Institute for the Study of Renaissance and Humanism

The Interuniversity Centre for the Study of Humanism and Renaissance was founded at the ULB in 1960 and became, in 1969, with the creation of the independent VUB, interuniversity (ULB-VUB). It deals with the study of the Renaissance (from Petrarca until Descartes) under all its forms, especially of the Humanism of the Low Countries and Neolatin literature, with an emphasis on Neolatin epistolography (the art of letter writing) and the Neolatin texts of humanist freethinkers. In the past, important projects have been started and completed; e.g. the first translation of Erasmus' complete correspondence (12vols.), the creation of a current bibliography of Humanism of the Low Countries (2 vols.), the first critical edition of the correspondence of Marnix of Saint Aldegonde (3 vols.), the life and works of Hadrian Beverland, etc. Every three years the Institute organises an international colloquium of which the Acta are published.