“Libertas perfundet omnia luce.” That’s the motto of the Colegio Mayor Teresa de Jesús. It means “Let freedom fill all things with light”. Welcome to this historic residence hall of the Complutense University of Madrid.
The Colegio Mayor Teresa de Jesús has a fascinating past. It absorbed the Residencia de Señoritas after the Spanish Civil War. This earlier residence was the first official center for female students in Spain. It was created in 1915. María de Maeztu directed the Residencia de Señoritas from its beginning.
In 1940 the center was renamed Residencia Teresa de Cepeda. This occurred after the dismantling of the Junta’s centers by the Franco government. Two years later in 1942 it became the Colegio Mayor Santa Teresa de Jesús. Matilde Marquina García took over as director. Some former staff members of the Residencia remained. These included secretary Eulalia Lapresta and librarian Enriqueta Martín.
In 1975 the Colegio Mayor Teresa de Jesús moved to the Ciudad Universitaria. From 1980 to 1981 the students resided in the former Colegio Mayor Francisco Franco. Originally this college was intended for the sons of Franco’s Moorish guard. After Morocco’s independence it became a male university college.
Adolfo Suárez and Pedro Piqueras were among the notable residents of Colegio Mayor Francisco Franco.
In 2006 the Colegio Mayor Santa Teresa de Jesús closed for renovations. Architect José María Pérez oversaw the project. It reopened in October 2007. In 2010 the Colegio Mayor became a mixed-gender residence.
Today the Colegio Mayor Teresa de Jesús houses around 150 students. Its colors are blue and yellow. Rosa Martínez Rodríguez the ecologist and ecofeminist lived here. The Colegio Mayor Teresa de Jesús stands as a symbol of educational transformation. It embodies the spirit of freedom and learning.