Founded in 1630 by the Belgian Jesuit Jean Bolland, the Bollandist Society, initially based in Antwerp and later re-established in Brussels following the restoration of the Society of Jesus, is dedicated to the study of the saints, their veneration and the literature concerning them.  It is the originator of the Acta Sanctorum, one of the greatest scholarly and editorial undertakings of the Ancien Régime, whose 67 volumes and archives were recently recognised as a ‘Memory of the World’ by UNESCO. With its highly specialised library and its publications, the Bollandist Society is recognised as a global centre of excellence for hagiographic studies.

We can therefore only welcome the rapprochement sought by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Rev. Fr. Arturo Sosa S.J., between this illustrious learned society and the Pontifical Gregorian University.  Whilst a course in hagiography (taught by a Bollandist) has been running since 1997 within the Faculty of Church History and Cultural Heritage, and given that neither Oriental studies nor spirituality can afford to ignore the lives of the saints, the integration of this prestigious research centre into our university will offer new opportunities in this field, both in terms of courses and seminars and in terms of internships and personalised training programmes.

Whilst retaining its base in Brussels, the Bollandist Society would thus become, alongside the Collegium Maximum, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, a fourth mission of the Gregorian University.  The heads of both institutions welcome this project with enthusiasm and are committed to bringing it to completion as soon as possible.