Greyfriars is a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
friary
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...
and parish located in East
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, which until 2008 was also a
permanent private hall
A permanent private hall (PPH) in the University of Oxford is an educational institution within the University. There are four permanent private halls at Oxford, three of which admit undergraduates. They were founded by different Christian denomina ...
of the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
. Situated on the
Iffley Road in East Oxford, it was one of the smallest constituent halls of the university. Its status as a permanent private hall (PPH) derived from the fact that it was governed by an outside institution (the
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. OFMCap) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFMObs, now OFM), the ...
, a
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
religious order), rather than by the fellows of the University as a constituent college is.
In 2007 the decision was made to close the hall, with students transferred to
Regent's Park College. The buildings continue to host the friary which formerly co-existed with the hall.
Greyfriars has one of the most distinctive buildings in Oxford; it is the only flint-stone
Norman-style building in the city, and its green spire is prominently visible along the Iffley Road and from the university's
Roger Bannister running track.
History
Medieval friary
The original Greyfriars church and friary was founded by the
Franciscans
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
in 1224. The friars had a long and esteemed history in Oxford, listing many famous alumni, including the English statesman,
Robert Grosseteste
Robert Grosseteste ( ; ; 8 or 9 October 1253), also known as Robert Greathead or Robert of Lincoln, was an Kingdom of England, English statesman, scholasticism, scholastic philosopher, theologian, scientist and Bishop of Lincoln. He was born of ...
, also a theologian and
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.
The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of Nort ...
, who became head of Greyfriars, Master of the School of Oxford from 1208, and the first
Chancellor of the University of Oxford. In 1517, the order divided into two branches. The friars who had been living in city-convents, ministering there and teaching in universities became known as "Conventuals"; while the friars who preferred a more eremitical life became known as "Observants". (The Capuchins developed in 1528.) The friaries were suppressed during the
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
in the 16th century.
20th century friary and hall
In 1905,
the
Capuchin branch of the order established a friary, known as St Anselm's, which was recognised by the university as a house of studies in 1910. The Church of St Edmund and St Frideswide on Iffley Road was established in 1911 as a
chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...
to the Jesuit church of St Aloysius. In 1928, the Jesuits handed it over to the Capuchins, who then built the friary.
["Our four Friaries", Capuchin Franciscans of Great Britain]
/ref>
In 1919, the friars moved to the current site on the Iffley Road—first naming it Grosseteste House after the first head of the original Greyfriars—and on completion of the present building in 1930, the name of Greyfriars was adopted once more. The status of permanent private hall was conferred upon Greyfriars by the university in 1957 and surrendered in 2008.
In 2007, Greyfriars celebrated 50 years of its PPH status, with considerable flourish, and an unusually high number of first-class undergraduate grades marked the year.
Closure of the hall
In October 2007, the order announced its intention to withdraw from its ministry as a permanent private hall of the university, for financial and personnel reasons. Given the age of the building and the reduced number of friars, the cost of maintenance, rehabilitation, and staffing would be unsustainable for the province, and negatively impact other ministries elsewhere. Arrangements were made to transfer all students and prospective applicants so interested to Regent's Park College. The decision aroused considerable controversy; substantial proposals by the fellows for the continuation of Greyfriars were considered by the Governing Body. The university eventually indicated that the friars' licence to run Greyfriars as a PPH would not be transferred to any other body, and the hall closed in June 2008, despite a last-minute attempt to save the hall by the Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
.Article
'' The Catholic Herald''.
It may seem strange that the Greyfriars students did not migrate to St. Benet's Hall (the Benedictine PPH) or Blackfriars (the Dominican PPH). However, Greyfriars had some years earlier admitted female students, and at that time neither of these other Catholic PPHs had done so. Regent's Park welcomed the Greyfriars students warmly, and the migration is commemorated by a plaque at Regent's Park. The latter announced in 2018 that it would be seeking donations to fund a Greyfriars Scholarship at Regent's Park.
The Capuchin Order has stated that it will continue to exist at Greyfriars in Oxford and the premises will continue to operate as a friary; the order will maintain responsibility for the parish.
[
At the time of Greyfriars' closure, the Visitor was Mauro Jöhri, ]Minister General
Minister general is the term used for the head or superior general of the different branches of the Order of Friars Minor. It is a term exclusive to the order and comes directly from its founder, St. Francis of Assisi.
Terminology
Francis chose ...
, the Warden was Mark Elvins
Mark Turnham Elvins OFMCap (26 November 1939 – 1 May 2014) was Warden of Greyfriars, Oxford, until its closure in 2008.
Life
Mark Turnham Elvins was born on 26 November 1939 in Whitstable, the son of an Anglican priest who had been rector ...
, and the fellows included Aidan Nichols, John Paul II Lecturer in Roman Catholic Theology. The immediate previous Warden was Nicholas Richardson
Nicholas James Richardson is a British Classical scholar and formerly Warden of Greyfriars, Oxford, from 2004 until 2007.
Nicholas Richardson was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford ( Honour Moderations in ''Literae Humaniores'' first class, F ...
