History of Clive House
Clive House
Clive House was bought in 1875 by Father de Noircourt and it comprised two or even three distinct buildings. There was first a terraced, storied house, of which the ground-floor, as is evident from its vaulted, dark, massive structure, must have been intended for godowns; the upper storey must have been used as residential quarters.
The whole block went by the name of ‘CLIVE HO– USE’ and good folks believed the life and prosperity of the trees in the garden to be ominously connected with the continuance and prosperity of British ascendency in India. That in this house, or rather in this block of buildings Clive had lived during his stay in Trichinopoly, and from here had started on his brilliant career of daring and conquest, was the general belief. St. Joseph’s College, established in 1844 by the Fathers of Society of Jesus (called – The Jesuits). When the institution was moved over to Trichinopoly from Nagapatinam (now Tamil Nadu) in 1880s. In 1884 the College was shifted to newly constructed building close to main guard gate. .
Clive House became the College as well Hostel for the students and sports men from other places. Clive Hostel, at the foot of the Rock Fort, facing the Nayak-built temple tank (Teppakulam in local parlance) is a famous landmark in Tiruchirapalli city. Clive building was a hostel for the College Students till 1975. Then from 1975, it became a formation house for Jesuits. Clive’s House has ceased to be St. Joseph’s College and School. The same old walls, the same quaint ground-floor structure with its low-groined vaults, the same broad stone staircase, the same pillared frontage upstairs and the same corniced rooms that harboured the first hardy pioneers of British ascendency in the East.
In 2014 with a renovation, Clive Hostel became the formation house for the Jesuits students, studying at St. Joseph’s College, who are aspiring to become Priests in the Society of Jesus. Now there are 28 Jesuit Scholastics from 10 different Provinces from 8 Northern States of India, doing under-graduation and post-graduation of Arts and Science in St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli.
Our way of Life...
Mission
- To form ourselves intellectually
- To grow in (w)holistic formation for total commitment in service.
- To outshine in our talents for effective ministry.
- To imbibe the original spirit of our forefathers.
- To strengthen the foundational experiences of ours for the Greater Glory of God.
Vision
To be the beacon of hope of the neglected by equipping ourselves through intellectual mastery and spiritual insights of the forefathers in order to be effective instruments with total commitment for the Greater Glory of God.
Our Values
- Prayer
- Companionship
- Compassion
- Discipline
- Freedom with responsibility
- Unity of heart and soul