Revision as of 02:11, 19 June 2016 edit Opencooper (talk \| contribs) Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users 61,027 edits →‎External links: add commons category ← Previous edit		Revision as of 11:49, 19 June 2016 edit undo Hinrik (talk \| contribs) 375 edits m Fix grammar Next edit →
Line 2: [[File:Secret Staircase at the Partingdale House.jpg\|thumbnail\|right\|The concealed entrance to a priest hole in Partingdale House, [[Middlesex]] (in the right pilaster)]] A '''priest hole''' is the term given to a hiding place for a [[priest]]s built into many of the principal [[Catholic]] houses of [[England]] during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England. When [[Elizabeth I of England\|Queen Elizabeth I]] came to the throne in 1558, there were several Catholic plots designed to remove her{{citation needed\|date=May 2016}} and severe measures were taken against Catholic priests. Many great houses had a priest hole built so that the presence of a priest could be concealed when searches were made of the building. They were cunningly concealed in walls, under floors, behind wainscoting and other locations and were often successful in concealing their occupant. Many priest holes were designed by the Jesuit lay brother [[Nicholas Owen (Jesuit)\|Nicholas Owen]] who spent much of his life building priest holes to protect the lives of persecuted [[priest]]s. After the [[Gunpowder Plot]], Owen himself was captured, taken to the [[Tower of London]] and tortured to death on the rack. He was canonised as a martyr by [[Pope Paul VI]] in 1970.

Priest hole: Difference between revisions