History

A castle and a convent

The history of our library began with a castle, a hunting lodge on the edge of Heverlee forest, which became property of the de Croy family, in 1446. This lineage was one of the most noble families in the former Netherlands. Willem de Croy (1458-1521), counsellor of the emperor Charles V, built a new castle and, as his last will, he wanted a Celestine convent to be founded, next to the castle. According to decent Burgundian tradition, the church was meant to be the last resting-place for Willem de Croy and his family. Willem's widow, Maria van Hamal, took care of the realization of her husband's last will. After the death of Karel de Croy, who had no legal successors, castle and monastery transferred to the Arenberg family.

Stable, research station, nursery

The 18th century marked the end of the convent. Emperor Joseph II abolished the Celestine priory in 1783 and in the revolutionary year 1796, 'Rosse Max' and his gang smashed everything up to pieces. Back in 1816, the bricks of the church were recycled while building the pavilion for the Prins van Oranje in Tervuren. The Duke of Arenberg ordered to demolish the south wing of the convent and to redecorate the rest of the remaining parts as stables and dog breeding kennels. In the east wing, from that period on, the former refectory and chapter-house, were intended to be a royal accommodation for a hundred horses. After world war I, the university became owner of these buildings, in which, until 1985, a research station for lettuce and grain, founded by the Belgian farmer union Boerenbond, was settled.

A library in a convent

In 1965, the leased territory was rearranged by professor R.M. Lemaire as a crèche, for children of people working at the university. This was in fact the beginning of the reconversion of the Celestine convent. In 1996, the K.U.Leuven organized a competition for the reconstruction of the monastery and for its new establishment, as a library for the exact sciences. It was the famous Spanish architect Rafael Moneo who got the commission to rebuild it. On October 1st 2002, the new Campus Library Arenberg was inaugurated.

More info: 'The Celestine Priory at Leuven. From monastery to library (dutch)'

Special thanks to the university archive, Jan Roegiers and Marc Derez