History

The Jesuit order settled in Gyulafehérvár in 1579, during the reign of the Catholic Prince Báthory István of Transylvania. They then began training priests in the now-defunct church donated by Báthory. Towards the end of the 16th century, the monastery building was built, including the college. The Jesuits were expelled soon afterwards, and it was not until the beginning of the 18th century that the college was reorganised. The school became the property of the Roman Catholic seminary after the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1776. The seminary remained in operation until 1783.