The Minor Seminary, Roeselare (Dutch: ''Klein Seminarie Roeselare''; est. 1806) is a diocesan secondary school in

Roeselare Roeselare (; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke. The name of the city is derived from two ...

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

, Belgium. Initially primarily a preparatory institution for the

Major Seminary, Bruges The Major Seminary in Bruges, in Dutch Grootseminarie, is a centre for training and formation in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bruges, formerly used as the seminary for preparing candidates for the diocesan priesthood. It is located on the Potteri ...

, it is now a substantial secondary school for the local community.

History

The diocesan Minor Seminary opened on 27 May 1806 in buildings that between 1641 and 1797 had housed an Augustinian

Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Other terms used include Lateinschule in Germany, or later Gymnasium. Latin schools were also established in Colon ...

. The property had been established as a hospital in 1245 by Margaret of Constantinople, and transferred to the Augustinians in 1634-1635. The buildings were considerably modified over the course of subsequent centuries. The school was closed by government decree between 1812 and 1814 (under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

) and again from 1825 to 1830 (under

William I of the Netherlands William I (Willem Frederik; 24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843) was King of the Netherlands and List of monarchs of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1815 until his abdication in 1840. Born as the son of William V, Prince of Orange, ...

). From 1838 to 1846 one wing was a normal school, that then moved to

Torhout Torhout (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Torhout proper, the villages of Wijnendale and Sint-Henri ...

(now part of Hogeschool VIVES). It was replaced by the Institut Saint-Michel, a primary school and trade school, which from 1849 to 1884 also included a separate English section due to the number of students enrolling from England and Ireland, where Catholic secondary education was still underdeveloped. From 1849 to 1953, the Minor Seminary provided philosophy courses for those who had completed their secondary education and were beginning their training for the priesthood. Through the influence of

Guido Gezelle Guido Pieter Theodorus Josephus Gezelle (1 May 1830 – 27 November 1899) was an influential writer and poet and a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium. He is famous for the use of the West Flemish dialect, but he also wrote in other languages ...

and the activism of

Albrecht Rodenbach Albertus Petrus Josephus Mansuetus Ferdinandus "Albrecht" Rodenbach (; 27 October 1856 – 23 June 1880) was a Flemish poet, and a leader in the revival of Flemish literature, or "Flemish movement", that occurred in the late 19th century. He ...

, the school became one of the intellectual centres of the 19th-century

Flemish Movement The Flemish Movement (, ) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgium, Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemis ...

. The church attached to the school was built in the years 1725–1749. During the First World War the German occupying forces requisitioned the building as a field hospital. In 1918 there was extensive damage due to a fire caused by Allied shelling.

Notable teachers and alumni

* Thomas Bouquillon * Pol Demade * Johan Joseph Faict *

Bernard Jungmann Bernard Jungmann was a German Catholic dogmatic theologian and ecclesiastical historian. Biography He was born at Münster in Westphalia on 1 March 1833; died at Leuven (Louvain), 12 January 1895. He belonged to an intensely Catholic family of W ...

Constant Lievens Constant Lievens (11 April 1856 – 7 November 1893) was a Belgian ( Flemish) Jesuit priest, missionary among the tribal peoples of Central India, particularly the Mundaris, Oraons. He is regarded as the apostle of the Chotanagpur (Jharkhan ...

* Victor Roelens * Gustavus Waffelaert

References

External links

* {{coord, 50.94324, 3.12529, format=dms, type:edu_region:BE, display=title 1806 establishments in Europe Secondary schools in Belgium