The English College of St Gregory was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

seminary in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, Spain. It was founded by the English Jesuit

Robert Persons Robert Persons (24 June 1546 – 15 April 1610), later known as Robert Parsons, was an English Jesuit priest. He was a major figure in establishing the 16th-century "English Mission" of the Society of Jesus. Early life Robert Person ...

in 1592, when Roman Catholicism was illegal in England, to provide his native country with priests. The dedication of the college to St Gregory recalls the Gregorian mission of AD 596, which resulted in the Anglo-Saxons being converted to Christianity. In 1596, in Seville, Persons wrote ''Memorial for the Reformation of England'', concerning how England might be returned to the Roman Catholic faith. Teaching staff included Richard Smith who developed different ideas from Persons about the project. Smith returned to England in 1603. Persons died in Rome in 1610, but the institution continued, although short of funds. It was supported by the Jesuits until 1767 when

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

, in a surprise move, expelled the order from Spain.Martin Murphy, ''St Gregory's College, Seville 1592-1767'', Catholic Record Society, 1992 Its assets were then transferred to the English College in Valladolid, which had also been founded by Persons. This continued to function under the protection of the Spanish crown.

Alumni

* Archbishop Patrick Fitzsimons STD, Irish Bishop, served as Archbishop of Dublin * Bishop

Michael Fitzwalter Michael Fitzwalter (''also Miguel Gualtero'')(died 1601) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Seville (1596–1601). ''(in Latin)''English College, Douai The English College (''College des Grands Anglais'') was a Catholic seminary in Douai, France (also previously spelled Douay, and in English Doway), associated with the University of Douai. It was established in 1568, and was suppressed in 1793. ...

, a past Catholic seminary in Douai, France, closed in 1793 * English College, Lisbon, a past Roman Catholic seminary in Lisbon, Portugal, closed in 1973 *

English College, Valladolid The Royal English College of Valladolid is a residence and training centre located in Valladolid, Spain, for the training of Catholic priests for the English and Welsh Mission. It is under the patronage of St Alban. It was founded with the permissi ...

, a residence and training centre for the training of Catholic priests in Valladolid, Spain *

English College, Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English Colleg ...

, a Roman Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy

References

Defunct universities and colleges in Spain Jesuit universities and colleges in Spain Seminaries and theological colleges in Spain 1592 establishments in Spain 1767 disestablishments in Europe History of Catholicism in England Catholic Church in England and Wales {{Catholic-org-stub

Alumni

See also

References