Ursuline Convent, Armidale


The Ursuline order was founded in Italy in 1535 by St. Angela Merici, for the education of young girls, and named after St Ursula, Patron Saint of youth and learning.   The order expanded thoughout Europe in the 17th century and convents were established in France and Germany. 

In 1873 the German Parliament passed laws which took education out of the hands of the church, closed down all religious teaching organisations and confiscated their property. In 1877, 21 nuns at Duderstadt, near Hanover, were suddenly ordered to leave their convent.   They moved to England, where there were already other Ursuline groups, and opened a school in a house at Greenwich.

Bishop Torreggiani of Armidale visited London in 1881 and persuaded ten professed members and three trainees to come to Australia.  They arrived in Sydney on 31st August  1882 on the Duchess of Edinburgh and continued on to work in the diocese of Armidale, which then covered a large area of northern NSW.  There they opened a school for girls, St. Ursula's, and offered a fine education including German and French languages, and music.  They took over responsibility for the St. Mary's primary school the following year.   Opportunities for a Catholic education in Armidale were very limited before the Sisters arrived.

The Sisters had to adjust to a different environment in Armidale.  Most  were from the German upper class, highly-educated and cultured women, and Armidale was a small country town. They were German Catholics, whereas the Catholic Church in Australia was historically Irish.  As in Duderstadt, in Armidale they welcomed students from different religious backgrounds. The upper-class people of Armidale were particularly impressed by the school's standards in music, art and languages. The concerts held in the Town Hall and the exhibitions of students' art work were popular.

The Ursulines of Armidale did not become a member of the Roman Union until 1945.

Ursuline convents have since been established at Kingsgrove, Sydney, and Towoomba, Queensland.

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