Unveiling a Legacy of Faith and Knowledge: KU Leuven, the Oldest Catholic Institution

The University of Leuven is divided into two universities based on language differences: the Dutch-speaking Catholic University of Leuven and the French-speaking Catholic University of Leuven. It will celebrate its 600th anniversary in 2025.

(Vatican News)During his visit to Belgium, Pope Francis met with faculty and students from the Dutch-speaking Catholic University of Leuven and the French-speaking Catholic University of Leuven. The Catholic University of Leuven, the oldest university in Europe, has begun a series of activities to celebrate its 600th anniversary.

The University of Leuven is the oldest university in the European Low Countries and the oldest surviving Catholic university in the world. On December 9, 1425, at the request of the city of Leuven, with the support of Giovanni IV, Duke of Brabante (Duca di Brabante) and the city’s clergy, Pope Martin V promulgated the Immortal Wisdom” (Wisdom unyielding) edict, establishing this university. Initially, the university had four faculties: Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Civil Law, and Faculty of Medicine. In 1432, the Pope approved the establishment of a seminary.

Just over a century after the university was founded, there were approximately 2,000 students enrolled and some notable figures emerged, including the humanist Desiderio Erasmo, who stayed in Leuven. For several years, he has contributed to the development of this young university. He was responsible for the distribution of Thomas More’s masterpiece Utopia, published in Leuven in 1516. In 1517, Erasmus also participated in the establishment of the “Trilingual Academy” in Leuven, which was the “European School of New Knowledge”, aiming to study and study Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

The University of Leuven was dedicated to the Catholic response to the Reformation, but during the French Revolution, it was closed in 1797 and rebuilt in 1834 by the Belgian bishops. In 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, and the famous library of the university was burned down by the German army. Later, between 1921 and 1928, the library was rebuilt with funding from the United States and many other countries. Unfortunately, during the German invasion in 1940, the library was destroyed again. After World War II, the library was rebuilt again.

The University of Leuven was a unified university entity until 1968, when it was divided into two universities based on language differences: one was the Dutch-speaking Catholic University of Leuven in Leuven, and the other was located in Louvain-New Leuven. The French-speaking Catholic University of Leuven in la-Neuve, Leuven-Neuve is located about 24 kilometers south-southwest of Leuven.

Today’s University of Leuven chooses an internationally oriented scientific development direction. The university’s research centers have developed rapidly, and the number of students has also grown rapidly. The university has more than 60,000 students spread across campuses in and around Leuven, and together with the university hospital, it has a total of nearly 10,000 employees. As one of Europe’s leading research institutions, it is no wonder that KU Leuven is regarded as one of the global players in many fields. Based on a Christian perspective on humanity and the world, KU Leuven’s mission is to present itself as a venue for public discussion of social, philosophical and ethical issues and as a center for critical opinion of social groups. In the 2024-2025 academic year, the Dutch-speaking Catholic University of Leuven and the French-speaking Catholic University of Leuven will celebrate their 600th anniversary through exhibitions, symposiums, conferences, and other types of activities.

Link URL:www.vaticannews.cn

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