The Catholic University of Lyon was established in 1875, after the promulgation of the law on freedom of higher education in France. It is a private Catholic university based in the city center of Lyon. The university has nearly 11.500 students and auditors, of which 2.600 are international, over 650 teachers and administrative staff and more than 180 study programs. It also counts on a network of 294 partner universities in 61 countries. The main library on the Bellecour Campus contains 200.000 books and 2.000 journals in the areas of philosophy, history, literature, humanities, natural science and theology.