On the roads of Spain: Andrei Vizanti, the first Romanian student in Madrid (1865-1868) (1865-1868)

In the process of educating modern Romanian elites, especially after the Unification of the Romanian Principalities (1859), two young Romanian students journeyed to faraway Spain. Their names were Andrei Vizanti and Ștefan Vârgolici, selected as scholars from the state of Romania, in the autumn of 1864, to study at the Central University (Madrid, Spain), for a period of four years. Of the two, only Andrei Vizanti remained in the Spanish capital, while Ștefan Vârgolici, after a short stay in Madrid (in 1865), left for Paris. After three years of study (1865-1868), in June 1868, Andrei Vizanti obtained the title of Graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the Central University, becoming the only Romanian graduate of a Spanish university until the second half of the 20 th century.

role in sending young men to study in Spain but, besides this, professor Vasile Alexandrescu Urechia had correctly noticed the necessity of having good knowledge of Spanish language and literature in the Romanian academic environment. Under these circumstances, starting with 1859, when he became director of the Ministry of Public Instruction in Moldova, V. A. Urechia has campaigned for sending Romanian students to study abroad, especially in neo-Latin countries. Until 1864, no Romanian student had been sent to study in Spain, so there was no precedent in this respect. Perhaps the distance between the two countries was a factor, in addition to not knowing the Spanish education system, the lack of such initiatives. Thus, in the autumn of the year 1864, two of the students of Iași University, Andrei Vizanti and Ștefan Vârgolici were selected as scholars of Romania to study in the Central University (Madrid, Spain), for a period of four years. Out of the two, only Andrei Vizanti would become a bachelor of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, after three years of study in the capital of Spain (1865-1868) while Ștefan Vârgolici, after a short stay in Madrid (in 1865), he went to Paris, where he continued his studies 5 .

ANDREI VIZANTI. A FEW BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS AND THE MEANDERS OF DESTINY (1844-?)
Andrei Vizanti was born in Iasi, Moldova, on May 4, 1844. He came from a Greek family, his father, Andrei (Andricu) Vizanti, was brought to Moldova by Metropolitan Veniamin Costache being, according to some sources, a teacher of mathematics and religious music in Iași and after 1827 he worked in the Moldavian Metropolitan Church. Later he was an engineer and the Moldavian ruler Mihail Sturdza (1834-1849) awarded him small boyar's ranks. Young Andrei Vizanti studied at the Central Gymnasium in Iasi where he was colleague with Ştefan G. Vârgolici.
Later, in the years 1863-1864, Andrei Vizanti would become colleague with the same Ștefan Vârgolici at Iași and together with him he would obtain a grant to study abroad for Madrid -the autumn of 1864). Andrei Vizanti studied, as scholar, in the period 1865-1868, at the Central University in Madrid becoming bachelor of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters in 1868. In parallel with his studies, when he was in Spain, he developed an intense journalistic activity in Romania, but also in Spain (Buletinul Instrucțiunii Publice, Convorbiri Literare, Românul, La Reforma, La Enseñanza). After returning in Romanian, with the help of his mentor Vasile Alexandrescu Urechia (who had transferred to the University of Bucharest) he became substitute teacher (temporary) at Iași University for the department of Romanian language, literature and history starting with the school year 1868-1869, department where he would stay for almost 30 years. He was involved in the Romanian political life as a member of the National Liberal Party, being elected by the party as deputy (1879), senator (1885) in the Romanian Parliament, and after the year 1890 he was even the vice-president of the

THE EDUCATION OF THE ROMANIAN STUDENTS FROM ABROAD IN THE SECOND HALF OF XIX CENTURY. A STUDY JOURNEY IN SPAIN. VASILE ALEXANDRESCU URECHIA AND THE PROJECT OF THE LATIN WORLD
As I have previously mentioned, it is very well known the fact that, at present, foreign universities were, in the XIX century and even in the first half of XX century, on the first place regarding the education of the cultural and scientific Romanian elites, especially in the case of the teachers from the two universities in the old kingdom of Romania (Iași and Bucharest) 7 .
