The College of St. Omer was a an expatriate institution for the Catholic education of English students, that operated from about 1594 to 1793. It was located at Saint-Omer, in Artois, France. Through most of its history, it was operated by the Jesuits. Saint-Omer, a town and commune of Artois in northern France, sous-préfecture of the Pas-de-Calais département, 42 miles west-north-west of Lille on the railway to Calais. ... Artois is a former province of northern France. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ...

Founding

During the reign of Elizabeth I Catholic education was outlawed in England. The English church had created several colleges in continental Europe to make up for this, at Douai, Rome, and Valladolid, but these primarily addressed the training of priests. Father Robert Parsons, S.J. (1546-1610), had been instrumental in founding the school at Valladolid, but recognized a need for a school for laymen. Saint-Omer was chosen as a site conveniently close to England (it is 24 miles from Calais), and ruled by Spain as part of Flanders. Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Douai is a city and commune in the north of France in the département of Nord, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Location within Italy The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma) is the capital city of Italy and of its Latium region. ... Valladolid is an industrial city in central Spain, upon the Rio Pisuerga. ... The Burghers of Calais, by Rodin, with Calais Hotel de Ville behind Location within France Calais is a city in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

The college was originally founded in 1594 as the English Jesuit College at St. Omer in Flanders. In 1599 it gained the direct patronage of King Philip. After an initial period of growth and prosperity, the unrest caused by the English Civil War caused the number of students to drop as low as 24 in 1645. As stability returned to the government, the school's effectiveness was also restored. Events February 27 - Henry IV is crowned King of France at Rheims. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Philip III (April 14, 1578 - March 31, 1621) was the king of Spain and Portugal (as Philip II), from 1598 until his death. ... The English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, specifically to the first (1642–1645) and second (1648–1649) civil wars between the supporters of King Charles I and the supporters of...

French rule

St. Omer and much of the province of Artois were formally ceded to France in 1658. But the Catholic French monarchy was as friendly to the school as the Spanish crown had been before. As the eighteenth century began, two fires ravaged to town and the university. But each time it was rebuilt, and even expanded. Buildings from this second reconstruction in the 1720s remained in use into the twentieth century, serving as a military hospital in World War I. Events January 13 - Edward Sexby, who has plotted against Oliver Cromwell, dies in Tower of London February 6 - Swedish troops of Charles X Gustav of Sweden cross from Sweden to Denmark over frozen sea May 1 - Publication of Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial and The Garden of Cyrus by Thomas Browne September... Events and Trends Manufacture of the earliest surviving pianos. ... Missing image Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

The college enjoyed its greatest period of prosperity, which extended from around 1720 to 1762. During a period when formal sworn affiliation with the Church of England was required to attend Oxford and Cambridge, it provided advanced education for several generations of English Catholics. Since the colleges founded in the American colonies were also church affiliated, Catholic families there sent young men to St. Omer for education. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... The University of Oxford, situated in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest in the English-speaking world, after Oxford University. ... Betsy Ross purportedly sewed the first American flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes representing each of the 13 colonies. ...

Final years

In 1762, the Jesuits were formally expelled from France, beginning the college's decline and eventual end. The expulsion split the college. The Jesuit faculty and many of the students fled to Belgium, and operated for a time under the protection of the Bishop of Liege. King Louis XV continued the college at St. Omer, under the direction of secular clergy. When the Jesuit order was suppressed everywhere in 1773, this dual system ended, but the college never regained its prominence. 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Bishopric of Liège or Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in present Belgium. ... Louis XV King of France and Navarre Louis XV (February 15, 1710 - May 10, 1774), called the Well-Beloved (French: le Bien-Aimé), was king of France from 1715 to 1774. ...

In 1793, the French Revolution ended the St. Omer college. The faculty and students were imprisoned until February, 1795. English penal laws had changed regarding Catholic education, so when released, some of the staff and most of the then about 100 students returned to England. A former student, Thomas Ward, donated a mansion and grounds at Stonyhurst, in Lancashire. The modern school, Stonyhurst College continues as a direct descendant of the College of St. Omer. 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The period of the French Revolution in the history of France covers the years between 1789 and 1799, in which democrats and republicans overthrew the absolute monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church was forced to undergo radical restructuring. ... Lancashire (archaically, the County of Lancaster) is a county palatine of England, lying on the Irish Sea. ... A Jesuit School in Lancashire. ...

External link

• Stonyhurst web site (http://www.stonyhurst.ac.uk/)