(2004-2007). Honorary Fellows included Thomas G. Weinandy (Warden 1993–2004), and Vincent Nichols, RC Archbishop of Birmingham. Among earlier Wardens who were members of the Capuchin order, the highly respected musical scholar Peter Peacock (an Oxford D.Mus. who then became Professor of Music at Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the nam ...
) and then Cassian Reel served for long periods with distinction.
Friary and tuition
Greyfriars occupied an uncommon position in Oxford, in that its University Hall and Franciscan friary were part of the same institution and coexisted on the same site—however, the friars were not usually members of the academic hall (though this was not without exception), nor were the students actually affiliated to the friary—the two groups did, however, mingle, most notably at mealtimes. (A similar system continues to operate with great success at Blackfriars, Oxford
Blackfriars Priory (formally the Priory of the Holy Spirit) is a Dominican religious community in Oxford, England. Its primary work is the administration of two educational institutions: Blackfriars Studium, a centre of theological studies in th ...
.) Furthermore, no religious restrictions were placed on applicants; and, while the hall had a tradition of noted theology academics, a wide range of disciplines were studied by students—the most common being English, history, theology, geography and law. Although the hall employed tutors specialising in certain areas of some of these subjects, students generally went to other colleges for the majority of their tutorials. The college most closely linked with Greyfriars was Balliol College
Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world.
With a governing body of a master and ar ...
, owing to a long-standing tradition of sporting links, but Greyfriars students were tutored at a wide number of the university's colleges at some point or another.
Student life
While Greyfriars was small in terms of grounds and numbers, it had a close-knit community and a lively academic life. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, undergraduate numbers tended to be around the 30 mark, with an average of between nine and eleven students per year in addition to a handful of visiting and postgraduate students. From around 2003, numbers increased, and the student population of the hall when it closed numbered closer to 50.
The hall annually held a popular summer garden party, and a "bop" that was dubbed ' The Monastery of Sound' in tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the friars. Greyfriars was also influential in the Oxford Law Society, the Conservative Association
A Conservative Association (CA) is a local organisation composed of Conservative Party members in the United Kingdom. Every association varies in membership size but all correspond to a parliamentary constituency in England, Wales, Scotland and N ...
, the Dramatic Society, and the Indie Music Society, as well as rowing, hockey, rugby, tennis and table tennis. Its increasing prominence was very much disproportionate to student numbers, which was testament to their eagerness to get involved in university life.
As with all Oxford colleges, Greyfriars' student community was a JCR, run by an annually elected committee usually consisting of a president, secretary, treasurer and various other officers as necessary.
Notable former members of the First Foundation
*Hamo of Faversham (d. 1244)
*Alexander of Hales
Alexander of Hales (also Halensis, Alensis, Halesius, Alesius ; 21 August 1245)—known also as , or "Irrefutable Teacher" (so-called by Pope Alexander IV in the bull ), and as (or "King of Theologians")—was a Franciscan friar, theologian, an ...
, Doctor Irrefragabilis (c. 1170–1245)
* Adam Marsh, MA (d. 1258)
*Robert Grosseteste
Robert Grosseteste ( ; ; 8 or 9 October 1253), also known as Robert Greathead or Robert of Lincoln, was an Kingdom of England, English statesman, scholasticism, scholastic philosopher, theologian, scientist and Bishop of Lincoln. He was born of ...
(c. 1175–1253)
*Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon (; or ', also '' Rogerus''; ), also known by the Scholastic accolades, scholastic accolade ''Doctor Mirabilis'', was a medieval English polymath, philosopher, scientist, theologian and Franciscans, Franciscan friar who placed co ...
, DD, Doctor Mirabilis (c. 1214–1292)
* John of Peckham, DD, (c. 1225/30–1292)
* Thomas Docking (died 1270)
* John Duns Scotus, BD, DD, Doctor Subtilis
John Duns Scotus ( ; , "Duns the Scot"; – 8 November 1308) was a Scottish Catholic priest and Franciscan friar, university professor, philosopher and theologian. He is considered one of the four most important Christian philosopher-t ...
(c. 1264–1309)
* William of Occam, DD, Doctor Invincibilis (c. 1300–1394)
* Antipope Alexander V (c. 1339 – May 3, 1410)
Among the early Wardens was:
* Richard Roderham, medieval churchman (1433–1440)
Burials
* Beatrice of Falkenburg, Queen of Germany
*Sir John Golafre
Greyfriars Society
The Greyfriars Society was established in 1999 and is the official alumni organisation of Greyfriars. The main objectives of the society are to maintain and build relationships with the Hall's alumni and were also to raise money to enable Greyfriars to provide the best possible education for the growing student body. The first Patron was the late Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Cardinal- Archbishop emeritus of Westminster, and the President is David Alton.
References
External links
Greyfriars Society website
{{Archdiocese of Birmingham
1910 establishments in England
2008 disestablishments in England
Permanent private halls of the University of Oxford
Regent's Park College
Former colleges and halls of the University of Oxford