English College of St Gregory facts for kids

The English College of St Gregory was a special school in Seville, Spain. It was a seminary, which is a place where people train to become priests.

It was started in 1592 by an English Jesuit named Robert Persons. At that time, being a Roman Catholic was against the law in England. So, the college was set up to train English priests who could then go back to their home country.

The college was named after Saint Gregory. This name reminds us of the Gregorian mission in the year 596. That mission helped the Anglo-Saxons (early English people) become Christians.

In 1596, Robert Persons wrote a book in Seville called Memorial for the Reformation of England. This book was about how England could become Roman Catholic again. Another teacher there, Richard Smith, had different ideas about this plan. He went back to England in 1603.

Robert Persons passed away in Rome in 1610. Even without him, the college kept going, even though it often didn't have much money. The Jesuits supported the college for many years.

But in 1767, something surprising happened. King Charles III of Spain suddenly removed the Jesuit order from Spain. This meant the college could no longer be run by the Jesuits. Its money and property were then moved to another college, the English College in Valladolid. Robert Persons had also started that college. The Valladolid college continued to operate with the help of the Spanish king.

Other English Catholic Colleges

• English College, Douai, a Catholic seminary in Douai, France, that closed in 1793.
• English College, Lisbon, a Roman Catholic seminary in Lisbon, Portugal, that closed in 1973.
• English College, Valladolid, a place in Valladolid, Spain, where Catholic priests are trained.
• English College, Rome, a Roman Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy.

See also

• Catholic Church in Spain
• List of Jesuit sites