Granada Professorships of the Conservatorio de Artes (Art School) (1833-1845)

This paper reviews the studies for workers and craftsmen established in Granada early in the liberal period. In 1533, the teachings of the Conservatorio de Artes (Art School) of Madrid were extended to various Spanish cities with a view to providing industrial workers with basic education. In Granada, a Geometry and Mechanics chair and an Applied Chemistry chair were established under the control of the Soviedad Económica de Amigos del Pais. These chairs were held by Javier de Hore and Francisco de Paula Montells y Nadal, respectively. Although aimed at educating workers and craftsmen, few of these attended the lectures because the teaching level was too high for them. In fact, most of the attendees were university students. In 1837, Sociedad Económica ceased to manage the professorships, and only the Chemistry chair continued to operate; however, its studies grew gradually closer to the university curriculum (so much so that they were easily recognized by the University). In 1845, the holder of the Chemistry chair, Montells, was appointed Professor of Chemistry at the Philosophy Faculty of the University of Granada, which led to the eventual disappearance of the education programme for craftsmen in the city.