"This book, first published in 1978, and here reissued in a revised and updated edition, recounts the history of the College since 1579 when it became a place for the preparation of priests to work in the mission to England and Wales." "The Venerable English College and its students have played a key role in the development of English Catholicism, from the Counter-Reformation to the present day. An appreciation of the College's history is crucial in understanding the complex relationship between English Catholicism and Rome during the last four hundred and fifty years." "Behind the story of a venerable institution there lies a whole series of events linking England with Rome: religious persecution and the martyrdom of former students; the Stuart Court in Rome; the Napoleonic occupation of the city; the loss of the Papal States; and the two World Wars."--BOOK JACKET.