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 largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in Leuven,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. It is a German

Studentenverbindung (; often referred to as Verbindung) 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 thousan ...

and is an affiliated member of the

Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen The Union of Catholic German Student Fraternities (german: Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen or ''Cartellverband'' (CV)) is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities (Studentenverbindung). ...

. Her

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

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

Couleur Couleur (from French, meaning ''colour'' in English language, English) is the expression used in Central European ''Studentenverbindungen'' for the various headgear and distinctive ribbons worn by members of these student societies. There are thr ...

) are green, white and red.

History

The Old University of Leuven, founded in 1425, was closed down during the occupation of the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

in 1797 after the

French revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

aries occupied the country. After the defeat of the revolutionaries and Belgian independence from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, the

was founded in 1834 and was able to attract quite a number of Catholic students from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and Switzerland who were fleeing the Kulturkampf. At first a Swiss Catholic student fraternity was founded, Helvetia Lovaniensis. 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 that arose as a legacy of the work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physica ...

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

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

, Thiéry had become a member of the prestigious student fraternity K.D.St. V. Bavaria Bonn, the oldest Catholic student fraternity in the world. This speech motivated a number of 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 period of 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 Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English. ''Afrikaans'' i ...

Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

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

Cartellverband The Union of Catholic German Student Fraternities (german: Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen or ''Cartellverband'' (CV)) is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities (Studentenverbindung). ...

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 137 members to date, originating from

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-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 cultu ...

, the

, Switzerland,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, 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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

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 of 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 The members of Lovania do not practice

academic fencing Academic fencing (german: link=no, akademisches Fechten) 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 Pol ...

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

Structures

The fraternity has a

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

(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.

Traditions

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 of french: képi, itself a re-spelled version of the gsw, Käppi, a diminutive form of , meaning "cap". In Europe, this headgear is most ...

, the historical military cap as worn during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. During official ceremonies and special occasions, the praesidium wears a

dress uniform Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, ...

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

Famous members (selection)

Deceased

* Prof. Dr. Prosper Viscount Poullet (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 Luxembourgian politician and jurist. He was the 14th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for a year, from 20 March 1925 until 16 July 1926. Early life Prüm was born in Troisvierges, in the ...

(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 * Mon De Goeyse (October 1, 1907 - December 21, 1998), Flemish student leader, author of the clubcodex * Prof. Dr. Albert Carnoy (November 7, 1878 - January 12, 1961), Belgian minister of internal affairs and health * Mgr. Charles Cartuyvels (February 27, 1835), vice-rector of the Catholic University of Louvain * Mr. Georges Baron Holvoet (August 16, 1874 - April 23, 1964), governor of the (Belgian) 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 Mo ...

(June 29, 1908 - October 18, 1982) Flemish author * Prof. Dr.

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 l ...

(1881 - 1965), experimental psychologist * Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr.

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 2 ...

Ph.D. (1875-1941) * Etienne Baron Orban de Xivry (February 18, 1885 - July 23, 1953), Belgian senator * Jef van den Eynde (December 21, 1879 - April 12, 1929), Flemish student leader * Prof. Dr. Adam van Kan (July 18, 1877 - June 6, 1944), Dutch scientist * Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Ir Can. Armand Thiéry (6. augustus 1868 - 12. januari 1955), priest and founder of the fraternity * Mr. Charles Baron Woeste (February 26, 1837 - April 5, 1922), Belgian Minister of State

Literature

* 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, {{ISBN, 3-7840-3362-8 * Huys, Jan, Van de Weyer Stefan, De studentikoze erfenis van Rodenbach, Acco Drukkerij, Leuven, 2006

External links

Website of K.A.V. Lovania Leuven

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 1896 establishments in Belgium