Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Cervantes Institute is a Spanish public institution founded in 1991 under the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose mission is to promote the teaching of the Spanish language and to disseminate Spanish and Spanish-American cultures. Originally led by historian Nicolás Sánchez-Albornoz, he was inspired by models such as the French Institute or the Goethe-Institut. His name pays tribute to the writer Miguel de Cervantes, a major figure in Hispanic literature.

The institute offers Spanish courses, specialized libraries (such as the Octavio-Paz library in Paris), and organizes DELE exams (Spanish diplomas as a foreign language). He has also developed cultural programs and a virtual Cervantes Centre online since 1997, offering digital resources on Hispanic language and culture. Every year, he publishes a global analysis of the place of the Spanish language at the international level.

In France, the Cervantes Institute is present in four cities: Paris (16th arrondissement), Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse. The Paris centre, located 7 rue Quentin-Bauchart, houses the Octavio-Paz library and participates in the institution's global network, which has 87 centres in 44 countries. Its role is comparable to that of other foreign cultural institutes, with a focus on linguistic and artistic exchanges between Spain, Latin America and the rest of the world.

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