St Michael College, Brussels

The next door Church of St. John Berchmans with the college in the background

St Michael's College (French: Collège Saint-Michel) is a Roman Catholic secondary school in the Brussels municipality of Etterbeek, Belgium.[1] The school was built in 1905 by the Society of Jesus in order to replace the previous school that had become too small. It is situated next to the Jesuit administered Church of St. John Berchmans.

## History[edit]

The current St Michael's College is chronologically the third college to be built:

### The first college[edit]

The Jesuits have been in Brussels since 1586. By the request of the Archdukes Albert VII and Isabella, the Jesuits agreed to open a college. Inaugurated on 14 July 1604, the college is composed of a large rectangle formed by the Rue de la Paille/Strostraat, the Rue de Ruysbroeck/Ruisbroekstraat and the Rue d'Or/Goudenstraat. The Jesuits were ejected from the school in 1773 and it was demolished in 1891.

### The second college[edit]

Main article: St John Berchmans College, Brussels

In 1814, the Jesuits returned to Belgium and opened the French-speaking St Michael's College 19 years later in the Chapel Church area of the city. In 1905, the expanding population forced the Jesuits to not only expand the college but to also look for a location for a new college. In 1905, the college on the Rue des Ursulines/Ursulinenstraat was renamed as St John Berchmans College and the new college in the Etterbeek part of the city became St Michael's College.[2]

### The third college[edit]

The cour d'honneur (main courtyard) of the college

In 1905, building on the new St Michael's College was complete and work on the nearby church started. It was built in the same neo-traditional architectural style as the rest of the school buildings. The college welcomed 400 students, of which 100 were boarders, on 3 October of that same year.[3] On 20 July 1908, the foundation stone of the church was laid by the Papal nuncio to Belgium, Msg. Giovanni Tacci Porcelli. The architect was Joseph Prémont who was inspired by the Rhenan Romanesque tradition of the Middle Ages. It was consecrated on 9 July 1912 by the Bishop of Galle, Joseph van Reeth SJ.

Starting in the late 1930s, a shift in language was made which would result in St John Berchmans College speaking Dutch and English and the French-speaking section of the college being transferred to St Michael's College. The two separate colleges still exist today, each teaching in their respective language.[4]

## Notable students[edit]

Notable former students the old St Michael's College:

* Ferdinand Perier (1875–1968), former professor at the college, Archbishop of Calcutta (1924–1960)
* Hubert Pierlot (1883–1963), Prime Minister of Belgium (1939–1945)

Notable former students of the new St Michael's College:

* Georges Lemaître, (1894–1966), physicist and astronomer, considered the founder of the Big Bang theory
* Paul Grosjean (1900–1964), Jesuit priest and scholar
* André Waterkeyn, (1917–2005), engineer, creator of the Atomium
* Archduke Rudolf of Austria (1919–2010)
* Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou (1936–) Chief of Staff of Kings Baudouin and Albert II
* François Weyergans, (1941–), writer and academician
* Charles Picqué, (1948–), politician
* Olivier Maingain, (1958–), member of the House of Representatives and Mayor of Woluwe-St-Lambert
* Philippe of Belgium (1960–)
* Prince Laurent of Belgium (1963–)
* Olivier Minne, (1967–), television host, producer and actor

## Gallery[edit]

* The Jesuit church of 1664 situated next to its original site

* The second college's frontage on the Rue des Ursulines/Ursulinenstraat

* The new school around 1905 without the Church of St. John Berchmans

## See also[edit]

* List of Jesuit sites in Belgium
* Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels
* Saint John Berchmans Church, Brussels

## References[edit]

1. ^ The word college (collège) in French designates a high level school.
2. ^ Info from St Michel College retrieved 20 February 2014
3. ^ "Collège Saint-Michel – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural".
4. ^ Cegesoma.be retrieved 20 February 2014

## External links[edit]

* St Michael College site

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Secondary schools in the Brussels Capital Region

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* Athénée royal de Bruxelles (FR)
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* Centre d’Education et de Formation en Alternance (CEFA; FR)
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* St John Berchmans College
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* Athénée Royal d'Auderghem
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Etterbeek|

* Atheneum Etterbeek
* Brussels International Catholic School (BICS)
* St Michael College, Brussels
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Evere|

* Technisch Atheneum Victor Hortaschool

Forest|

* École Rodenbach (FR)

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* Collège du Sacré-Coeur de Ganshoren

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* Athénée Charles Janssens (FR)
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Schaerbeek|

* Athénée communal Fernand Blum (FR)
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* College Roi Baudouin
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* Athénée royal d'Uccle 1 (FR)
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Watermael-Boitsfort|

* International School of Brussels

Woluwe-Saint-Lambert|

* Athénée Royal Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
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* École Vervloesem (FR)
* Institut de l'Angélus

Woluwe-Saint-Pierre|

* Athénée royal Crommelynck (FR)
* Institut Don Bosco (FR)
* Institut Mater Dei
* Meertalig Atheneum Woluwe

This list is incomplete.
Some international schools serving expatriates in the region are in Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant: See International schools in Belgium

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Secondary schools|

* St Joseph College, Aalst
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* Xaverius College, Borgerhout
* Collège Matteo Ricci, Brussels
* St John Berchmans College, Brussels
* St Michael College, Brussels
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* Collège Saint-Servais, Liège
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* St Joseph College, Turnhout
* Collège Saint-François-Xavier, Verviers

Higher education|

* Institut Gramme, Liège
* Saint Ignatius University Centre, Antwerp
* St John Berchmans University College, Leuven
* Université de Namur

Spirituality|

* Drongen Abbey, Ghent
* La Pairelle, Namur

Churches|

* Church of St. John Berchmans, Brussels
* Church of Our Lady of Leliendaal, Mechelen

See also|

* Bollandist Society
* Chapel of the Resurrection, Brussels
* Jesuit European Social Centre

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* Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels
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* Military Ordinariate of Belgium
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Churches|

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* Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, Brussels
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* Scourmont Abbey
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* Ten Putte Abbey
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* Westmalle Abbey

See also|

* List of saints of Belgium
* List of Catholic seminaries in Belgium
* Apostolic Nunciature to Belgium
* Kerknet
* Chiro Flanders
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* La Pairelle
* Our Lady of Beauraing
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