This year  The Douay Martyrs Catholic Secondary School are celebrating 450 years since the founding of what began as Douay College, northern France. A brief history of the importance of (now) Douai to the survival and flourishing of the Catholic Church in this country, which might otherwise have been wiped out in hostile times. In South Kensington, the Westminster Diocesan Seminary bears the name of Douai’s founder Cardinal Allen, we trace our history back to the 16th century forebears, and especially to the Douai Martyrs, who the school is named after, gave their lives for the faith and celebration of the Mass.