 | A request that this article title be changed to Saint Verhaegen is under discussion. Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
| Saint Verhaegen | |
|---|---|
 St V festivities in Brussels | |
| Nickname | St V |
| Status | Active |
| Date(s) | 20 November |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Venue |
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| Location(s) | City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region |
| Coordinates | 50°50′27″N 4°21′18″E / 50.84085°N 4.35505°E |
| Country | Belgium |
| Inaugurated | November 24, 1888 |
| Founder | Free University of Brussels |
| Most recent | November 20, 2023 |
| Next event | November 20, 2024 |
Saint V (French), Sint V (Dutch) or St V are the commonly used names for a holiday for freethinking university students in Brussels, Belgium. It takes place annually on 20 November and commemorates the founding of the Free University of Brussels on 20 November 1834. The day's long forms (French: Saint-Verhaegen, Dutch: Sint-Verhaegen) differ in the two official languages, but both are a reference to Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen, the university's founder, who notably is not a saint and was never canonized; the name was chosen instead to mock the Saint-Nicolas festivities of the rival Catholic University.
The festivities started in 1888 as a protest against the then-academic authorities and has since grown into an annual parade that pays tribute to Verhaegen and the values of free inquiry. Nowadays, the event is organised by the Brussels Student Association and is celebrated by students of both the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), which officially separated in 1970.