The Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques (DHGE) / Louvain Dictionary of Church History

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Founded in 1912, the Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, was printed by the firm Letouzey et Ané (Paris), and first managed in Paris by Mgr A. Baudrillart. He subsequently transmitted it to the Université catholique de Louvain. Its rector, Mgr Ladeuze, entrusted the work to Albert de Meyer. Its goal is to provide a historical notice on any personage, institution or place linked to Church history.

Since its foundation, the dictionary has arrived at volume 33, fascicle 196 (2022), Cerretti-Sport, and has provided about 33,000 pages of text. Its management is greatly indebted to the dynamism of its director since 1960, the Canon Roger Aubert, who managed the edition of volumes 14 to 30. His advanced age (94) has led him to seek a successor in directing this highly important scientific enterprise. Rather logically, the Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique, managed by the Université catholique de Louvain and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, has been given this responsibility. Among the ongoing projects, we point to the digitalization of all the editorial work and placing the dictionary online (via the Brepolis Internet site) in 2009, for both the published part and upcoming fascicules.

The DHGE is making a fresh start after the publication of fascicle 185 (Leyen-Licayrac), the final part of tome XXXI. For over a century, since 1909, the Dictionnaire was the product of the Parisian publishing company Éditions Letouzey et Ané. Publishing responsibilities are now taken up by Brepols (Turnhout), well known in the world of scientific publishing, which has been providing us with an online version of the printed dictionary for the past several years. While the academic development of our new project remains in the safe hands of both the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and l’Université catholique de Louvain, some important changes have been made which we hope our readers will welcome. To offer a new article to our editorial team, authors can now choose from the following options:

1) an updated or revised version of a previously published lemma (letters A-L);

2) a new article which serves to fill important lacunae in past instalments (letters A-L);

3) new entries comprising the letters M-Z, which were lacking up to now. Each new lemma will be made available online without delay; paper fascicles, assembling the latest new entries, is published within the year (each fascicle in alphabetical order from A to Z). Articles may be written in either English or French. A limited number is also published in Spanish, Italian and German. We would also like to bring to your attention that accepted articles will be financially rewarded by Brepols Publishers (advantageous contract), as has been the case before. 

Our strengthened and rejuvenated editorial team is keenly seeking experts from all over the world to contribute to the dictionary’s time-honoured reputation and high standing: if you want to help us bring older articles up to date, or if you simply want to offer new articles, please contact the editorial staff via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Look for further details soon to appear on the website of the Revue d’Histoire Ecclésiastique (www.rhe.eu.com) or on that of Brepols (www.brepolis.net). Your contributions will appear online immediately following final approval, and they will be published in printed form within the year.

Thus is ensured the future of this long term scientific enterprise, to which historians the world over constantly refer.

The complete Index of all articles, from the first tome to the last issue, is now available on this page.


Director: professor Dries Vanysacker

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Scientific Collaborators

Eddy Louchez

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Brian Heffernan

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