The Convent of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin at Micklegate Bar, York, better known as Bar Convent, is the oldest surviving Roman Catholic convent in England, established in 1686. The laws of England at this time prohibited the foundation of Catholic convents and as a result of this, the convent was both established and operated in secret. Frances Bedingfeld, a member of the Sisters of Loreto (also known as the IBVM), signed the deeds for the land the convent was to be built on on 5 November 1686 under the alias Frances Long. The Convent is now part of the Congregation of Jesus.
Read more about Bar Convent: Present Day
Famous quotes containing the words bar and/or convent:
“The bar ... is an exercise in solitude. Above all else, it must be quiet, dark, very comfortable—and, contrary to modern mores, no music of any kind, no matter how faint. In sum, there should be no more than a dozen tables, and a clientele that doesn’t like to talk.”
—Luis Buñuel (1900–1983)
“...as for helping me in the outside world, the Convent taught me only that if you spit on a pencil eraser, it will erase ink.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)