St Salvator's College of the University of St Andrews was founded in 1450 by Bishop James Kennedy on North Street, St Andrews. Several of these original medieval buildings survive, including the college chapel, tower, tenement building (adjoining to the west of tower, actually older than the adjoining tower, but much restored) and the Hebdomodar's building. The college chapel [1] is unusual in that the main entrance faces out into the town and not like those in Oxford or Cambridge, closed into the college itself. It is indeed the only collegiate chapel in Scotland with this arrangement. The chapel was used as a parish church after the St Leonard's college chapel was unroofed in the 1750s until this arrangement was withdrawn by the university. The 1450 college had cloister buildings to the north of the college chapel - the two doors to the north side of the chapel show the alignment of the cloister.
In 1528, the protestant martyr, Patrick Hamilton Patrick Hamilton (martyr), was burned alive outside the college, though Patrick himself was a member of St Leonard's college.
Initially a college of Theology and the Arts, St Salvator's was created to revitalize and focus the university after its somewhat disorderly foundation.
Due to financial considerations, fall in student numbers and general decline of the university, St Salvator's and St Leonard's Colleges amalgamated into the The United College of Saint Salvator and Saint Leonard in 1747. Shortly after this, the initial site of St Leonard's College was sold, though the university retained ownership of St Leonard's College Chapel. Although the buildings of St Salvator's College (including the college chapel) were grand by medieval standards, they eventually fell into disrepair. From 1837 the quadrangle was rebuilt and extended into its current form, with a north and a west wing in Jacobean style (in similar style to Madras College on South Street built at the same time). To the south is the Chapel, where many university services are held.
St Salvator's College was residential until the unification with St Leonard's. The current St Salvator's Hall (built from the 1930s), which lies east of the college, is one of the halls of residence for students.
Today, with the university having abandoned the Collegiate system in all but name, the St Salvator’s/United College site houses various lecture theatres, and the departments of Spanish, Russian, and social anthropology. It is commonly referred to as “the quad”, and is the setting of Raisin Monday festivities, the finish point of the post-Graduation processions, and occasionally hosts student events.
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