History of the Bar Convent...

The Bar Convent is the oldest living convent in England. Established in 1686 by Frances Bedingfield, an early member of Mary Ward's Institute, in response to Sir Thomas Gascoigne's words "We must have a school for our daughters" the community ran the school for 299 years, handing it over to the diocese in 1985. The Foundress of the Order, Mary Ward (1585-1645), was a pioneer of education for women and fought, life long, for the right of nuns to pursue a variety of ministries outside the convent walls. Mary Ward's order came to be known as the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and has now been renamed the Congregation of Jesus.

The early community in York lived in penal days and had a turbulent history, suffering dire poverty, persecution and imprisonment in foul gaols. It survived to enjoy greater stability, and to give aid to refugees from the French Revolution. In modern times the house was bombed in World War II with the loss of five nuns and the destruction of the east wing.

The Historic Building
The present buildings are Georgian, surrounding what was once an open courtyard but is now a spacious entrance hall, The beautiful Chapel, the Great Parlour with its portraits, the library of antique books and the richly endowed archive room all recall the history of the convent and the nuns who made it memorable by their service here.

The Chapel
The neo-classical chapel, completed in 1769 by the York architect Thomas Atkinson, has many features reflecting the penal times in which it was built. Catholic worship was forbidden, so the chapel is placed in the centre of the complex of buildings. Its plain lunette windows reveal nothing, and the dome is hidden from outside view by a pitched roof; eight exits provided escape routes for the congregation in the event of a raid by magistrates and a priest hole offered further safety.

The chapel is used daily by the Community; it is always open to visitors and there is a weekly mass to which the general public is warmly invited.