English College of St Gregory
El Colegio de los Ingleses | |
Other names | English College Seville |
|---|---|
| Type | Seminary |
| Active | 1592–1767 |
| Founder | Robert Persons SJ |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic (Jesuit) |
The English College of St Gregory was an English Catholic seminary in Seville, Spain. It was founded by the English Jesuit Robert Persons in 1592. Roman Catholicism was illegal in England, and the aim of Persons to provide his native country with priests was defying the law. The dedication of the college to St Gregory recalls the Gregorian mission of AD 596, which resulted in the Anglo-Saxons being converted to Christianity.
In 1596, in Seville, Persons wrote Memorial for the Reformation of England, concerning how England might be returned to the Roman Catholic faith. There were questions about how the church in England should be organised, and for example Richard Smith, who taught at Seville, developed different ideas from Persons about the project. Smith returned to England in 1603.
Persons died in Rome in 1610, but the institution continued, although short of funds. It was supported by the Jesuits until 1767 when Charles III, in a surprise move, expelled the order from Spain. Its assets were then transferred to the English College in Valladolid, which had also been founded by Persons. This continued to function under the protection of the Spanish crown.