St Bernard's College was a

constituent college A collegiate university is a university where functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the Col ...

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 ...

. Founded by the

Cistercian order The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

in 1437 and dedicated to

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

, it was suppressed in Spring 1540 during the dissolution of the monasteries. Its buildings were later used to found

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

History

The College of St Bernard, a monastery and house of study of the

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

order, was founded in 1437 and closed during the dissolution of the monasteries. It was founded by

Henry Chichele Henry Chichele ( ; also Checheley; – 12 April 1443) was Archbishop of Canterbury (1414–1443) and founded All Souls College, Oxford. Early life Chichele was born at Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, in 1363 or 1364; Chichele told Pope Eu ...

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

, under licence in

mortmain Mortmain () is the perpetual, inalienable ownership of real estate by a corporation or legal institution; the term is usually used in the context of its prohibition. Historically, the land owner usually would be the religious office of a church ...

for Cistercian monks, on the model of Gloucester Hall and

Durham College Durham College is a public college in Ontario, Canada, with two main campuses in Oshawa and Whitby. Durham College offers over 145+ academic programs, including six bachelor degrees and eleven apprenticeship programs, to around 13,700 full-ti ...

for the southern and northern

Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

. Nothing more than a site and building was required by way of endowment, as the student monks, who were sent there to study under a provisor, were supported by the houses of the order to which they belonged. The site was five acres, and the building is described in the letters patent "as a fitting and noble college mansion in honour of the most glorious Virgin Mary and St Bernard in Northgates Street outside the Northgate of Oxford." It was suppressed with the Cistercian abbeys, and, on 11 December 1546, granted to

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, which sold it to Thomas White in 1554 for St John's College. Construction of the college quadrangle started in 1437. When the site passed to the crown in 1540, the Eastern range, which was to be a library with chambers below, was nearly complete but lacked its roof. The quadrangle of St Bernard's would accommodate 50 students. The chapel was built and dedicated to St Bernard of Clairvaux in 1530. It survives, rededicated to St John the Baptist, as the chapel of St John's College.

Alumni

* Gabriel Donne (died 1558), Abbot of Buckfast Abbey *

Thomas Skevington Thomas Skevington (also Skeffington, Pace or Patexe) (died 17 August 1533) was an English Cistercian monk, abbot of Waverley Abbey and Beaulieu Abbey, and bishop of Bangor from 1509. Life The son of John Pace of Leicestershire and his wife Margar ...

(died 1533), Bishop of Bangor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Bernard's College, Oxford St John's College, Oxford 1437 establishments in England 1539 disestablishments in England Former colleges and halls of the University of Oxford Cistercian Order Cistercian architecture