Monument: Sorbonne Chapel
Location: Paris, France
Architect:Jacques Lemercier
Year: 1635-1642

The origins of the University of Paris, to which the Sorbonne Chapel is a major defining landmark, date back to the early 12th Century. Located on the Seine’s left bank, the the founding of the University provided an alternative to monastery schools. Free, yet rigorous, courses in law, medicine, arts, and theology drew in a worldly mixture of students to the area. The widespread use of Latin within the university community lead to this area being commonly known as the Latin Quarter.

When Cardinal Richelieu, a prime minister and patron of the arts, became the University’s president in 1622, he hired Jacques Lemercier to redesign the school’s campus buildings in a unified style. The Chapel is the only remaining building from this era and features a baroque facade and centralized floor plan heavily influenced by Rome’s Il Gesu church. It creates a connection with existing Sorbonne buildings through an entrance onto an interior courtyard as well as serves as the focal point of a public square (pictured).

The Chapel was completed in 1642, the same year as Richelieu’s death, and became his final resting place.