Of the many types of travel, the study journeys seems to have been quite important and significant, with a programme with well-defined objectives, being made at young ages (20-25 years) where the one who was travelling to study was open to new and knowledge, to other experiences 8 . The mechanism of moving abroad (study journey) from the Romanian space to the West of Europe was clearly established by the Iași historian, Leonidas Rados, who stated in one of his studies that for the entire modern period, travelling abroad, especially for educational purpose, so that at return one could put your his abilities in the service of community, thus becoming a useful citizen for your country, was one of the episodes which, besides the projection in the ideological space, could radically form the destiny of a young man, building a bright career and sending him straight in the social hierarchy 9 .
Travelling abroad, especially for studies, became "almost a title of glory and fashion", and the Romanian newspapers had extensively presented these study journeys abroad in the middle of the XIX century, both at the departure of the students, during their internship, but also on their return (even if the studies were completed or not by a bachelor or doctoral degree) 10 .
However, the journey always fulfilled a strong function of legitimating the status of a cultivated man, a member of the elite. It was about acquiring references and intellectual, cultural and para-cultural experience of the developed West, either in the form of diplomas, memories, stories or salon relationships 11 . Thus, when returning from studies abroad, the young people in this category, especially those who came with a diploma, often occupied positions in Romanian education or positions in the state 12 . In general, the purpose of sending young people to study abroad, selected by those who conducted the destiny of Romanian education, was to cover some fields, didactic and social, which contributed directly to the modernisation and good functioning of Romania 13 .
The Romanian scholars abroad (especially those with state funds) were obliged to follow the courses of the chosen institution diligently, to periodically transmit information reports during the studies, and to return to the country to present the diploma obtained in order to show that the resources spent were not wasted or made in vain. The purpose of sending them to study abroad was that they could be used as teachers, which made them interested and motivated to obtain a bachelor or doctoral degree that would allow them to enter an elitist and well-paid body 14 . We mention here that one of the features of the XIX century foreign training courses was their itinerary. Thus, a Romanian student could start his studies in a particular institution and could complete them in another (even in the same city) being able to go between university centres in the same area (country) or between university centres in Europe. The grants offered by the Romanian state, especially those from the 1860s, were based on this principle: the scholar was even obliged to change two schools in general, one of them being the University of Paris 15 . We did not mention by chance Vasile Alexandrescu Urechia's connections with Spain (especially) and with the other neo-Latin states (in general). Urechia, "probably the most restless Romanian creator of forms and institutions" was the one who initiated a programme which had at its centre the idea of fraternising with the Latin world in order to reach the freedom, national unity and progress objectives. It appears that this programme came to life while V. A. Urechia was in Paris between the years 1853-1857 16 . It is a fact that in 1858, on September 25, the Romanian historian published in Madrid in La Discusión, no. 795, an article named Introduction to the History of Romanians in which he supported the unity of the Latin world 17 .
The program was implemented by V. A. Urechia when he returned to Moldova in Iași and after he became the director of the Ministry of Public Instruction in 1859. Thus, in 1860, after the Unification of the Romanian Principalities, he presented his ideas in a speech held in Iasi at the end of the school year. On this occasion, V. A. Urechia emphasized the idea of the "juniors'" (young men) study journeys abroad, especially in neo-Latin countries (referring to the universities of France, Italy and even Spain "which represented an instruction terrain that was completely unknown to the Romanians") 18 .
Thus, in this context, since 1860, starting with September, through the efforts of V. A. Urechia and with the help of Mihail Kogălniceanu (who was the ad-interim Minister of Public Instruction in Moldova and president of the Council of Ministers) began sending to studies in Italy, at the University of Turin, the first five Romanian scholars 19 . Regarding the issue of sending the Romania young men to study in Spain, only later in the year 1864, on September 25, Andrei Vizanti and Stefan Vârgolici were selected as scholars in letters and sent to Madrid, at the end of the year 20 .

