The legacy of the Loreto nuns 15th December 2020
This year marks the 175th anniversary of the Loreto Convent and to mark the event local historian Richard Garcia has detailed its history.
By Richard Garcia
The Loreto Nuns, from their arrival in Gibraltar on 16 December 1845, had a major impact on education in Gibraltar and have left a rich legacy in this field. When the nuns set up their first schools, in January 1846, less than a month after their arrival, they immediately attracted a large number of pupils. There were two Loreto schools: one, in a large room at 50 Governor’s Street was for children whose parents could not afford to pay for education, and the other, at Don Place in Governor’s Lane, was for fee-paying children. Boys and girls up to age 7 were taught by the nuns, and only the older girls were taught by them. The fee-paying school soon had to move to new premises in the southern section of Main Street because it outgrew the original schoolroom. At the same