La Sorbonne
University of Paris (Sorbonne)
The Sorbonne takes its name from the College of Sorbonne, founded around 1253 by Robert de Sorbon. Today's building is a late-19th-century reconstruction, but Cardinal Richelieu's domed chapel from the 1600s still stands in its courtyard.
- 5Buildings
- 3Traditions
- 1648Oldest · Sorbonne Chapel
- 1901Newest · The Sorbonne
Campus map and Look Around
Tap a numbered pin to see that building from the street with Apple Look Around.
Planning the visit
- Fly intoParis Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
Charles de Gaulle is the main international gateway to Paris. RER line B runs from the airport into the city and stops at Luxembourg, a short walk from the Sorbonne.
- Getting aroundWalking / Metro / RER
The Latin Quarter is compact and easy to walk. Cluny–La Sorbonne metro station and Luxembourg RER station are both a few minutes from the Sorbonne.
- Colors and teams
French is the language of lectures and daily life. The Latin Quarter got its name from the Latin once spoken by the university's medieval scholars.
5 buildings to stamp
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Photo: Mbzt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Sorbonne
47 Rue des Écoles, 75005 Paris
The building that gave the University of Paris its nickname has housed scholars since the College of Sorbonne opened here in 1253. Henri-Paul Nénot's grand reconstruction wraps a ceremonial courtyard, a peristyle and the Grand Amphitheatre, all still shared by the university's successor institutions.
- Built
- 1901
- Architect
- Henri-Paul Nénot
- Style
- Beaux-Arts
- Today
- Shared seat of the University of Paris's successor universities
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Photo: Mbzt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sorbonne Chapel
17 Rue de la Sorbonne, 75005 Paris
Jacques Lemercier designed this domed chapel for Cardinal Richelieu's rebuilding of the College of Sorbonne, and Richelieu's tomb lies beneath the dome. It is the only building left from that 17th-century campus; the rest was replaced in the 1800s.
- Built
- 1648
- Architect
- Jacques Lemercier
- Style
- French Baroque
- Today
- Historic chapel (mostly closed since a 1999 storm)
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Photo: Priscille Leroy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sainte-Geneviève Library
10 Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris
Henri Labrouste's reading room is a landmark of iron architecture: sixteen slender cast-iron Ionic columns carry openwork iron arches beneath twin barrel vaults. Facing the Panthéon, it is the main inter-university library of the universities of Paris.
- Built
- 1851
- Architect
- Henri Labrouste
- Style
- Beaux-Arts with exposed ironwork
- Today
- Inter-university library
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Photo: NonOmnisMoriar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons École de Médecine
12 Rue de l'École-de-Médecine, 75006 Paris
Built as the Academy of Surgery, Jacques Gondouin's building was the home of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris from 1795 to 1971. It even gave the street its name: Rue des Cordeliers became Rue de l'École-de-Médecine.
- Built
- 1774
- Architect
- Jacques Gondouin
- Style
- English Palladian
- Today
- Head office of Paris Cité University
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Photo: Albert Bergonzo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Faculty of Law of Paris
Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris
Louis XV ordered a new home for the law faculty on the Place du Panthéon, and Jacques-Germain Soufflot, the Panthéon's own architect and a former law student here, designed it. It opened in 1774 and still serves law students today.
- Built
- 1774
- Architect
- Jacques-Germain Soufflot
- Style
- Neoclassical
- Today
- Panthéon-Assas University
3 traditions to check off
Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.
Touch Montaigne's Shoe
Across the rue des Écoles from the Sorbonne, students touch the foot of Paul Landowski's seated Montaigne statue for luck before exams. Visitors can stop by the statue and see the shoe polished bright by generations of hands.
Richelieu's Cardinal Hat
In the Sorbonne Chapel, a cardinal's hat hangs above Cardinal Richelieu's marble tomb, as tradition dictates. Visitors can see it when the chapel opens for guided tours and Heritage Days.
Heritage Days at the Sorbonne
Each September during the European Heritage Days, the Sorbonne opens its reception halls and Grand Amphitheatre to the public for free. Visitors can walk up onto the amphitheatre's stage and tour rooms that are normally closed.
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