Sanctus Virgilius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KSV (Katholieke Studenten Vereniging - catholic student society) Sanctus Virgilius (also known as Virgiel) is the largest student society in Delft. There are about 1600 students members (mostly students at TU Delft) who come together at the societies' building, named the Alcuin after the Irish builder/monk. It is a society with old traditions and mores. The society itself is named after Saint Virgil.
A wide variety of sports and cultural events are organized by members of Virgiel, e.g., soccer, field-hockey, a small student choir called Balder.
Virgiel was created in 1897 as the result of emancipation of the Catholic youth in the Netherlands. Catholicism had long been repressed by government policy, and Delft catholic students wanted to unite to discuss their faith and position in society. At the time, most members were also a member of the Delftsch Studenten Corps, the oldest student society in town.
After the Second World War, the society quickly grew, and on the wings of the sixties, quickly lost much of its religious objective. Virgiel is now a non-faith based society, which is primarily aimed at having a very good time.