University of Santo Tomas, Research university in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines.
The University of Santo Tomas is a pontifical research university in Sampaloc, a district of Manila in the Philippines. The roughly 21.5‑hectare (53‑acre) campus combines buildings of different architectural styles, including those with Renaissance Revival elements and modernist influences.
Spanish friar Miguel de Benavides founded the institution in 1611. This makes it the oldest university in Asia with a continuously valid charter.
The campus houses the library named after Pope Leo XIII, where manuscripts and rare prints from colonial times are preserved. Students and researchers from multiple faculties use the reading rooms and archives daily, making the building a meeting point for the academic community.
Visitors can enter public areas during daytime, while some faculties and laboratories are accessible by prior arrangement. Access to sports facilities and hospital areas is typically reserved for students, staff or patients.
The main building constructed between 1924 and 1927 was the first earthquake‑resistant structure in Asia when it was built. Its construction set standards for other high‑rise buildings in the region at the time.
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