Katholische Academische Verbindung (K.A.V.) Lovania Leuven is a Catholic academic fraternity, founded in 1896 at the

Catholic University of Louvain The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. It is a German

Studentenverbindung () or , often referred to as , is the umbrella term for many different kinds of fraternity-type associations in German-speaking countries, including Corps, , , , and Catholic fraternities. Worldwide, there are over 1,600 , about a thousand in ...

and is an affiliated member of the

Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen The Union of Catholic German Student Fraternities ( or , CV) is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities (). History Foundation During the period of 19th century in Germany called the , the Prussian state tried to ...

. Its

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

is ''Semper Excelsius!'' (''Der Geist lebt in uns allen!''). Its official colors (

Couleur Couleur (from French, meaning 'colour' in English) is the expression used in Central European for the various headgear and distinctive ribbons worn by members of these student societies. There are three classes of such student societies: * Soc ...

) are green, white and red.

History

The

Old University of Leuven The Old University of Leuven (or of Louvain) is the name historians give to the Medieval university, university, or ''studium generale'', founded in Leuven, Duchy of Brabant, Brabant (then part of the Burgundian Netherlands, now part of Belgium ...

, founded in 1425, was closed down during the occupation of the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

in 1797 after the French revolutionaries occupied the country. After the defeat of the revolutionaries and

Belgian independence The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

from the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, the

was founded in 1834 and was able to attract Catholic students from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

who were fleeing the

Kulturkampf In the history of Germany, the ''Kulturkampf'' (Cultural Struggle) was the seven-year political conflict (1871–1878) between the Catholic Church in Germany led by Pope Pius IX and the Kingdom of Prussia led by chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Th ...

Helvetia Lovaniensis was the first Swiss Catholic student fraternity. It existed from 1872 to 1875. It was succeeded by an all-German Catholic student fraternity, Tungria Lovaniensis, that existed from 1877 until 1879. In 1888, a regional student fraternity was founded by students from Luxemburg. Only the last fraternity survived. Out of the ashes of the demise of the Swiss and German fraternities, a new fraternity was founded. This event was triggered by a public allocution of , a professor in

thomistic Thomism is the philosophical and theological school which arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, Thomas's disputed questions ...

philosophy at the university, on student life at Germanic universities on January 21, 1896. During his student years in

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

, Thiéry became a member of the prestigious student fraternity K.D.St. V. Bavaria Bonn, the oldest Catholic student fraternity in the world. This speech motivated many Germanic students to such an extent that they decided to establish a fraternity that same evening. It was called Lovania, which is Latin for Leuven (Louvain). The fraternity quickly expanded and Prof. Thiéry became honorary president. Lovania continued to blossom until the outbreak of the First World War. In 1914 the fraternity was suspended due to the commencement of fighting. At that moment the fraternity already had more than 160 active and inactive members. Numerous members died on both sides of the war. In post war Belgium, it was impossible to re-establish a German student fraternity in 1918. Promising efforts were made during 1927 and 1928 but failed after a short time. The Second World War made a quick re-establishment even more impossible. It took until 1996 until the political situation was stable enough to reconstitute the fraternity, within the Dutch-speaking

Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its mai ...

. At that moment many students who belonged to fraternities were members of the

Cartellverband The Union of Catholic German Student Fraternities ( or , CV) is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities (). History Foundation During the period of 19th century in Germany called the , the Prussian state tried to ...

and studied in Louvain. The idea then arose to re-establish the fraternity. The last surviving member gave his blessing to this undertaking and on April 19, 1996, the reactivation became a reality. In 1999 the friendly affiliation to the Cartellverband was formally re-established. Today the fraternity flourishes and has over 137 members, originating from

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, the

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Principles

Lovania is founded upon three guiding principles: *religio: the fraternity and all its members publicly adhere to the Roman Catholic faith *scientia: the pursuit of an academic education for all of its members *amicitia: a lifelong friendship between all the members of the fraternity as long as they live whilst demonstrating a strong

esprit de corps Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower ...

The members of Lovania do not practice

academic fencing Academic fencing () or is the traditional kind of fencing practiced by some student corporations () in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Latvia, Estonia, and, to a minor extent, in Belgium, Lithuania, and Poland. It is a traditional, strictly re ...

(Mensur) because it is forbidden by the Roman Catholic Church. Academic fencing is common with the more secular student fraternities in Germanic countries. Due to this restriction, Catholic students had to organize separate fraternities. Lovania only accepts men into the organization.

Symbols

The official dress symbols, that are worn by each member, consist of a vertical green-white-red triband bordered with a golden thread and a green

kepi The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword from , itself a re-spelled version of the , a diminutive form of , meaning . In Europe, the kepi is most commonly associated with French ...

, the historical military cap as worn during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. During official ceremonies and special occasions, the

praesidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some countries' political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. The term is also sometimes used for the ...

wears a

dress uniform Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is among the most formal wear, formal type of uniform used by military, police, firefighter, fire and other public uniformed services for official parade (mili ...

, a traditional Polish military uniform called a Vollwichs which consists mainly of a

bekiesza Bekiesza is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Cyców, within Łęczna County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies approximately east of Cyców, east of Łęczna, and east of the regional capital Lublin Lublin is ...

Governance

The fraternity has a

legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

(the power to make laws),

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

(the power to implement laws) and

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

(the power to judge and apply punishment when laws are broken) body. All full members make up the legislative body, which elects the executive body. The legislative body also functions as a judiciary body. In this case, it assumes the function of an honorary senate.