ROMANIAN STUDENTS IN MADRID: ANDREI VIZANTI AND ȘTEFAN VÂRGOLICI (1865)
Coming back to the case of Andrei Vizanti we mention the fact that he enrolled as student of Iași University in the school year 1863-1864 (at Faculty of Law, but also participating in classes at the Faculty of Letters) and after a year of study, in the autumn of the year 1864, he obtained a grant abroad in the field of letters shared between Madrid and Paris as his faculty colleague Ștefan Vârgolici, as I have previously mentioned 21 .  II-2011) and the case of Andrei Vizanti who was a scholar of the Romanian state as a student in Madrid and then a professor at Iași University. He quite rightly appreciates, on the basis of his studies, that, as we have seen, there is a great deal of inaccuracies in Romanian historiography regarding academic training and especially the beginning of Andrei Vizanti's teaching career. In order to avoid these inaccuracies, according to Leonidas Rados, more attention should be paid to the corroboration of internal and external sources, we believe we are right and with whom we fully agree. In this context, especially for Andrei Vizanti's studies in Spain (which are the subject of our study), in the Central University, the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (1865-1868) corroborating the documentary sources at the National Historical Archive of Madrid, Spain, and what has been published in Spanish historiography with documentary sources in the archives in Romania and what has been published in Romanian historiography so far can lead to a better knowledge of the academic years of education and of the activity carried out by Andrei Vizanti as a student in Madrid and to elimination of these inaccuracies). Certain historiographical sources show that Andrei Vizanti began his studies in Madrid in 1866 or that he was a student in Madrid between 1860-1865 (L. Năstasă, Itinerarii spre lumea savantă..., p. 315; Dicționarul literaturii române. De la origini până la 1900..., p. 906; M. Popa, Spania descoperită de români, Editura Dacia, Cluj Napoca, 2007, p. 7), fact invalidated by the unedited documents in the Romanian and Spanish archives (L. Rados,op. cit.,F. J. Juez y Galvez,op.cit.,; AHN, Madrid, Universidades, 6887/1). Also in the case of Ștefan Vârgolici, there are some inaccuracies regarding some aspects, being stated that just like Vizanti, he allegedly studied in Madrid between the years 1860-1865 (E. Denize, "Călători români în Spania secolului al XIX-lea", in Tribuna, serie nouă, an II, nr. 28, 1-15 noiembrie 2003, p. 8). Regarding his studies in Spain it is clear at present that he, as stated by the documentary and historiographical sources, arrived in Madrid together with Andrei Vizanti in 1865 and, it seems that they did not accommodate very well in the capital of Spain and left for Paris (before starting the studies and with the approval of the Romanian authorities), the scholar being, according to some opinions, as the one of Vizanti, awarded/shared for a study in Madrid but also in Paris (AHN, Madrid, Universidades, 6887/1; L. Rados, op. cit., pp. 50-51; F. J. Juez y Galvez also notices in the study dedicated to Andrei Vizanti as a student of the Central University, published in Spain in the year 2003, that, after one mention, only Andrei Vizanti still appears in the documents kept at AHN, Madrid but implies the fact that Ștefan Vârgolici could not continue here the studies and left Spain due to economical reasons iOsif iulian Oncescu Practically, at the beginning of 1865 the two scholars of Romania were in the capital of Spain as it can be noticed from the Romanian school statistics and from their correspondence with the Romanian authorities 22 .
In March 1865, Vizanti and Vârgolici were received by the general director of the Ministry of Public Instruction in Spain to whom they presented their recommendation letters from the Minister of Public Instruction n Romanian, and he assured the two Romanian scholars that they would receive all his support 23 .
It was raised the following question, why did the two future Romanian students in Spain need support? Firstly, it in order to enrol in the Central University it was necessary to validate their baccalaureate exam (fact which constituted a problem not only for the Romanian students sent to Paris but also to other European university centres) or the approval to enrol in a university and taking the baccalaureate exam before obtaining the approval. Many times the Romanian students abroad could not validate their baccalaureate exam and they had to retake the exam after private lessons or after attending the same time their university studies together with their secondary studies especially that in that period the baccalaureate exam was taken at the university 24 . As it can be easily noticed from Andrei Vizanti' school documents but also from other documents (correspondence) in the file at the National Historic Archive in Madrid, both he and his colleague had their secondary studies in Moldavia validated/recognised through royal order (March 1865) and they were allowed to enrol in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters within the Central University, but he, for two years, attended in parallel with the bachelor studies several subjects necessary for the baccalaureate exam which he took in 1867 25 .
