Text from the Plaque
In 1852 this college was established as a Roman Catholic boys' school in the palace of the Right Reverend Armand, Comte de Charbonnel, Bishop of Toronto and a vigorous opponent of the public school system in Canada West. The minor seminary opened by Basilian priests that year was combined with the school in 1853, and in 1855 St. Michael's College was incorporated. A new collegiate structure and adjoining parish church, St. Basil's, were built here on Clover Hill. On September 15, 1856, classes commenced with the Reverend Jean Mathieu Soulerin, C.S.B., as superior. The college progressed gradually and in 1881 it affiliated with the University of Toronto. St. Michael's formally became an arts college within the University in 1910.
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