The Major Seminary in Ghent was an institution for the training of

Catholic clergy The sacrament of holy orders in the Catholic Church includes three orders: bishops, priests, and deacons, in decreasing order of rank, collectively comprising the clergy. In the phrase "holy orders", the word "holy" means "set apart for a sa ...

for the

diocese of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels ...

, first founded in 1569. It has been established at three different locations in the city. Since 2006 diocesan clergy from Ghent have been trained in

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

1569–1623

GeraarddeduivelJosephvanhaerde19e-eeuw 7-10-2009 14-44-48

The

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

was founded in the Geeraard de Duivelsteen by

Cornelius Jansen Cornelius Jansen (, ; Latinized name Cornelius Jansenius; also Corneille Jansen; 28 October 1585 – 6 May 1638) was the Dutch Catholic bishop of Ypres in Flanders and the father of a theological movement known as Jansenism. Biography He wa ...

, the first

bishop of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropoli ...

, in accordance with the decrees of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trento, Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italian Peninsula, Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation ...

1623–1925

In 1623 Bishop

Anthonius Triest Anthonius Triest (in Dutch sometimes ''Antoon''; in French ''Antoine'') (1576 – 28 May 1657), was the fifth bishop of Bruges and the seventh bishop of Ghent. Early life Anthonius was born in the castle of Ten Walle in Beveren in 1576, son of Ph ...

acquired a new property on Biezekapelstraat, next to

Ghent Cathedral Saint Bavo's Cathedral, also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral ( nl, Sint Baafskathedraal), is a cathedral of the Catholic Church in Ghent, Belgium. The 89-meter-tall Gothic building is the seat of the Diocese of Ghent and is named for Saint Bavo of ...

, to house the seminary. This building was heavily renovated and extended in the 18th century, with much of the work commissioned from the architect-contractor David 't Kindt (1699-1770) by Bishop . With a hiatus between 1797 and 1830, it was in use until 1925. During the French occupation it was in use as a barracks. It has been recognised as built heritage since 2009 and a protected monument since 2013. For much of the 20th century the buildings housed a school. They are now a diocesan activity centre, housing libraries and archives.

1925–2002

In 1925 the seminary was relocated to a purpose-built neo-traditionalist complex on the Reep. This complex was recognised as built heritage in 2009.

Vlerick Business School Vlerick Business School ("Vlerick") is a Belgian business school with campuses in Ghent, Leuven and Brussels. It is a result of a merger of the MBA programmes of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and of the ''Instituut Professor Vlerick voor ...

acquired the use of the buildings in 2002.

Notable alumni and staff

Henricus Franciscus Bracq Henricus Franciscus Bracq (1804–1888) was the 22nd bishop of Ghent, Belgium. Life Bracq was born in Ghent on 26 February 1804. He was ordained to the priesthood on 2 August 1827. From 1830 to 1864 he taught Sacred Scripture at the Major Semin ...

Jozef De Kesel Jozef De Kesel (born 17 June 1947) is a Belgian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since 2016 and Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels since 2015. He served as Bishop of Bruges from 2010 to 2015. Early life De Kesel was b ...

* Joseph Jean De Smet *

Louis-Joseph Delebecque Louis-Joseph Delebecque (1796–1864) was the 21st bishop of Ghent, in Belgium, from November 1838 until his death.A. Simon, "Delebecque, Louis-Joseph", in ''Biographie Nationale de Belgique''vol. 30(Brussels, 1958), 323-327. Life Delebecque was ...

Edward Poppe Edward Poppe (18 December 1890 – 10 June 1924) was a Belgian Roman Catholic priest who advocated for the frequent reception of the sacraments and established a children's league dedicated to the Eucharist; he was a strong critic of Marxism and ...

Jan Roegiers Jan Roegiers (1944–2013) was a professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and also university archivist, librarian and curator. He specialised in early modern academic history, and in particular the history of the pre-1797 University of ...

Antoon Stillemans Antoon Stillemans (10 December 1832, Sint-Niklaas – 5 November 1916, Ghent) was for 26 years the twenty-fourth bishop of Ghent, in Belgium. Education Stillemans began studies at the St. Joseph Minor Seminary of Sint-Niklaas in 1846. In 1853 he ...

References

{{Coord missing, Belgium 1569 establishments in Europe 1830 establishments in Belgium 1925 establishments in Belgium 2006 disestablishments in Belgium Buildings and structures in Ghent Education in Ghent

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

Tourist attractions in Ghent