection between mother and children, and this relationship resulted in friendships for life.

Some of the Republics have rules for admitting residents. Some, reserved for students of certain colleges, others with female or male residents only. Some were created for students from specific regions of the country.

In recent years, the situation in some of these Republics has become dramatic, struggling with the pressure of real estate speculation accentuated by the excellent location that most of them enjoy. Fortunately, there are some defense and protection mechanisms, activated by adhering to the status of establishments and entities of local historical and cultural or social interest.

Regarding this specific República, note that when universities were created in Portugal, only male elements were accepted. This situation was only changed in the second half of the 19th century.

In Coimbra, the first female student Domitilia Hormizinda Miranda de Carvalho, who was born 1871. This student, who
enrolled in the academic year 1891-1892, came to complete three courses: - Mathematics (1894), Philosophy (1895) and
Medicine (1904)

After Domítilia, others followed suit, including Regina Quintanilha. She was the first woman to complete graduation from the Faculty of Law in April 1914 with 16 points. She was also the first lawyer from the Iberian Peninsula.

In the 1920s, on the 20th of January, four students - Dionísia Camões, Maria Teresa Cabral da Silva Basto, Maria Vergínia de Abreu Ferreira de Almeida and Elisa Augusta Vilares - founded the first residence female university student from Coimbra, in this very same building.


In 1985, the only female republic in the country - Rosa do Luxemburgo - was based in Coimbra. The first republic to admit women was the Millionaires (1971-1972); the second to Trunfé-Kopos, in 1973-1974. In 1988, two thirds of the republics had at least one woman.

This specific "República", Solar Marias do Loureiro was founded in 1993, in the place where it is today, with entrance by nº 61 of Rua do Loureiro. Regarding this “republic”, there is no absolute certainty as to the date of its foundation / creation, since there are indications that it could have been formed a few years earlier.

Regarding the geographical context, Rua do Loureiro extends from east to west of Largo de S. Salvador to the point of convergence of Rua do Colégio Novo and Rua de Sobre Ribas. This place name was already known in the 15th century, and possibly derives from the name of a bachelor who had his home there and had the nickname of Loureiro, or would come from a village with that name. The street appeared in the general plans of 1845 and 1873/74 with the current dimensions.

The main façade of the property opens on the ground floor, through a wooden door with an opening leaf, which is topped by a porcupine-like fenestra; a small span with a metal grid follows.

All spans are furnished by simple stone stonework. On the 1st floor we find a blind window, in good condition; in Then we see two guillotine windows with metal guard and a bull's-eye window with guard metallic, both with simple stone masonry. On the 2nd and 3rd floors, six guillotine windows.

The facade is decorated with "junk" elements and symbology and banners related with the Republic.

Type: Sorority Name: Other (not Listed) Name (if other): Solar Marias do Loureiro Affiliated Institution: Other (not listed) Affiliated Institution (if other): Universidade de Coimbra Chapter Designation: Solar Marias do Loureiro Year of Establishment: 1993

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