Overview

At the heart of the Latin Quarter, animated by the students of Paris, stands the symbol of the oldest university in France, the dome of the chapel of the Sorbonne. A major landmark of classical French religious architecture in this student district par excellence, the Sainte-Ursule chapel of the Sorbonne (or Sorbonne chapel) is today one of the most emblematic buildings in Paris. Designed by the most talented artists of their time, it houses unsuspected treasures and is a unique witness to the architecture of 17th century Paris. It is within such an architectural setting that we invite you to come and listen to some of the greatest speeches delivered at the Sorbonne.

A jewel of French architecture

The chapel of the Sorbonne rises on the site of the theology college founded by Saint Louis in the 13th century. It was erected between 1635 and 1648, the date of its consecration. Surmounted by a large dome, it was intended to host the tomb of the Richelieu, starting with that of Cardinal de Richelieu – an emblematic figure in the history of France –, who had restored the Sorbonne and had been its headmaster. When in 1626 Cardinal Richelieu decided to give the college of the Sorbonne a new face, he chose to make the chapel of the Sorbonne the heart of the new university. It was built according to the plans of Jacques Lemercier (1585-1654), architect of King Louis XIII, and adorned with murals unique in France made between 1641 and 1644 on the entire vaulting of the dome ceiling by the portrait painter and religious Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674), major figure of the French school. It should be noted that Philippe de Champaigne paints the spandrels, the decorative paintings of the lantern and the walls of the dome of the chapel of the Sorbonne. During the French Revolution, the chapel was vandalized, the works dispersed or worse, destroyed. It remained in this state of disrepair until 1808. Restored, it was returned to worship for the professors of the Sorbonne until 1906 following the passing of the law separating the Church and the State. On February 10, 1887, the chapel of the Sorbonne was listed as a historical monument. Between 1885 and 1901, a long reconstruction campaign of the Sorbonne is undertaken by the architect Henri Paul Nénot. It was on this occasion that the foundations of the ancient chapel from the 14th century, destroyed in the 17th century, were found in the courtyard of honour. The chapel, like the whole of the Sorbonne, is owned by the City of Paris through a decree taken by Napoleon III in 1852 which establishes as a condition of this property the perpetual assignment of the building to the headquarters of the Rectorate of Paris and to several faculties, which is still the case today. The administrative court of Paris chose to remove the religious vocation of the chapel, whose conservation is managed by the City of Paris, in 1957. The roof of the chapel was damaged by the storm in 1999, which caused significant damage to part of the vaults and facings and imposed a new closure for security reasons. In 2004, a new restoration campaign was undertaken on the facades and covers to stop the numerous infiltrations that threatened the decorations and vaults of the Sorbonne chapel. This last campaign ended in 2008. 17 years later, the chapel has just been selected among the 25 sites of the World Monuments Watch 2025. This nomination marks a decisive step in the restoration and reopening of this emblematic monument of the French architectural and intellectual heritage.

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