(financial difficulties) of the young Romanian state, formed in the year 1859. The Spanish researcher notices that although he left from Madrid, Ștefan Vârgolici later distinguished himself as one of the first Romanian Hispanics with a meritorious activity in this sense (F.J. Juez y Galvez, op.cit., p. 125). The great Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga, too, who had as teachers when he was young Andrei Vizanti and Ștefan G. Vârgolici, in Iași, showed that these studied in Madrid as V.A. Urechia. Thus, he mentioned in one of his conferences in 1936, that "Vizanti had learned in Madrid as Urechia (...) Ștefan Vârgolici also learned in Madrid but also in Paris (...) being in the same generation with Andrei Vizanti." He described Andrei Vizanti as a big man, strong, dark haired, with a deep voice who, whenever he took an exam, "rolled a pair of blood-shot eyes" (N. Iorga,op.cit.,p. 35). As I have previously mentioned, among these, only Andrei Vizanti had studied in Madrid. V.A. Urechia had visited Spain repeatedly and maintained relationships with the Spanish intellectuals, but he had studied in Madrid, but in Paris (1853-1857) , op. cit., pp. 124-125). Generally, the young Romanian men who left to study abroad knew each other from Romania, they had been colleagues as it was the case of Vizanti and Vârgolici who lived together during their time in Madrid (until the latter left for Paris) in the same house -L. Rados, "Studenți și profesori ai Universității din Iași la studii în străinătate (deceniul șapte al secolului XIX) (II)", pp. 15, 16. 23 Ibidem, pp. 14, 24 (In the case of many Romanian students sent to study abroad, in order to obtain the support of the local, political or university authorities, they had official letters of recommendation from Romanian so that they could accommodated themselves faster and without incidents. Ibidem, p. 13). 24 Ibidem, p. 23-24. 25 AHN, Madrid, Universidades, 6887/ 1; F. J. Juez y Galvez, op.cit., pp. 125-128; D. V. Andronache,op. cit.,[214][215]217 As the future Romanian students in Madrid communicated to Bucharest in the first part of the year 1865, about the fact "that the university course" in Spain took five years: two for the baccalaureate exam, two for he bachelor degree and for the doctorate 26 .
But, before enrolling in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, the two Romanian scholars had made, after acknowledging the study conditions in Spain, in April 1865, a request towards the Romanian school authorities to move from Madrid to Paris being especially worried that they could not finish their studies in the four years of grant 27 .
In this context and maybe because of this reason, Ștefan Vârgolici 28 left the capital of Spain (after their request to leave for Paris was approved in May of the same year). Still, in June 1865, Andrei Vizanti gave up his request, probably also as a result of his discussion with his mentor V.A. Urechia, he stayed in Madrid to study especially that he had prepared for the exams and paid the study fees for the first year 29 .
Thus, in September 1865 only Andrei Vizanti enrolled as a student of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters in Madrid. His application form had been personally made on September 27 1865 and forwarded to the Rector of the Central University in Madrid being approved on September 28 of the same year by the vice-rector of the institution 30 . diplomas were recognised and they could enrol in the University, but if they wanted to use their bachelor degree on the territory of Spain they were obliged to revalidated their baccalaureate exam (AHN, Madrid, Universidades, 6887/1; F. J. Juez y Galvez, op.cit., pp. 124-125; D. V. Andronache,op.cit.,p. 208). There is no knowledge of the details or motivations for which Andrei Vizanti also followed the required secondary education (for the baccalaureate exam) at Central University in parallel with the bachelor's degree in the years 1865-1867. He may have been forced to attend them to follow the exact steps of the Spanish university education, or he may have done it on his own initiative, although, as shown by the royal order, he was clearly saying that he was obliged to attend high school studies or to revalidate his baccalaureate only if was to be used as a bachelor's degree in Spanish territory. 26 L. Rados,op. cit. p. 24. 27 Ibidem, Vârgolici invoked the fact that in order to obtain the doctorate in Madrid they would have needed a period of five years, as it was stated by the Spanish education system and this period only allowed them to obtain their bachelor degree -the grant was awarded for four years-one fir the study of Spanish language and three for study). 