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Quick history of La Sorbonne University in Paris
La Sorbonne in Paris is one of France’s most prestigious universities. It was founded back in the Middle Ages, and has been a major player in education since it’s beginnings!
I was very fortunate to have attended La Sorbonne for a semester the very first time I came to Paris for my semester abroad. Unfortunately, the school was under construction at the time so my classes weren’t held there! You win some, you lose some.
In any case, La Sorbonne has since reopened and I have had plenty of time to view the interior and learn more about the history of the university. A history that I am happy to share with you today!
Early beginnings of La Sorbonne: The Middle Ages
La collège de Sorbonne in 1530 – WikiCommons
The history of La Sorbonne begins with another place of higher education, the University of Paris. The university was founded in 1150, making it one of the oldest universities in Europe. In the early days, the University of Paris was associated with a cathedral school that was located at the Notre-Dame.
The university was made up of four faculties: Arts, Medicine, Law and Theology. Students were required to complete their studies at the faculty of Arts before they were allowed to advance into one of the other faculties. Students were also divided up by the language they spoke!
This system would go on to be the model for all universities in the Middle Ages. But, it’s important to remember that these universities are not like the ones we know today. Students (all male, women and girls were not allowed) typically entered school at age 13, and would remain students there for up to 12 years.
Engraving of Robert de Sorbon by G.Garitan – WikiCommons
Within the University of Paris, there were several different colleges. Think of this as the same system that we use today (especially in the United States): universities are made up of several different colleges, or specific areas of study, like business or nursing. Back in these days, the colleges were focused more on fields like theology and philosophy.
La Collège de Sorbonne focused on just that: theology. It was founded in 1253 by the theologian Robert de Sorbon. Among other things, the college was home to the first library that arranged books in alphabetical order! This college was so renowned that the University of Paris was unofficially dubbed La Sorbonne.
Room and board was also available at the university. Less wealthy students were able to receive room and board for free thanks to the many donors who were in support of the school.
At the end of the Middle Ages, the University of Paris was well known as a prestigious university. By the end of the 15th century, the school boasted more than 20,000 students from around the world!
La Sorbonne gets a face lift in the 17th century
La Sorbonne in the 17th century by ChrisO – WikiCommons
In the beginning of the 17th century, the various colleges of the University of Paris were scattered around the city, and most of the buildings had fallen into disrepair. A man named Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, otherwise known as Cardinal Richelieu, was named principal of the university in 1622.
Cardinal du Plessis (as he was called at the time) made it his mission to modernize and clean up the university. Du Plessis had expensive taste, and he wanted the school to reflect that.
Alongside the architect Jacques Lemercier, the Cardinal called that the older colleges and medieval chapel be torn down in order to put a new courtyard and square in their place. Cardinal du Plessis also commissioned a new library in 1647, which was designed by Sanson Letellier.
Additionally, Cardinal du Plessis ordered for a new (and much larger) chapel be built to replace the one he tore down. It was completed six years after his death, and his body was subsequently buried there!
Portrait of Cardinal Richelieu by Philippe de Champaigne – WikiCommons
By the end of the 18th century, the French Revolution and its Reign of Terror gripped France, and Paris in particular. The Revolutionaries ordered that the university by closed in 1793.
The university was reopened by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806, and he renamed it the University of France. Most people referred to the university as La Sorbonne, a nod to the original collège de Sorbonne!
At this time, the university was broken up into seven different faculties: Arts, Law, Medicine, Letters & Humanities, Sciences, and Theology. Then, at the end of the 19th century things changed again. The faculties became much more specific, as more areas of interest were in demand and had gained relevance.
The Faculty of Letters was made up of Letters, Philosophy, History and Modern Languages (French, Latin and Greek). The Faculty of Science was made up of Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Natural Sciences. The Faculty of Theology was removed from the school because of new laws that abolished the subject from public universities.
La Sorbonne finds its place in the 20th century
A lecture hall in La Sorbonne as seen in 1914. The speaker is British painter and travel writer Arnold Henry Savage Landor – WikiCommons
Things were fairly uneventful for La Sorbonne for the first half of the 20th century. That being said, the professors and researchers at the university were at the head of many major scientific developments at the time.
Some major accomplishments included the publication of the Ecole des Annales, a history book that covered the history of France, the development of the science of language and of comparative literature, and the first ever research in nuclear physics. The university also produced several Nobel Prize winners, like Pierre and Marie Curie, Jean Perrin and Irène and Frédérique Joliot-Curie!
The two World Wars had a major impact on university life at La Sorbonne. The First World War claimed the lives of so many soldiers that made up a large part of the student population, meaning that attendance went down during the war. But, things began to pick up pace again soon after, and in the 1920s and 1930s, enrolment doubled and then tripled to 14,500 students. Nearly 30% of students were there to study literature, and female students made up over 40% of the total population.
During World War II, things went downhill again. Several teachers and students were deported by the Nazis and the Vichy Regime, only after they were banned from going to school.
In the years that followed the War, La Sorbonne continued to grow. By 1965, there were 61,400 students at the university! New buildings were erected to contain the mass amounts of new students coming in each year.
Fast-forward to 1968, and things start to get a lot dicier. Students at the University of Nanterre (located just west of Paris) were fed up with the university structure in France. There were a lot of things they were fed up with, but for sake of space, I’ll leave it at that. Students soon occupied Nanterre and refused to let class take place.
Word of the movement quickly spread to La Sorbonne, where students decided to stand in solidarity with the students at Nanterre. Protests ensued for the entire month of May, and in many ways Paris shut down under them. Protesting students weren’t removed from La Sorbonne until June 14th.
La Sorbonne underwent several reforms after the student movement, and the university was split into nine separate universities scattered around Paris. These reforms gave each university autonomy and a president. Today, La Sorbonne is separated into thirteen universities throughout Paris and the surrounding area.
Conclusion
La Sorbonne continues to be viewed as a prestigious university in France and is recognized for its importance all over the world. As I mentioned, I was honored to attend, just for 6 months!
I hope that you’ve learned a little bit more about the history of La Sorbonne after reading this article! Do you have dreams of going there one day? I’ll cross my fingers for you!
If you want to learn more about La Sorbonne, and even get a special glimpse inside, I definitely recommend you check out our Latin Quarter / Left Bank walking tour! And if you’re looking for a little something more, click here to view all of our walking tour options in Paris!
