Sorbonne (building)

The Sorbonne traces its name to Robert de Sorbon, a chaplain to King Louis the Ninth who founded a college here in the middle of the thirteenth century. It was created specifically to provide housing and instruction for theology students who were too poor to afford the typical costs of university life. While today it is a grand architectural landmark, it began its life on a narrow, modest street that was once unceremoniously known as Cut Face Street.