28 Ștefan G. Vârgolici (October 13 1843 -July 20 1897) -literary critic, translator, professor. He was born in Moldavia, in Borlești (Târgu-Neamț) on October 13 1843. He studied at the Central Gymnasium in Iași where he was colleague with Andrei Vizanti. Later, in 1863-1864, Ștefan G. Vârgolici would be colleague with the same Andrei Vizanti at the University of Iași and together with him they would obtain the grant to study abroad in Madrid -the autumn of the year 1864). He did not studied in the capital of Spain, in Madrid, but in Paris and Berlin, but until the end of his life he promoted in Romanian the Spanish culture, being one of those who made the Spanish floklore known in Romania and he was also the first translator in Romania of Cervantes' work, Don Quijote de la Macha (published in the magazine Convorbiri Literare in several parts in the period 1881-1891). He also published several articles of literary criticism, in the same magazine, regarding the work of Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega and Calderon de la Barca. Ștefan G. Vârgolici can be considered the pioneer of the Romania hispanism. After completing his studies in France and Germany, in the year 1875, he came back in Romania and until the end of his life (1897) he was a professor at the University of Iași, being the tenure teacher of the department of French language and literature, department which he transformed in the department of the history of modern literature. Besides his didactical activity, he also had an intense activity as a publicist, literary critic and translator. Active member of Junimea Society (1871), he collaborated with the magazine Convorbiri Literare even since its establishment (1867) publishing in its pages, for almost 25 years, translations, literary criticism articles and poems. He rightly can be considered the pioneer of the Romanian hispanism (Dicționarul literaturii române. De la origini până la 1900..., pp. 897-898;D. A. Rosetti, op. cit. p. 192;L. Rados, op. cit. p. 33; E. Denize, Imaginea Spaniei în cultura românească până la primul război mondial, Editura Silex, Bucureşti, 1996, pp. 133;144-146 iOsif iulian Oncescu

ANDREI VIZANTI STUDENT IN MADRID (1865-1868)
Andrei Vizanti stayed in Madrid, Spain, for three years (1865-1868) as a student of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the Central University. During the years of study he was seen as a good student and he obtained extraordinary results in some exams (as also shown in the document issued by the Madrid University in the year 1868 -his academic record-which as present it is at the National Historic Archive in Madrid) 31 , following these efforts he was rewarded in Spain with some prizes 32 , developing in parallel other important activities like the one in the publishing field. Thus, he wrote many articles for the Romanian journalism but also for the Spanish one (in Romania he sent letters for Buletinul Instrucțiunii Publice, Convorbiri Literare, Românul in which he published information regarding the Spanish literature, the Spanish educational system, the organisation of the Museum and the National Library in Madrid, and in Spain he published La Reforma and in La Enseñanza, where he offered the Spanish readers information about the history of Romania). Vizanti visited, during his internship in Madrid, in August-September 1867, and Paris where he sent to Buletinul Instrucțiunii Publice, in the newspaper Românul but also to the Spanish gazette La Enseñanza, letters and also impressions on the preparation of the Universal Exposition in the capital of France 33 . 31 AHN, Madrid, Universidades, 6887/1, (E 797) Andrei Vizanti took 14 exams during his study years in Madrid -1865-1868 (for baccalaureate and bachelor degree). In his first year of study 1865/1866, Andrei Vizanti obtained remarkable results: the score exceptional (sobresalientes) -at the Spanish literature and Greek Novelists exams and the score good (buenos) in Geography and Universal History. In the year 1866 Andrei Vizanti (on August 27) obtains the approval from the general director of the Ministry of Public Instruction, Severo Catalina (after the Romanian student filled an application) and the Rector of the Central University (August 28) to attend at the same time the classes of Classical Greek and Latin Literature and Metaphysics in the school year 1866/1867 so that he could take his baccalaureate exam. On September 26, 1866 Andrei Vizanti (who now appears with his second name -Andrés Vizanti y Basilio) filled just like he did last year an application to enrol in the school year 1866/1867 choosing