1869
Cajal settled in Zaragoza. In October, he began his pre-medical studies at the University of this city. He took a job as an apprentice in the home of Mariano Bailo, in the Arrabal neighbourhood.
Sobrarbe Street
When he arrived in Zaragoza in 1869 to begin his pre-medical studies, and before his family moved there, he lived for a time on this street in the Arrabal neighbourhood.
13 Méndez Núñez Street
This is where he lived with his family when they settled permanently in Zaragoza in 1870.
28 San Jorge Street
The next family home, where he also set up his anatomy school.
Ramón y Cajal Street
(formerly Hospital Street)
He studied medicine at the Hospital de Nuestra Señora de Gracia. He lived on that same street from the time he got married until 1884.
La Magdalena
Some of the courses in the medical programme were taught at the Universidad Literaria (the historical name of the University of Zaragoza), located in Plaza de la Magdalena.
Iglesia de San Pablo
This is where he married Silveria Fañanás García on July 19, 1879.
SANTIAGO RAMÓN Y CAJAL'S ZARAGOZA
Zaragoza made a deep impression on Cajal, as the great city that it was. It was there that Cajal spent his youth and early adulthood; he studied and worked as a teacher, met his wife, Silveria Fañanás, got married and had his first children. In his memoirs, he recalled his walks through the Torrero hills and how he had been struck by the mighty Ebro River.
After being defeated in an arm-wrestling match, he went to the Poblador gym in the Plaza del Pilar and exchanged lessons in muscle physiology for lessons in physical development. Driven by an unexpected strength of will, he soon became the gym’s strongest champion.
Zaragoza is something deeply personal to me, something I carry deep in my heart and soul and it resonates in my character and in everything I do.
THE RAMÓN Y CAJAL FAMILY IN ZARAGOZA
The Ramón y Cajal family settled in Zaragoza in 1870. His father, Justo Ramón, was then appointed as a physician at the Hospital Provincial and as an interim professor of Anatomy. His parents, Justo and Antonia, lived here until their deaths, as did his sisters, Jorja and Pabla. His brother Pedro also became a professor at the University of Zaragoza and a full member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of the same city.
