St Michael College, Brussels

The next door church with the college in the background

St Michael's College (French: Collège Saint-Michel) is a Roman Catholic secondary school located in Etterbeek (Brussels).^[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 Saint John Berchmans Church.

History

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

The first college

The Jesuits have been in Brussels since 1586. By the request of Albert VII, Archduke of Austria (1559-1621) and Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566-1633) the Jesuits agreed to open a college. Inaugurated on July 14, 1604, the college is composed of a large rectangle formed by the Rue de la Paille (Straw Road), the Rue de Ruysbroeck (Ruysbroeck Road) and the Rue d'Or (Golden Road). The Jesuits were ejected from the school in 1773 and it was demolished in 1891.

The second college

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 Ursuline Street (Dutch: 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

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 architectural style as the rest of the school buildings. 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.^[3]

Known Figures

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
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

The Jesuit church of 1664 situated next to its original site
The second college's frontage on Rue des Ursulines (Ursulines Road)
The new school around 1905 without St John Berchmans Church

References

↑ The word college (collège) in French designates a high level school.
↑ Info from St Michel College retrieved 20 February 2014
↑ Cegesoma.be retrieved 20 February 2014

External links

St Michael College site

Secondary schools in the Brussels Capital Region

City of Brussels	Athénée royal de Bruxelles (FR) Atheneum Brussel Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts Athénée Emile Bockstael Athénée Robert Catteau (FR) Athénée Léon Lepage Athénée Adolphe Max Athénée des Pagodes Centre d’Education et de Formation en Alternance (CEFA) Centre scolaire Eddy Merckx (FR) St John Berchmans College Institut des Arts et Métiers Institut Bischoffsheim Institut De Mot Couvreur Institut Diderot Institut Lucien Cooremans (FR) Institut Paul-Henri Spaak Institut Saint-Louis (FR) John of Ruysbroeck College, Laeken Lyceum Martha Somers Lycée Dachsbeck (FR) Lycée Emile Jacqmain Lycée Maria Assumpta (FR) Ecole Robert Dubois - Hôpital universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola

Anderlecht	Atheneum Anderlecht Institut Redouté-Peiffer Nightingale, school voor verzorging

Auderghem	Athénée Royal d'Auderghem Centre scolaire du Souverain (FR) Ecole Secondaire Freinet The Japanese School of Brussels (lower secondary only)

Etterbeek	Atheneum Etterbeek St Michael College, Brussels Institut Saint-Stanislas (FR)

Evere	Technisch Atheneum Victor Hortaschool

Forest	École Rodenbach (FR)

Ixelles	Athénée Charles Janssens (FR) Institut Saint-Boniface Parnasse (FR) Institut Saint-André

Jette	Centre Scolaire du Sacré-Coeur de Jette Collège Saint-Pierre Technisch Atheneum Jette

Koekelberg	Unesco Atheneum Koekelberg

Schaerbeek	Athénée communal Fernand Blum (FR) Atheneum Emanuel Hiel École Josaphat (FR) Institut Sainte-Marie (FR)

Sint-Agatha-Berchem	Technisch Atheneum Zavelenberg

Sint-Jans-Molenbeek	Atheneum Toverfluit

Uccle	Athénée royal d'Uccle 1 (FR) Atheneum Ukkel Collège Saint-Pierre (FR) European School of Brussels I French Lycee in Brussels Russian Embassy School in Brussels

Watermael-Boitsfort	International School of Brussels

Woluwe-Saint-Lambert	Athénée Royal Woluwe-Saint-Lambert European School of Brussels II École Vervloesem (FR)

Woluwe-Saint-Pierre	Athénée royal Crommelynck (FR) Institut Don Bosco (FR) 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

Coordinates: 50°50′04″N 4°24′31″E / 50.83437°N 4.40858°E / 50.83437; 4.40858

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