They
had gone abroad to train, many of them for the priesthood
in order to serve Catholics in this country. Most
of them had become Benedictine monks in Spain, and
it was the Spanish Congregation of Valladolid that
allowed the purchase of our first house in Douai
(which was at that time under the Spanish government
of Flanders) so that the English monks could have
easier access to travel across the Channel. They
looked to St Gregory the Great, who had sent St Augustine
to England in 597, as their patron.
During the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries, our community was able
to live the Benedictine life of prayer, reading and
work in Douai. As the community expanded we started
a school for English Catholic boys, who were unable
to find a Catholic education at home, and pursued
studies in the University of Douai. In addition,
many of the monks were sent to England on missionary
work, and six of them were martyred for their Catholic
faith.
As a result of the French
Revolution, Douai was conquered by France in 1793.
Churches were closed, the Benedictines were put under
guard and the monastery was ransacked. Although Catholicism
was still officially proscribed in England, the penal
laws were not being enforced and in 1794 the Community
crossed the Channel, finally settling at Downside
in 1814.
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