The University of Oviedo was established under the terms and conditions of the will of Archbishop
Fernando de Valdés Salas (1483–1568), who was the
General Inquisitor under
Philip II of Spain, and funded by his estate. In 1574
Pope Gregory XIII granted the
papal bull to create the university and in 1604
Philip III issued its charter. It first opened for the teaching of classes on September 21, 1608. The ancient university had three
faculties: the Faculty of Arts, which every student had to graduate from in order to continue his training in one of the other; and the Faculties of Theology and Law, sometimes known as the higher faculties. After
the French invasion of Spain the
Historical Building of the university was occupied by invading troops and lectures were suspended until the War ended in 1812. File:Placa conmemorativa. Universidá d'Uviéu.jpg|thumb|Sign commemorating the extension programme.|alt=A stone rectangle on a white wall with red letters reading: "LAS UNIVERSIDADES ESPAÑOLAS REUNIDAS EN OVIEDO ACORDARON RENDIR HOMENAJE DE GRATITUD Y ADMIRACION A LOS PROFESORES DE ESTA UNIVERSIDAD QUE CREARON E INICIARON LA EXTENSION [sic] UNIVERSITARIA COMO INSTRUMENTO PERMANENTE DE LAS RELACIONES SOCIEDAD-UNIVERSIDAD Y COMO EXPRESIÓN DE LA VOCACIÓN DE SERVICIO QUE DEBE PRESIDIR LA LABOR UNIVERSITARIA. OVIEDO 15 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 1898-25 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 1992" During the 19th century, a group of liberal professors tried to bring the university closer to the working class with the (a popular education programme sponsored by the institution). However, this goal was not fully achieved, and on October 13, 1934, during the
leftist miners revolt in Asturias, the university (including its Library and the Art Gallery) was set fire either by the revolutionaries or the government bomber airplanes. It was rebuilt after the
Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The number of faculties has multiplied in the modern university, both through subdivisions of the traditional four faculties, and through the absorption of academic disciplines which have developed within originally vocational schools, in areas such as engineering or nursing. Nowadays, the university has 31 faculties and professional schools, offering degrees and diplomas in over 150 fields of study. ==Schools and colleges==