What is "priest hole"

alt. (context UK English) A secret compartment in a large house, used as a hiding place for priests during the times when Catholicism was forbidden. n. (context UK English) A secret compartment in a large house, used as a hiding place for priests during the times when Catholicism was forbidden.

A priest hole is the term given to a hiding place for a priest built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England. When Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, there were several Catholic plots designed to remove her and severe measures were taken against Catholic priests. Many great houses had a priest hole built so that the presence of a priest could be concealed when searches were made of the building. They were cunningly concealed in walls, under floors, behind wainscoting and other locations and were often successful in concealing their occupant.

Many priest holes were designed by the Jesuit lay brother Nicholas Owen who spent much of his life building priest holes to protect the lives of persecuted priests. After the Gunpowder Plot, Owen himself was captured, taken to the Tower of London and tortured to death on the rack. He was canonised as a martyr by Pope Paul VI in 1970.