Jesus College, Cambridge, England, 1890's

Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely. It has been traditionally believed that the nunnery was turned into a college because the nunnery had gained a reputation for licentiousness. The College's full name is "The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge". Its common name comes from the name of its Chapel, Jesus Chapel. Founded at the beginning of the 12th century, the Chapel is the oldest university building in Cambridge still in use.

When founded in 1496, the College consisted of buildings taken over from the Nunnery of St Mary and St Radegund: namely the Chapel, and the Cloister attached to it; the nuns’ refectory, which became the college hall; and the former lodging of the prioress, which became the Master’s Lodge. This set of buildings remains the core of the College to this day, and this accounts for its distinctly monastic and non-collegiate character, which sets it apart from other Cambridge colleges. A library was soon added, and the Chapel was considerably modified and reduced in scale by Alcock.