Museum
Catholic University of Leuven
Catholic University of Leuven is a museum. 128 works from its collection are in this catalog, including Peter Paul Rubens and Bernard Van Orley.
About Catholic University of Leuven
Overview & Identity
The Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) was a private Roman Catholic institution of higher learning founded by the Belgian Catholic episcopate shortly after Belgium's independence in 1830. Initially established as the Catholic University of Belgium in Mechelen in November 1834, it moved to Leuven in December 1835, adopting its historic name to claim continuity with the Old University of Leuven (founded 1425). Although officially a new entity, it was widely regarded by its founders as the restoration of the medieval university, a claim that faced legal and political challenges from liberal factions.
The institution operated as a bilingual university until 1968, when linguistic tensions led to its division into the Dutch-speaking KU Leuven and the French-speaking Université catholique de Louvain.
History & Founding
The university was founded on November 8, 1834, in Mechelen based on authorization from a Papal Brief by Pope Gregory XVI. The first rector was the priest and historian Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen. The move to Leuven on December 1, 1835, was intended to leverage the prestige of the former university but outraged Belgian liberal opinion, which viewed it as an attempt to usurp the past of the secular state university.
The institution celebrated its silver jubilee in 1859 and its 50th anniversary in 1884. In 1962, the French and Dutch sections became autonomous within a common structure, a precursor to the final split in June 1968 which resolved the linguistic dispute by creating two independent sister universities.
Building & Architecture
The university's headquarters were historically located in the University Hall, a stately building constructed in 1317 originally as a cloth makers' hall, which became the university's heart in 1425. In 1738, Rector Jozef Rega added a new wing to the University Hall to house the library until the fire of 1914. Following the destruction of the original library in World War I, a new library building was constructed on the Mgr.
Ladeuzeplein. This building's tower features a carillon with 63 bells, originally installed in 1928 with 48 bells by Gillett and Johnston and dedicated to US engineers who died in the wars. The carillon was restored and expanded in the early 1980s by Eijsbouts.
Collection Highlights & Notable Holdings
The university's library, dating from 1834, grew to hold approximately four million books by the time of the 1968 split. The collection included works dating from the 15th century, with the theology library alone holding 1.3 million volumes. The division of the central library holdings in 1968 was conducted based on alternate shelfmarks, except for works clearly belonging to one linguistic section, such as those by faculty or bequeathed by alumni with clear linguistic allegiance.
This division resulted in the current central library of the KU Leuven retaining the building on Mgr. Ladeuzeplein and a significant portion of the historical collections.
What to see at Catholic University of Leuven
Start with Joachim Beuckelaer. Vismarkt by Joachim Beuckelaer.
See all highlights at Catholic University of Leuven →Works from Catholic University of Leuven
Joachim Beuckelaer. Vismarkt
Pieter Paul Rubens. Extase van Maria Magdalena
Frans Floris. Hunter with falcon
Anoniem (naar Joachim Patinir). Rust op de vlucht naar Egypte
Pieter Brueghel the Elder. The census of Bethlehem
Pieter Aertsen. Boerengezelschap bij de haard
Nicolas Neufchatel. Portret van Balthasar Dörrer en zijn tweede vrouw Magdalena Bayerin
Bernard of Orley. Triptych with the Virtue of Patience Panel right, front and back
Jan Cornelis Vermeyen. Portrait of a woman
Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Jagers in de Sneeuw
Hugo van der Goes. Triptych
Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Strijd tussen Carnaval en Vasten Detail: Allegorie van Carnaval
Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Zelfmoord van Saul
Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Dutch proverbs Detail: Two proverbs
Jan Cornelis Vermeyen. Portrait of Chancellor Jan II Carondelet
Jan Gossaert. Triptiek van Malvagna Zijpanelen, achterzijde: Adam en Eva verdreven uit het Aardsparadijs
Simon van Haarlem (toegeschreven aan). Dood van Maria
Jan Gossaert (kopie). De heilige Maagd met de sluier
Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Dutch proverbs Detail: Five proverbs
Jan Gossaert. Danaë
Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Nederlandse spreekwoorden Detail: Wilde beeren, die zijn bij den ander gheeren
Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Magpie on the Gallows
Anthonis Mor van Dashorst. Zelfportret
Jan Gossaert. Venus
Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Kinderspelen
Hugo van der Goes. Portret van een man
Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Nederlandse spreekwoorden
Bernard van Orley. Triptiek met de deugd van het Geduld Centraal paneel: Het feestmaal van Jobs kinderen, detail rechts boven
Maarten de Vos. De familie van de Heilige Anna
Hugo van der Goes. Portret van een Benedictijnse monnik
Hugo van der Goes. Kerstverhaal. Aanbidding der Herders
Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Nederlandse spreekwoorden Detail: De ene rokkent wat de andere spint
Anoniem. Aanbidding van het Sacrament
Joachim Patinir. Sint Christoffel
Maarten de Vos. Altaarstuk van de gilde van de oude voetboog
Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Strijd tussen Carnaval en Vasten Detail: Allegorie van Liefdadigheid en Boete
What's on
Humour in the university collections (Heritage Day 2026) (
26 Apr 2026 – 28 Jun 2026