The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-01-11
DoUAi rs HISTORIC.

ground, there are some places that
stand out by virtue Of their size, COM
mercial Importance, or sentimental Or
religious significance. To the first
class belongs Douai
Douai is known mainly to the world
as the place OF publication of the yer
sion of the Bible in use by English
speaking Catholics throughout the
world, but it has had very consider
able part in the changing history of
that part Of Europe. Situated about
twenty miles south of Lille, it is in the
heart Of the principal mining and in
dustrial district of Northern France
and while not as widely known com
mercially as it's neighbor, it contrib
uted much of 1.-THE wealth of France be-
fore it's seizure by the Germans four
years ago.
Back in the seventh century the site
of Douai was occupied by fortified
castle known as Duacense. In the
Middle Ages it belonged to the counts
of Flanders; in 1884 it passed to the
dukes of Burgundy, and in 1477, with
the rest of the Netherlands, it became
a part of the kingdom of Spain. In
| 1867 it was captured by Louis XIV
and was ultimately ceded to France
by the treaty of Utrecht in 1913.
The Catholics, eXiled from England
in the sixteenth century, found an
| asylum at Douai, and for two hundred
years the city was the centre of their
activities and learning. In 1862, Philip
II of Spain founded university there
in which several English scholars were
given chairs. In connection with this
| university. the celebrated English
Jesuit College was founded in 1868 by
William Allen, a Cardinal, who was
forced to fee. for his life when the
wave of reaction against. the Catholics
began in England, under Queen Eliza
beth. In Douai he not only found
refuge, but he made it a training point
whence priests were sent back to
Britain as soon as the prejudices
against the Church abated there.
The Scotch and Irish Catholics also
had colleges in connection with .Douai
University and the English Benedic-
tine and Franciscan monks had strong
houses in the city. All of these sur
vived until 1893, when the university
was suppressed at the outbreak of the
French Revolution.
Douai is situated in a marshy plain
on the bank Of the Scarpe river, which
intersects the town and supplies water
to a canal which skirts it on one side
The old Notifications, of which the
chief survivors dated from the fif
teenth century, have mostly been
demolished to make room for boule,
wards and public gardens, for both OF
| which the city was more than locally
noted in the days preceding the Ger
man invasion.
| There is an air of the ancient about
even modern Douai, which is empha
sized by the many houses and public
4 buildings and churches dating from
the sixteenth, seventeenth and eigh
teenth centuries. Of the churches, thai
of Notre Dame, begun in the twelfth
century, is remarkable for the pos
session of a fine altar piece of the
early thirteenth century, composed O
window panels painted by Jean Belle
i dating from the fifteenth century, wa:
the principal building of the city be
u fore the war. It's lofty belfry was on,
J of the landmarks Of the country fo
miles around, and doubtless was made
: use of by the Germans as an observa
: ton tower and then destroyed.
: Modern Douai is the seat of severa
/ courts and has a branch Of the Banl
of France. Its educational facilities
) include a school of mines, an artiller,
school and national school for in
: struction in brewing and industrie
: connected with agriculture A larg
5 cannon factory with an arsenal wer
, features prior to 1914, and coal min
5 ing and the manufacture of glass an
' chemicals was carried on extensivel
t. in the city and its environs. Fla
2 spinning, rope making, brewing an
2 the manufacture of farm implements
); ! oil, sugar, soap and leather also wer
= industries that commanded consider
e able capital. Trade consisted mainl
of grain, agricultural products an
building materials, which was mostl
r water borne, the railway connectin
|, 1.-the city with Lille and Cambria bein
:, used chiefly for passenger traffic.
Y The population of the town befor
L 1.-THE war was about twenty-five tho
+ sand
d Catholics read what is termed tn
o Douay. version of the Bible. Thi
a ltranslations from the Latin Vulgate {
g st. Jerome was made in the latte
d years of the sixteenth century by En-
f fish scholars at Douai. They starte
# with the New Testament. whicl
n when published in 1878, was called ii
k Rheims version because the seminar
# at thatsdate was temporarily remove
eI to Rheims The translation ofstlle 0l
a. Testament was mpleted about 100