On Thursday, January 29th, at the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), UNESCO formally presented its Memory of the World certificate to the Acta Sanctorum—the vast, centuries-long scholarly endeavor produced by the Society of Bollandists.This Jesuit research network was founded in 1630 by the Liège-born Jesuit Jean Bolland for the scientific study of the lives of the saints. This event marks only the eighth such recognition ever awarded to Belgium. In attendance, alongside other prominent civil and ecclesiastical authorities, were Robert Godding SJ, Director of the Bollandist Society; Mark Rotsaert SJ, former President of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials (JCEP) and current President of the Board of the Society of Bollandists; Mark Lewis SJ, Rector of the Gregorian University; Dalibor Renić SJ, President of the JCEP; and Grégoire Le Bel SJ, Socius of the French-speaking Western Europe Province.

.The mission of the Society of Jesus in Europe has long been marked by intellectual collaboration and the patient building of networks that transcend borders and generations. The recognition of the Bollandists’ archives - a work that,  by its very nature, transcends individual provinces and necessitates supra-provincial cooperation - by UNESCO highlights the enduring value of this shared scholarly tradition, rooted in rigorous research and sustained through international cooperation.

This distinction not only honours a historic Jesuit work but also underscores the importance of preserving and connecting Europe’s intellectual and spiritual heritage through collaborative networks that continue to serve the universal Church and the wider world.

UNESCO has inscribed the archives of the Bollandists on the Memory of the World Register. Founded by a Jesuit, the Society of the Bollandists brings together thousands of texts on the lives of saints from all over the world. This official recognition highlights the universal value of these collections, preserved by the Society of Jesus since the seventeenth century.

Founded in 1630 by Jean Bolland within the Society of Jesus and still active today, the Society of the Bollandists is responsible for the Acta Sanctorum, one of the greatest scientific and editorial enterprises carried out in Europe before the French Revolution. This vast encyclopaedia on the lives of saints who lived between the second and seventeenth centuries is based on extensive documentation made possible by the collaboration of a wide network of scholars from across Europe. Preserved by several generations of Bollandists, this treasure includes more than 300 archival collections, thousands of ancient manuscripts, drawings, plans, and 750 copper plates used for printing.

A Global Recognition for the Jesuits of Belgium

UNESCO is the United Nations organisation that promotes cooperation in education, science, culture, and communication in order to foster peace worldwide. On 17 April 2025, UNESCO inscribed the unique religious, intellectual, and scientific heritage of the Bollandists in Europe on its Memory of the World Register. Through this programme, launched in 1992, the organisation works to safeguard, disseminate, and ensure access to the world’s documentary heritage, aiming to preserve and promote rare and often endangered documents produced by peoples across the globe.

“I am particularly proud and pleased to welcome the recognition granted by UNESCO, under the Memory of the World programme, to the work carried out by the Bollandists. Since the beginning of the seventeenth century, they have accomplished pioneering work of great historical and scientific value. The documentary heritage they have played a decisive role in preserving constitutes a major contribution to the heritage of humanity. It is a well-deserved recognition for one of our most brilliant learned societies,” said Elisabeth Degryse, Minister-President of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

The Bollandists’ archives represent the eighth Belgian inscription on the Memory of the World Register, alongside collections such as the archives of the Catholic University of Louvain. Officially honoured on 29 January during a ceremony at the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), in the presence of the Jesuit rector of the Gregorian University, the Society of the Bollandists expressed its pride in this distinction and reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying its efforts—now more than ever with the support of friends and benefactors—to promote and preserve these documentary treasures.