Philip III of Spain issued a royal charter for the college on 3 December 1621, with a papal brief from Gregory XV following on 29 September 1622.
[1] In 1624, Pedro Coutinho, a member of a prominent family, proceeded to found a college for English students wishing to study for the Catholic priesthood and for mission work in England and Wales.
[2] Initial progress was slow after a papal brief of Pope Gregory XV in 1622, with only a church erected on property given by Coutinho, who also gave endowment.
Richard Smith, the Catholic bishop in England, took a hand and sent one of his archdeacons, Joseph Haynes (also Hynes, Harvey).
[10] Following the French revolution and the closure of seminaries in Douai and Paris, the Lisbon college was enlarged to accommodate 40 more people.