In 1575, the Jesuits opened their first school in the city in a building that became part of the Lessius Hogeschool. After war with Spain in 1576, the Jesuits had to leave the city, but returned in 1585 and reopened the school.
In 1607 and again in 1655, the school had to move to larger premises to keep up with the expanding population.
In 1773, Pope Clement XIV ordered for all Jesuit educational services to cease. The Jesuits did not return to Antwerp until 1840, when they reopened the college. It was situated in what is now a restaurant for students of the University of Antwerp.
In 1871, the capacity of the school again needed to be increased so land was bought in a series of streets in the centre of Antwerp called 'the Avenues'. There, they got the architect Jules Bilmeyer to design the new school. It was completed in 1875. Twelve years later, he also completed the building of the church next door to the school, Our Lady of Grace Church (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Gratie Kerk).[3]
Notable alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(June 2021)
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