30.6.10

Irish College

What since a few years is the Paris Irish Cultural Centre used to be an Irish Catholic College. An Irish College was established in Paris in 1578. The present building dates from 1769. The Irish Catholics established some 30 colleges on the European continent, but the Paris one was obviously the leading one. The reason for these foreign colleges was of course Protestant and Anglican supremacy those days on Ireland. During the 18th century one-third of the Irish catholic clergy were educated in Paris.

The college closed in 1939 (WWII). In 1945 the building was lent by the Irish to serve as a shelter for displaced persons claiming U.S. citizenship. From 1947 to 1997 it housed also a Polish Seminary. Karol Wojtyła stayed here at several occasions, as a young student, bishop, archbishop and cardinal before he became John Paul II.


The chapel is – of course – dedicated to Saint Patrick. Its decoration dates from 1860. The statue of the Mother and Child seems to come from one of the previous homes of the Irish College (Collège des Lombards).
I noticed that Catherine ("THE 5 OF US") went here the day of the "Fête de la Musique" (World Music Day) to listen to some Irish folk music. I would have liked to join her!

18 comments:

White Rabbit said...

And just like that I find another reason to live in Paris :D

Dianne said...

Yes - that would have been a real treat to be there on the "fete de la Musique" jour. what beautiful architecture and attention to detail, you're so fortunate to have it all within a metro trip:
Dianne xx

Rakesh Vanamali said...

A very interesting place, the edifice looks like it has rich character!

Great pictures!

Olivier said...

j'aime beaucoup la table et les chaises barbies ;) cela fait bizarre ce rose dans cet endroit historique

claude said...

Encore un endroit de paris que je découvre avec toi. L'intérieur est magnifique et l'historique de ce lieu est très intéressant.
Olivier n'a pas compris que la couleur de la ta ble et des chaises sont assortis à celle de la robe des cardinaux, ou des evêques, je ne sais plus. Oh, pardon !

hpy said...

Paris vaut bien une messe ou deux, non?

BLOGitse said...

You make me want to explore more and more here in Casa!
I'd like to shoot this kind of places too. They have history, feeling...
And old, historical places are beautiful!

BLOGitse

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

L'Irish coffee est plus connu à Paris que le Irish college et c'est dommage !

Jeanie said...

The detail on your bottom right photo -- stunning. This isn't an area I got to explore. It goes on the list!

Starman said...

I think we walked past this place on our way to the Panthéon, but we were so focused on the Panthéon, we didn't even notice it.

Cezar and Léia said...

Beautiful pictures from this Irish place!The first one is very impressive,I love the Mother and his Son! :)
Also loved the sculpture at the patio, it's modern, isn't it?
:)
Adorable post, as usual!You did a great job!
Thanks for sharing
your friend
Léia

Cergie said...

Et oui les irlandais sont catholiques pour certains c'est pourquoi ils vénèrent un St Patrick !
Je me ferais bien un salon dans la chapelle, c'est coquet ; ainsi qu'un jardin dans le parc....

Parisbreakfasts said...

Who can keep up with you Peter?
It's an endless journey and good thing too!
Merci
carolg

Ruth said...

This is one of the prettiest churches I've ever seen. To sit there, in that lightness! And what a contrast to the Saint Serge of the previous post, darker and heavier, but also lovely in its way.

There is something that leans toward the light Swedish sense of design in this one, just slightly.

Shammickite said...

It seems that a little bit of every country in the whole world can be found in Paris!

Corine said...

Thanks for sharing this beautiful and serene looking place with us! I have so much to choose from when I come out there. I need to go through all your posts a year in advance and choose a few. Thanks for being a wonderful blog friend :)

The Muse said...

Memories from Paris, we carry a lifetime. Oh so long ago. To have spent a few moments, reliving her beauty, has been a joy!

May The Words Flow,
Blessings From The Muse
~Excursion of Xeranthemum~
http://adivashammer.com/?p=1477#comments

PS Safe Travels!

Trotter said...

It's a remarkable building; and at an easy reach...