to study Latin Literature, Greek Literature, Psychology and Logic (for the baccalaureate exam) and the History of Spain and Arabic (for the bachelor degree). On June 3, 1867 Andrei Vizanti made a request towards the Rector of the University of Madrid to take his baccalaureate exam. In June 1867, Andrei Vizanti also took his bachelor degree exams (in 1866/1867) but also the ones necessary for his baccalaureate exam, obtaining the score good (buenos) in Psychology and Logic, the score very good (notable) for the History of Spain, and in Latin Literature, Greek Literature he obtained the score exceptional (sobresalientes). After the Romanian student was examined by a committee lead by Alfredo Camus on June 22, 1867 he was admitted and obtained his baccalaureate diploma which he would receive on October 30 the same year. In his last year of study at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the Central University, 1867/1868, Andrei Vizanti enrolled on September 30, 1867 in the Metaphysics and Ethics, Spanish Literature, History of Spain and Arabic classes, subjects that at the end of the year in 1868, he obtained the score exceptional (sobresalientes). Also see in this sense, F. J. Juez y Galvez,op.cit.,D. V. Andronache,op. cit.,217. 32 In the school year 1866/1867, in June 1867 (June 4) Andrei Vizanti enrolled in a competition for a prise in Greek Literature, and as a result of his examination on June 10 of the same year he obtained the score exceptional (sobresalientes) from the examination committee and he would receive the First prize, fact that also became known in Romania (he received the medal in October 1867). During the school year 1867/1868, in June 1868, Andrei Vizanti would win a new prise in Arabic (L. Rados,F.J. Juez y Galvez,op.cit.,p. 128,129;D. V. Andronache,op. cit.,p. 215). 33 L. Rados,E. Denize,op. cit.,pp. 85,92,94;L. Năstasă,op.cit.,p. 316; See for a part of the articles published by Andrei Vizanti in the year 1866 and 1867, in La Enseñanza especially, La Enseñanza. Revista General de Instrucción Pública, Archivos y Bibliotecas (director Juan Uña), Año II, Madrid, 25 de Agosto de 1866, num. 22, pp. 345-349;Año III, Madrid, 25 Setiembre, 1867, num. 48, pp. 375-377;Año III, Madrid, 10 Noviembre, 1867, num. 51, pp. 41-43;Año III, Madrid, 25 Noviembre, 1867, num. 52, pp. 58-60.  As a sign of the validation of his activity in April 1868, Andrei Vizanti would be received in Spain in Academia Madritense at the recommendation of Juan Uña (the director of the newspaper La Enseñanza), at a distance of only three months after his mentor V. A. Urechia had been included as member in the same academy, fact that could not be -Leonidas Rados' opinion-just a simple coincidence 34 .
In June of the year 1868, Andrei Vizanti would obtain the title of bachelor of Faculty of Philosophy and Letters within the University of Madrid, after on June 8 he was examined by a committee 35 . The next day, on June 9, 1868, Andrei Vizanti requested a document from the Rector of the Central University a document, an academic record through which hec an prove that he took and passed the bachelor of Arts degree examination, document that was to be sent to the Romanian authorities to obtain the money to pay the 208 scuzi necessary to receive the title 36 . The investiture in the Andrei Vizanti's degree of bachelor of arts of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters took place on July 31, 1868, but he started many debates in the academic world but also in the Spanish newspapers regarding the oath of the Romanian student. Finally, although he had to make a political and religious oath, according to the Spanish legislation, it was admitted (through royal order) because he was a foreigner to make only the religious one at this graduation ceremony 37 . On the occasion of this investiture, Andrei Vizanti gave a speech named Breve noticia sobre la historia de la Rumanía (Short presentation regarding the History of Romania/ Short presentation on the history of Romania) which was published in Madrid under the form of a brochure 38 .
Andrei Vizanti's work, which has 85 pages is divided into three parts: Dacia and its conquest by the Emperor Traian (pp.10-26), The Romanian nation, its development and the vicissitudes until the beginning of the current century (pp. 26-55), The regeneration and reconstruction of Romania (pp. 56-77), preceded by a geographical description (pp. [7][8][9] having in the end the Conclusions (pp. 78-81) and General Note (pp.83-85). In the General Note of the work, Vizanti debated the etymology of the word Wallach and he explained the use of the terms Rumanos and Rumania 39 .
