The Celestine Priory at Leuven

On the corner of the Croylaan and the Celestijnenlaan stands a red wall. An introverted building which does not immediately reveal its past is hidden behind the wall. Nevertheless, it has an extremely prestigious history. It is as though it was written entirely in capital letters and golden initials: a monastery of the order of the Celestines, unique in the Netherlands, with a founder who was a politician of European stature, William of Croy, counsellor of Philip the Fair and Charles V.

Rombaut Keldermans was appointed for its construction and Jan Mone, the most important representative of Renaissance sculpture in the Netherlands, for the sculpture. The ruins of the monastery were recently restored by the internationally celebrated Rafael Moneo and integrated in the Campus Library Arenberg.