St Anthony's College, Leuven

The Irish College of St Anthony, known in Irish as Coláiste na nGael, in Leuven, Belgium, has been a centre of Irish learning on the European Continent since the early 17th century. The college was dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua.

Irish College of St Anthony
A view of the college as it was in the early 18th century by William Oldham
TypeFranciscan house of studies
Active1607 (1607)–1983 (1983)
Religious affiliation
Catholic
Academic affiliation
Old University of Leuven, Catholic University of Leuven, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Location
Leuven
,
Belgium

50°52′34″N 4°41′49″E
Websiteirishcollegeleuven.eu

History

The college was founded in 1607 by Florence Conry, Archbishop of Tuam, and Irish Franciscan Hugh MacCaghwell (Lecturer at the University of Salamanca, later Archbishop of Armagh),[1] with the support of Philip III of Spain, as an exile institution for the training of Irish Franciscan priests.[2] A bull of foundation was acquired from Pope Paul V. The foundation stone of the current building was laid in 1617.[3] Funding came from Isabella Clara Eugenia, wife and co-ruler with Archduke Albert. It was one of the main centres of Irish learning and the preservation of Irish intellectual culture during penal times.[4]

Entrance to the college as restored after World War II. The inscription reads 'Dochum Glóire Dé agus Onóra na hÉireann' ('For the Glory of God and the Honour of Ireland')

Following the Flight of the Earls a number of the O'Neill and O'Donnells stayed in Louvain.

The Pastoral Irish College (Collège des Hibernois/Collegium pastorale Hibernorum) established in 1622, was under the supervision of the Franciscans.[5] The Pastoral College closed in 1795 following French occupation.

Closed down by the French invaders in 1794, the buildings housed first a seminary and later a boys' school during the 19th century. In 1925 the Irish Franciscans again acquired the site, following the German invasion in 1940 the college was entrusted to Belgian friars, with the Irish province resuming control in 1948, using it for their own educational purposes until 1983. In 1972 the Irish Franciscans began to minister to English speakers in the Kraainem parish in Brussels.[2]

2007 saw a celebration of the 400th anniversary of the foundation of St Anthony's, the Irish Franciscan College, in Louvain, with events in Ireland[6][7] and Leuven to commemorate it.[8][9] A commemorative stamp was issued by the Irish post office to celebrate the 400th anniversary.[10]

Irish College Leuven / Leuven Institute of Ireland in Europe

The Franciscans transferred the property to the Leuven Institute of Ireland in Europe which opened in 1984, as a secular academic institution.[11] The Leuven Centre for Irish Studies (LCIS) launched in 2010, is a collaboration between the Institute and the Catholic University of Leuven,[12] it is also the centre for the European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies (EFACIS).[13] Part of the mission is to promote Irish Culture, and as a result, it hosts performances, concerts, recitals and exhibitions, one of the initiatives is the Writer in residence at the Irish College.[14]

People associated with the College

Important works published by scholars associated with the College

Amongst the most notable Irish scholars associated with the college were, in alphabetical order: Bishop Dominic de Burgo (Burke), John Colgan, Aodh Mac Cathmhaoil (also known as Aodh Mac Aingil), Mícheál Ó Cléirigh, Giolla Bhríde Ó hEodhasa (also known as Bonaventura Ó hEodhasa) and Flaithrí Ó Maol Chonaire.

Notable staff and alumni

Buried at the College

A number of people who are buried at the college include founder Archbishop Florence Conry, Bishop Dominic de Burgo and Dominic Lynch. Rosa O’Doherty, wife of Owen Roe O’Neill, is also buried on the College grounds, a number of the others of the exiled O'Neills and O'Donnells are buried here.

See also

References
  1. The Irish College of Leuven
  2. Louvain Irish Franciscans, www.fansciscans.ie
  3. Agentschap Onroerend Erfgoed 2015: Klooster der Ierse minderbroeders of Iers College, in Inventaris Onroerend Erfgoed. Accessed 24 Oct. 2015.
  4. Benignus Millett, The Irish Franciscans, 1651-1665 (Analecta Gregoriana 129; Rome, 1964), pp. 106-116.
  5. 'Matthew Teige (d. 1652), the Irish Pastoral College of Louvain and the "Lectio Catechistica" (1644)' by Michael Dunne, Archivium Hibernicum, Vol. 67 (2014), pp. 35-75 (41 pages). Published by: Catholic Historical Society of Ireland
  6. Celebrations of Louvain 400 begin with music and words UCD News, March 2, 2007.
  7. Irish history exhibition opens in TCD, October 9, 2007.
  8. Louvain 2007 History Ireland, Issue 5 (Sep/Oct 2006), News, Volume 14.
  9. Celebrating 400 years of the Irish College, Louvain Jesuits in Ireland.
  10. Irish Franciscan College, Louvain 1607-2007 Commemorative Stamps.
  11. Leuven Institute Brochure www.leuveninstitute.eu, 2012.
  12. The Leuven Centre for Irish Studies (LCIS) KU Leuven.
  13. European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies (EFACIS)
  14. Writers in Residence at the Irish College, Leuven for 2020 www.writing.ie
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