Central · Founded 1921 · permanent private hall
Blackfriars Hall
It offers a quiet, contemplative religious house in the heart of Oxford, with a working Dominican priory church open to visitors seeking calm off the busy street.
Official site ↗Founded 1921. A Dominican (Roman Catholic) foundation, its present priory on St Giles' opened in 1921 to renew the Order's Oxford presence dating to 1221, and it became a Permanent Private Hall in 1994.
An early-20th-century priory in restrained Gothic style on St Giles', centred on the Priory Church of the Holy Spirit with a cloister and study spaces behind a plain street frontage.
Don’t miss
- Priory Church of the Holy Spirit
- Working Dominican community
- Cloister and theological library
- Continuity of an 800-year Oxford Dominican presence
Notable names
Dominican Order of Preachers (Blackfriars) · Centre for Aquinas and Thomist theology · Roman Catholic religious foundation
Visiting
As a religious house the priory church is generally open for quiet visits and worship, but the hall's academic areas are private; current opening times for the church should be verified.
Opening hours, admission and current access change often — check the official site before you go.