My ancestors - O'Sullivan - Contents

The Irish College in Louvain

The University of Louvain in Louvain (Leuven) was founded 1425 (oldest university in the Low Countries).
During the Penal times, Irish priests had to be educated on the Continent.
There were three Irish Colleges at Louvain:

• The Franciscan Irish College (St. Anthony's College) was founded 1607 (not 1609).
• The Irish Pastoral College was founded 1626.
• The Dominican Irish College was founded 1659.

The University of Louvain (and the Irish colleges) was suppressed and shut down in 1797.

List of colleges of the Old University of Louvain. From The Irish ecclesiastical record, Jan-June 1886.
Shows the three Irish colleges at Louvain.

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The Irish Pastoral College

The Irish Pastoral College (IPC) was founded 1626.
This was on the Rue des Orphelins.
John Sullivan was President of the Irish Pastoral College 1672 to 1697-99.
Florence Sullivan was President of the Irish Pastoral College 1697-99 to 1731.
This is now vanished.

Page 476 of [Reusens, 1885] says the Irish Pastoral College was in the Rue des Orphelins.

Extract from 1860 map of Louvain.
Awkwardly rotated so N is to the top left.
"37" is the orphanage on the Rue des Orphelins.
Page 476 of [Reusens, 1885] says the Irish Pastoral College was in the Rue des Orphelins between the orphanage and the Rue de Diest.
Page 486 of [Reusens, 1885] says that after the university was closed in 1797, the Irish Pastoral College buildings became private dwellings.

Rue des Orphelins (now Decosterstraat) and Rue de Diest (now Diestsestraat) on 1905 map of Louvain.
From here. See other scan.
See modern map and street view.

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The Franciscan Irish College (St. Anthony's College)

The Franciscan Irish College (St. Anthony's College) was founded 1607.
This still exists.
This is now The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe.

The Franciscan Irish College (St. Anthony's College).
From here.

Detail of 1649 map of Louvain.
"43" is "Collegium Angliae Hiberniae" (The Franciscan Irish College).

Extract from 1860 map of Louvain.
Awkwardly rotated so N is to the top left.
The location above would be at "65" which is Place St. Antoine, at the top of Rue des Moutons.

The location on 1905 map.
The square where Rue du Marais meets Rue de Paris and Rue des Moutons.
From here. See other scan.

The location on modern map.
Rue du Marais is now Janseniusstraat. Rue de Paris is now Parijsstraat. Rue des Moutons is now Schapenstraat.
The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe is at the top of Janseniusstraat.

Inscription to the Franciscan Irish College (St. Anthony's College).
Gateway of The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe.
Photo 2009. From here.
[Jennings, 1944] identifies this gateway (and building behind it) as the Irish College.

Wider view of the gateway above at The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe, Janseniusstraat.
From street view.