The hidden catholic chapel in the Bar Convent

In the 1530s Henry VIII had put and end to all monasteries and convents in England. Over the following centuries, however, Catholic priests and nuns risked their lives to practice their religion in secret. The Bar Convent was founded on November 5th 1686 when it was still illegal to be a Catholic. In the beginning the convent was a secret community, known as “The Ladies of the Bar”. The secret community was started by Mary Ward, a relation of the Wright brothers, Guy’s Fawkes schoolfellows from St Peter’s and partners in the Gunpowder Plot. Inside the convent there is an exhibition about religious struggles in the North of England. Hidden in the centre of the convent you can visit a secret chapel. Eight exits provide escape routes from the chapel in the event of a raid and a priest’s hiding hole is concealed in the floor for further safety.