College of Sorbonne

The dome of the Sorbonne rises above the surrounding neighborhood, crowning a cluster of stone buildings that have defined the intellectual life of Paris for centuries. This is the heart of the University of Paris, founded in the thirteenth century by Robert de Sorbon as a college for impoverished theology students. In the sixteen twenties, Cardinal Richelieu oversaw a complete reconstruction of the site, commissioning the chapel that holds his ornate marble tomb, even as students continued their debates in the halls nearby.