Henri and Jules Desclée

Brothers François (1800-1842) and Henri Philippe (1802-1873) Desclée were lawyers and entrepreneurs, who brought gas-powered lighting to Bruges to replace oil lamps and lanterns.

The Société Saint-Jean l'Évangéliste was founded in Tournai in 1872 by Henri-Philippe Desclée and his two sons Henri (1830-1917) and Jules (1833-1911), the object being to restore Christian art in liturgical publications.

Through marketing publications and lithographs inspired in style by medieval manuscripts, the founders aimed to contribute to reviving the Christian spirit of the time.

William Henry James Weale, also a staunch proponent of the Gothic Revival, was for a time a representative for the company's publications in London.

[5] It also published a variety of books relating to ecclesiastical studies, ascetic theology, religious history and literature, hagiography, art, archaeology, education, etc.

Hildebrand broached the matter of Desclée's interest with his abbot Maurus Wolter, who decided to found a daughter house at Maredsous.

Hildebrand's father, Joseph de Hemptinne, was a textile manufacturer from Ghent, who had previously worked closely with Jean-Baptiste Bethune.