College of Sorbonne
The College of Sorbonne (
The Sorbonne was disestablished by decree of 5 April 1792, after the French Revolution, along with the other Paris colleges. It was restored in 1808, then closed finally in 1882.
In recent times the name "Sorbonne" came to refer to the group of
Overview
Sorbon purchased several houses on Rue Coupe-Gueule (now Rue de la Sorbonne) and made them into lodging for students. The college was founded in 1253. Louis IX confirmed the foundation in 1257.[3] Initially the college has about twenty students, called socii. As the college grew, Sorbon provided a library containing over a thousand volumes by 1292, the largest in the university, and a chapel.[2]
The Sorbonne became the most distinguished theological institution in France, and its doctors were frequently called upon to render opinions on important ecclesiastical and theological issues. In 1470, the Sorbonne had one of the first printing presses in France.
The Sorbonne was closed to students in 1791 during the
In 1971, as a result of the riots of demonstrations of May 1968, the University of Paris was broken up into thirteen independent faculties. The New Sorbonne building became the home of the Universities of Paris I, II, III, IV, V, the École Nationale des Chartes, and the École pratique des hautes études.
Foundation
Robert de Sorbon, a native of Le Réthelois, was a distinguished professor and famous preacher who lived from 1201 till 1274. Sorbon found that there was a defect in the primitive organization of the University of Paris. The two principal mendicant orders—the Dominicans and the Franciscans—each had colleges at Paris where they delivered lectures which day students could attend without fee.[5]
Robert de Sorbon decided that the university should also provide free instruction, so that it could compete with the religious orders. Further, he believed the society of professors should follow the practices of the
Organization
The constitution of the society as conceived by De Sorbon was simple: an administrator (provisor), associates (socii), and guests (hospites). The provisor was the head; nothing could be done without consulting him; he installed the members selected by the society, and confirmed the statutes drawn up by it; he had to provide for everything.[5]
The associates formed the body of the society. To be admitted to it, the candidate was required to have taught a course of philosophy. There were two kinds of associates, the bursaires and the pensionnaires. The latter paid forty (Paris) pounds a year; the former were provided for by the house. The burse could be granted only to persons not having an income of forty (Paris) pounds. There was a primus inter pares, the prior, who presided over all internal affairs of the house.[5]
Doctors and bachelors were alike eligible, but, owing to the number of the latter, the custom rapidly grew up of selecting only bachelors. Other persons were candidates for admission to the society rather than members of it. From the material and intellectual point of view, they enjoyed the same privileges as the members: board, lodging, books, spiritual and scholastic exercises but they had no votes. When they had fulfilled the condition of teaching philosophy, they were admissible as members. The course of studies lasted ten years, during which time their burses continued; but if, at the end of ten years, they had not given proof of their ability, either as teachers or as preachers, they had to give up their burse.[5]
History
The ordinary lectures were public, and consequently were attended by students who belonged to neither of the divisions of the society. The doctors and bachelors were authorized to give shelter to other poor pupils. Besides the work of the classroom, there was the duty of preaching or labouring in the parishes. In preparation for this, the associates, on certain days, had to deliver sermons or conferences (collationes) to the community. The purely spiritual side was not forgotten. Conferences, usually delivered by the prior, on this important part of the Christian and priestly life were given especially to the interns.[5]
For twenty years the ability of the administrator, or provisor, corresponded to the foreseeing devotedness of the founder. This stretch of time showed the effectiveness of the administrative measures which De Sorbon had adopted. He had written down the rules in thirty-eight articles. This rule was directed towards the maintenance of common life, from silence in the refectory, to simplicity of authorized dress. As circumstances permitted, about 1271 De Sorbon added a literary college: this was the Collège de Calvi or the "little Sorbonne".[5]
The constitution which Robert de Sorbon gave to his college lasted for centuries. If Claude Héméré (1574–1650, librarian of the Sorbonne) saw in the project the conception of a powerful intellect, "Hoc primus in lycaeo Parisiensi vidit Robertus", its realization became a model college for others. The expression Pauvres maîtres et étudiants en théologie seems to emphasize the two primary characteristics of the society: equality in poverty, an equality so perfect between masters and pupils that it designated them by a common name; the poverty of the pupils, since most of them were bursaires; the poverty of the masters, since, content with what was strictly necessary, they renounced all other professional remuneration. This equality was always maintained with scrupulous care; the Sorbon repeated as an axiom, Omnes nos sumus socii et aequales, and referred to the college as pauperem nostram Sorbonem.[5]
From the outset the college enjoyed the favour of the Holy See.
In 1470 the Sorbonne introduced the art of printing into France by calling to Paris three of Gutenberg's associates, Gering, Friburger, and Crantz. Among its principal patrons and benefactors was Cardinal Richelieu, who held for a time the office of provisor and who, in 1635, laid the cornerstone of an edifice to be built at his expense for the use of the college. He was buried in the church of the Sorbonne, where his tomb is still preserved.[5]
The doctors of the college were loyal defenders of the Catholic faith against the inroads of
On the other hand, the professors gave their support to Gallicanism and obliged their members to subscribe to the "four articles". This attitude naturally weakened the prestige of the Sorbonne as a theological school. Ecclesiastical students had to seek their education in the seminaries. The Sorbonne itself was disestablished by decree of 5 April 1792, after the French Revolution.[5]
Napoleon restored it in 1808 as the theological faculty of the newly organized university. It did not, however, regain its former standing or influence, though it continued in existence until 1882, when it was finally suppressed. In 1884 the construction of the present building was begun and it was completed in 1889. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was occupied by the various departments of
Notable alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (October 2021) |
- Antoine Arnauld
- Hardouin de Beaumont de Péréfixe, Bishop of Rodez
- Pope Clement VI
- Jean-Baptiste Dubos, historian and critic, Perpetual Secretary of the Académie Française
- Philippe de Gamaches, theologian, first Chair of Theology at the Sorbonne
- Jérôme-Claude Gandolphe, delegate to the National Constituent Assembly
- Collège du Plessis
- collège du Plessis
- Joseph Hook
- Jacques Lescot, Bishop of Chartres, principal of the Collège de Dainville
- Gabriel de Nail, Great bard of Amiens
- Louis-Antoine de Noailles, Archbishop of Paris
- Society of Saint-Sulpice
- Collège de Navarre
- Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal de Richelieu and chief minister to Louis XIII
- Edmond Richer
- Pierre Sigorgne, High vicar of the Diocese of Macon, correspondent for the Institute
- Pierre-François Tinthoin
- Madame Wei Tao-Ming(Chen Yu-Hsiu)
- Thomas of Ireland, author of the popular florilegium Manipulus florum.[6]
- Moises Bahamon, creator of LISA: the SHIPWRECKED
- Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus
See also
References
- ISBN 0-521-54113-1
- ^ a b c d e f Dictionnaire historique de Paris. Le Livre de Poche. 2013.
- ^ « Fondation Sorbonne au Moyen Age - Robert de Sorbon »
- ISBN 978-2-755-8033-03)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sorbonne". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Chris L. Nighman, "Commonplaces on preaching among commonplaces for preaching? The topic Predicatio in Thomas of Ireland's Manipulus florum", Medieval Sermon Studies 49 (2005), 37–57.