What is Blackfriars?

Fr John O’Connor OP, Regent of Studies in Blackfriars Hall

First established in Oxford in 1221, Blackfriars is a unique and rewarding place to study.

Blackfriars’ origin is in the Priory, a religious house re-founded in 1921, and which inherited the identity of the medieval priory of the same name (1221 – 1538). The Priory continues today as a vibrant community of around 24 Dominican friars.

Blackfriars Hall grew out of the Priory’s house of studies (Studium), becoming a Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford in 1994.

Blackfriars today has overlapping communities of students and academics on the one hand, and those following a religious vocation on the other, which makes it a rich and friendly environment for intellectual encounter, enabling deep conversations to take place on the fundamental questions of our age.