Here comes the story of a pope and his college.
It is the 15th century and Adriaan Floriszoon has moved from the Dutch town of Utrecht
to try his luck here. The quality of the young university had taken Europe by storm.
Adriaan obtained a doctorate in theology and later even became rector of the university.
In 1522, he became Pope Adrian the 6th in Rome,
the first and so far only pope to come from the Low Countries.
He bequeathed his house and his possessions to the university
to found a college for theology students,
which quickly became one of the richest in Leuven.
In the mid-18th century, part of the building collapsed.
The remaining part of the building was saved
and this new, neoclassical portion was added.
Slightly later, during the French Revolution, the university was abolished
and Napoleon Bonaparte himself paid a visit to Leuven.
Pope's College became a part of the Parisian Hotel d'Invalides;
a hospital for French soldiers.
The corridors were swiftly given names that were French,
such as this one, the Corridor de Marengo,
which was named after one of Bonaparte's victories in Italy.
Nowadays, it is a hall of residence again, with 185 rooms exclusively for male students.
By the way, it also has a great beer cellar, nicknamed the Pope's Bar.