Notable members

Prosper Poullet Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph, Viscount Poullet (5 March 1868 – 3 December 1937) was a Belgian politician. Born in Leuven, Poullet studied law at the Catholic University of Leuven and was later a professor at the university. He was of mem ...

(December 9, 1871 - December 23, 1935) former prime minister of Belgium and Minister of State *

Pierre Prüm Pierre Prüm (9 July 1886 – 1 February 1950) was a Luxembourgish politician and jurist. He was served as prime minister of Luxembourg for a year, from 20 March 1925 until 16 July 1926. Early life Prüm was born in Troisvierges, in the far nor ...

(July 9, 1886 – February 1, 1950) former prime minister of Luxemburg * Alexander Count von Kolowrat (January 29, 1886 – December 4, 1927) founder of the Austrian movie industry * Edmond de Goeyse (October 1, 1907 - December 21, 1998), Flemish student leader * Albert Joseph Carnoy (November 7, 1878 - January 12, 1961), Belgian minister of internal affairs and health; professor of linguistics and comparative grammar, University of Louvain, Belgium * Georges Baron Holvoet (August 16, 1874 - April 23, 1964), governor of the province of Antwerp and chef de cabinet of the Prince-regent Charles of Belgium *

Paul Lebeau Paul Marie Alfred Lebeau (19 December 1868 – 18 November 1959) was a French chemist. He studied at the elite École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris (ESPCI). Together with his doctoral advisor Henri M ...

(June 29, 1908 - October 18, 1982), chemist *

Albert Michotte Albert Edouard, Baron Michotte van den Berck (13 October 1881, in Brussels, Belgium – 2 June 1965) was a Belgian experimental psychologist. Life Family Michotte was born to a distinguished, well-to-do, noble Catholic family. He was second and ...

(1881 - 1965), experimental psychologist *

Francis Aveling Francis Arthur Powell Aveling MC ComC (25 December 1875 – 6 March 1941) was a Canadian psychologist and Catholic priest. He married Ethel Dancy of Steyning, Sussex in 1925. Life Francis Aveling was born at St. Catharines, Ontario ...

(1875-1941), psychologist and Catholic priest * Etienne Orban de Xivry (February 18, 1885 - July 23, 1953), Belgian senator *

Jef van den Eynde Jozef Maria August Antoon (Jef) Van den Eynde (21 December 1879 – 12 April 1929) was a prominent figure from Leuven's student life, an activist and member of the Council of Flanders during the First World War. After the war, he fled to the Neth ...

(December 21, 1879 - April 12, 1929), member of the Council of Flanders during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

* Charles Baron Woeste (February 26, 1837 - April 5, 1922), Belgian Minister of State

References

* Wehr, Florian, Geschichte des CV, 2. Auflage, Berlin, 1900 * Thiéry Armand, Chansonnier des étudiants Belges publié par la Studentenverbindung Lovania, Breitkopf et Härtel, Brüssel, 1901 * Lovania - 10 Jahre deutschsprechenden Studententums in Löwen 1895–1905, Leuven, 1906 * 15. Vereinsjahr - Academische Studenten Verbindung Lovania 1895–1910, Leuven, 1910 * Wils J., Les étudiants des régions comprises dans la Nation germanique de l'Université de Louvain, 2, Leuven, 1910 * Katholische Academische Studentenverbindung Lovania - Jahresbericht 1910–1912, Druck. F. Giele, Leuven, 1912 * Wolf Otto, Geschichte der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindung Bavaria 1844–1914, Bonn, 1914 * Contzen Hans, Lovania - Zwanzig Jahre deutschsprechenden Studententums in Belgien, Studentenbibliothek 24), Mönchengladbach, 1916 * Schulze, Friedrich, Ssymank, Paul, Das deutsche Studententum von den ältesten Zeiten bis zur Gegenwart, 1932, Verlag für Hochschulkunde, München (Nachdruck), * Doergé Robert., 75 Jahre katholische deutsche Studentenverbindung Franconia an der Rheinisch-Westfälischen technischen Hochschule Aachen 1898–1973, Aachen, 1974 * de Bruyne, Arthur (Ed.), Bijdragen tot de geschiedenis van een generatie - Een liber amicorum voor mr. Willem Melis, Rinda, 1977, Kemzeke * de Goeyse Mon., O Vrij-Studentenheerlijkheid, Leuvense Universitaire Pers, Leuven, 1987, * Schieweck-Mauk S., Lexikon der CV- und ÖCV-Verbindungen, Gemeinschaft für deutsche Studentengeschichte, Würzburg, 1997, * Bodman, Ernst-Michael, 100 Jahre K.D.St.-V. Franconia Aachen, Aachen, 1999 * Uytterhoeven R., Nostalgia Lovaniensis, Universitaire Pers Leuven, Leuven, 2000, * Vos Louis, Weets Wilfried, (Ed.), Vlaamse vaandels, rode petten, Uitgeverij Pelckmans, Kapellen, 2002, * Hartmann, Gerhard, Für Gott und Vaterland - Geschichte und Wirken des CV in Österreich, Lahn-Verlag, Wien, 2006, * Huys, Jan, Van de Weyer Stefan, De studentikoze erfenis van Rodenbach, Acco Drukkerij, Leuven, 2006

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.kav-lovania.org, Official website of K.A.V. Lovania Leuven
Historical postcards of K.A.V. Lovania zu Löwen

Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen
Lovania Lovania Student organizations established in 1896 Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) Christian fraternities and sororities in Belgium Catholic universities and colleges in Belgium Student religious organisations in Belgium Student societies in Belgium 1896 establishments in Belgium