It appears that in September 1868, Andrei Vizanti was still in Madrid and he did not leave Romania 40 . As I have shown, after returning in Romania he obtained a position as a professor at the University of Iași at the department of Literature and the history of the Romanians in the school year 1868/1869, even occupying his mentor's place V. A. Urechia, university where he also had the position of dean (at the Faculty of Letters) later being named member of the Romanian Academy. His career would end thirty years later in the middle of a scandal emerged from a matter of public funds embezzlement which lead to his emigration in the United States of America (1899), and no one knew anything about him ever since 41 .

CONCLUSIONS
The universities in France, Germany and Austria, followed in the second plan, by the ones in Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and Hungary had a major role in the education of the Romanian intellectuals from the second half of the XIX th century and even from the first half of the XXth century, some of them also studying in Spain, Greece and England.
Vasile Alexandrescu Urechia militated for the Romanian students to go abroad, especially in the Neo-Latin countries (France, Italy, Spain). Regarding Spain and the intention for the Romanian scholars to study here, he stated, in 1860, that this country was totally unknown to Romanians in terms of instruction/education, noting at the same time, the necessity of existence in the Romanian academic environment of some experts proficient in Spanish language and literature. In this context, a few years later, on September 25, 1864, two students of the University of Iasi, Andrei Vizanti and Ștefan Vârgolici, obtained a scholarship for the field of letters divided between Madrid and Paris. At the beginning of 1865, the two scholars of Romania were in the capital of Spain, but, after a while, in June 1865, Stefan Vârgolici left Madrid and continued his studies in Paris and then in Berlin. Although he has not studied in Spain, he can be considered the initiator of Romanian Hispanism.
Although he had also been tempted to leave for Paris, probably at the advice of his mentor, Vasile Alexandrescu Urechia, in September 1865, Andrei Vizanti became a student of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the Central University and remained here for three years. During the years of studies (1865-1868), he was a meritorious student and obtained special results in some exams (especially in parallel he also passed the exams for the validation of the baccalaureate), while also carrying out an intense publishing activity, writing a series of articles for the press in Romania, but also for the one in Spain. Thus, he sent in Romania correspondence for Buletinul Instrucțiunii Publice (The Newsletter of Public Instruction), Convorbiri Literare (Literary Talks), Românul (The Romanian), making public a series of information regarding the Spanish literature, the Spanish education system, the organisation of the National Museum and Library in Madrid and in Spain he published in the gazette La Reforma and in La Enseñanza, where he offered the Spanish readers information about the history of Romanians.
In June 1868, Andrei Vizanti was to become a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the Central University, and on July 31 the same year the investiture ceremony took place, but this act provoked more discussions in the academic world as well as in the Spanish press, especially regarding the Romanian student's taking of the oath. Finally, although Vizanti had to take a political and religious oath, according to Spanish law, he was admitted (by royal order), because he was a foreigner, to take only the religious one. On this occasion of the investiture, Andrei Vizanti gave a speech entitled Breve noticia sobre la historia de la Rumanía (Short presentation regarding the history of Romania/ Short information about the history of Romania), speech published in Madrid as a brochure (1868).
After his return to Romania (September-October 1868), Andrei Vizanti obtained, with the support of his mentor, Vasile Alexandrescu Urechia, a position of substitute (temporary) professor at the University of Iași for the department of Romanian language, literature and history, starting with the academic year 1868-1869, a position that he will have for almost 30 years. Some of the contemporaries appreciated, that the choice of Madrid and Spain as a study destination for the Romanian scholars in the second half of the XIX th century, was a whim of Vasile Alexandrescu Urechia, explained by his affinity with the Hispanic culture, but the sending of Andrei Vizanti to study in Madrid and the contact with the Spanish academic environment meant, besides his academic, personal formation, a way of mutual knowledge between Romania and Spain.
To conclude, the presence of the Romanian students in Spain in the second half of the XIXth century was a singular one, constituting an exception of the period, Andrei Vizanti being the only graduate of a Spanish university until the second half of the XX th century.