Bar Convent facts for kids

The Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre in York, England, is a very old place. It was started in 1686 and is the oldest Catholic convent still open in Britain. Back then, laws in England made it illegal to open Catholic convents. So, the Bar Convent had to be set up and run in secret.

The nuns pretended to be widows to avoid trouble. They opened the first school for girls in England in London in 1679. The Bar Convent then became their second school for girls.

Today, the Bar Convent is a popular spot for visitors in York. It offers rooms to stay in, meeting spaces, a gift shop, and a café. There's also a museum where you can learn all about the Convent's long history.

History of the Bar Convent

How the Convent Began

A man from Yorkshire, Sir Thomas Gascoigne, was a strong Catholic. He saw the good work the nuns were doing in London. He told Mother Frances Bedingfield, "We need a school for our daughters!"

Sir Thomas even gave £450 to help. Part of this money bought land for the Convent. Soon, the nuns opened a boarding school and a day school for Catholic girls there.

Early Challenges and Attacks

The nuns faced many problems because of their faith. In 1694, Mother Frances and her great niece were put in Ousebridge Gaol. They were let out soon after.

But two years later, in 1696, an angry crowd attacked the house. They caused a lot of damage. An engraving of St Michael is now above the front door to remember this event. A local story says that St Michael appeared on a horse, scaring the mob away.

Later, a religious leader named Doctor Jaques Sterne tried to close the Convent. He wanted the school shut down and the children sent home. Mother Hodshon and another nun were even called to court. They were accused of not taking Anglican holy communion.

However, the case failed because no service was held that day. Doctor Sterne later became a strong supporter of the Convent.

Changes in the 18th Century

Under Mother Ann Aspinal, the Convent grew and was rebuilt. The old building was taken down, and a new one was put up. The nuns lived in a nearby house for two years while this happened.

The new house's first stone was laid in 1766. By 1768, the house was mostly finished. Mother Aspinal also added a whole new level to the front of the house. This gave the building a Georgian look and more rooms.

Detail of the chapel dome inside the Bar Convent

The most important new part was the Chapel. Mother Aspinal wanted it to look like churches in Rome. She hired Thomas Atkinson, a famous architect. But because people were still against Catholicism, Atkinson changed the design. He hid the Chapel inside the house itself.

Instead of a visible dome, the dome was covered by a slate roof. This meant it could not be seen from the street. Atkinson also built eight secret escape routes into the Chapel. This was to make sure people could get out if the building was attacked. The Chapel was finished in 1769.

New Freedoms and Wars

In 1778, the First Catholic Repeal Act was passed. This law made life easier for the Convent. It allowed Catholics to practice their faith legally and made Catholic schools legal. For the first time, the nuns could wear their religious clothes openly.

Another law, the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1791, allowed the Bar Convent to be a public place of worship.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the Convent helped priests who had fled from Europe. Mother Superior Catherine Rouby also gave shelter to nuns from other orders. These included Carmelites, Canonesses, and Poor Clares.

Families who had fled the wars also sent their daughters to the school. Some of these girls later became nuns at the Convent. The wars also cut off the Convent from its main group in Germany. So, Mother Superior Elizabeth Coyney asked the Pope to put the Convent under the care of Bishop Gibson in England.

The Convent in the 20th Century

Mother Mary Aikenhead, who started the Sisters of Charity, was a new nun here for three years (1812–1815).

During the Second World War, the Convent was bombed. Five nuns died, and the East Wing of the building was destroyed.

The nuns continued to run a school on the site until 1985. Then, the school was given to the Middlesbrough diocese and renamed All Saints School. However, the Convent still plays a part in the Catholic life of the school.

Architecture and Design

Outside the Convent

The front of the Bar Convent on Blossom Street

The main building of the Convent has three floors and an attic. It faces Blossom Street. The front has seven sections, with the middle three sticking out a little. The ground floor has windows with 12 panes of glass. The window above the door has a special frame and a small fence below it.

At the back, there is a three-story extension with a sloped roof. This part has a square clock tower. The tower has a fancy roof and wooden columns at the top. The school building has two floors and three sections at the front. Its windows also have 12 panes, but they are different sizes on each floor.

Inside the Convent

The Entrance Hall was once an open courtyard. Now, it is covered and has Victorian tiles on the floor. It has a decorative tiled floor and a glass roof held up by iron beams. A clock designed by Henry Hindley is in this hall. Around 1970, it was connected to the clock on the front of the building.

The Great Parlour is on the right side of the ground floor. It has paintings of some of the first nuns of the Convent. There is a marble fireplace and round spaces on each side.

The Chapel

The Chapel building has two floors and two attics. Its front has five sections, but these are partly hidden by other parts of the building, like the Lady Chapel and a staircase. The ground floor has two windows with four round-headed Gothic lights. The first floor has three windows with central turning lights.

Inside the Chapel, a stone staircase with iron railings leads up to the Chapel on the first floor. The Chapel has a domed area for the altar, a main hall with three sections, and side wings. The domed area is round with eight columns. It has a decorative band showing vine leaves and flowers. The dome itself has eight sections with garlands of fruits and leaves. A painted glass lantern is at the very top.

The South side wing leads to the Lady Chapel, which has a small dome. Below the North side wing is a square space that might have been a secret hiding place for priests. The altar was built in 1969, but it uses parts from the original 18th-century altar. Behind the altar is a screen from the 20th century. On top of this screen are carved figures from the 18th century. These figures are Saint Jerome, Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, and Saint Gregory. They support an old Spanish Ivory crucifix.

The Bar Convent Today

The Bar Convent is England's oldest living convent. It is still home to a group of nuns who belong to the Congregation of Jesus. The buildings are Grade I listed, meaning they are very important.

They were greatly updated in 2015. Now, they include a museum that tells the story of the convent and the nuns. There is also a café, meeting rooms, and a guest house for visitors.

See also

In Spanish: Convento del Instituto de la Santísima Virgen para niños

• Christina Kenworthy-Browne