the Catholic University of Leuven, founded in 1425 at the issuance of Pope Martin V, is the oldest operating Catholic university in the world. The original language spoken at the university was Latin, but eventually both Dutch and French became commonly used. The motto of the university is “The Seat of Wisdom” and it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It has gone through many changes over the years, including temporary closure by the French and destruction during both world wars. However, the most profound change was the split that occurred in 1968 resulting in two separate universities—one Flemish-speaking located in Leuven called Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and the other French-speaking located in Louvain- La-Neuve called Universite Catholique de Louvain. This split was the result of the often violent clashes in Belgium between the Flemish- and French-speaking students. The French speakers were perceived to have gotten better treatment by the faculty and the Flemish organized strikes for better treatment.

Both campuses have departments dedicated to research in the field of brewing and are equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories. As such, many publications have appeared from both brewing schools in peer-reviewed journals to advance the knowledge of brewing science. The most famous brewing professor to lead the brewing school of the university was Jean DeClerck. See de clerck, jean. DeClerck published many articles and a brewing textbook that was in use for many years. DeClerck was so well regarded that upon his death he was allowed to be buried at the famous Chimay abbey alongside the monks.

See also brewing schools.