English College, Valladolid facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Royal English College of St Alban

The façade of the College
Type	Seminary
Established	1589; 436 years ago (1589)
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
Rector	Fr John Flynn
Location	Valladolid , Spain
Website	http://www.sanalbano.org/

The Royal English College (in Spanish, Real Colegio de Ingleses) is a special school in Valladolid, Spain. It's a Seminary where young men train to become priests for the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The college is named after St Alban, a very old saint.

At this college, students spend a first year learning and thinking about if becoming a priest is the right path for them. After this year, they usually go to other seminaries in the United Kingdom, Ireland, or Rome to continue their studies.

A Look Back in Time

The Royal English College was started in 1589 by Robert Persons. He was an English Jesuit priest. A Jesuit is a member of a Catholic religious order. He got permission from King Philip II of Spain to open the college. This happened during a time called the English Reformation, when there were big changes in religion in England.

The Jesuits ran the college for a long time. But in 1767, they were asked to leave Spain. This caused a big problem for the college because it suddenly had no teachers or students.

Saving the College

Bishop Richard Challoner from London helped save the college. He combined it with two other English colleges in Spain. These were the colleges in Madrid and Seville. He also found new teachers and students from other English colleges.

The college in Valladolid also received money and property from the English College of St Gregory in Seville. That college had been founded by Robert Persons in 1592 but had closed down by 1645.

Modern Times

In 1998, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales officially supported the college. They made it a "Propaedeutic Seminary." This means it's a place for students to have an introductory year of studies. This idea was encouraged by Pope John Paul II in his message called Pastores dabo vobis in 1992.

Our Lady Vulnerata

The Vulnerata on a paso before a procession

In the college's chapel, there is a special statue of Our Lady. It is called La Vulnerata, which means The Wounded One. The story of this statue is very old.

The Story of the Statue

In 1596, the city of Cadiz in Spain was preparing its navy. An English fleet, led by the Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Raleigh, attacked the city. They won against the Spanish fleet and took over the city.

Some English soldiers caused trouble. They took a statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus from a church. They dragged it to the market square and damaged it. They cut off both arms of the statue. Only parts of the baby's tiny feet were left on his mother’s knee.

A New Home

The damaged statue was taken to Madrid. A Countess gave it a special place in her private chapel. The priests and students from the English College in Valladolid heard about it. They asked the Countess if they could take the statue. They wanted to make up for what their fellow countrymen had done.

The Countess agreed. The statue was brought to Valladolid in 1600. It was placed in the College Chapel with a special ceremony.

Annual Procession

Every year during Holy Week, the statue is carried in a procession through the streets. It meets a huge paso or float. This float has a large image of the crucified Christ on it. The two images meet and seem to "dance" to each other for a short time. Then, the Vulnerata statue is brought back to the college.

College Martyrs

Many former students of the college were martyred. This means they died for their beliefs during the Protestant Reformation in England and Wales. Here are some of them:

See also

• English College, Douai
• English College, Rome
• List of Jesuit sites