Built at the end of the 19C in the neo-Renaissance style, the university encompasses the old chapter room of the cathedral (Groot Kapittelhuis, 1462-67) and a large modern amphitheatre (Aula). It was here that the Union of Utrecht was signed in January 1579. The statue (1887) of the Count John of Nassau, brother of William the Silent, who presided over the Union of Utrecht, stands on the square in front of the university.