Frankly, its been a long time since I took courses at the Sorbonne. I was a just a mere naive little 20-year-old, overwhelmed with excitement and joy to be in Paris for the first time in my life.
Back then I took Cours de la Civilisation Francaise de la Sorbonne, which still exists today. I must admit I wasn’t the best student, in that I sometimes skipped class to go to Cordon Bleu for cooking class, which was and still is a passion of mine, so I treasured those courses too!
Well, I’m back to the Sorbonne,and looking around I had to shake my head in shock! Heavens, they look old! Either I am younger or younger looking than the vast majority enrolled, who look way past the retirement age here.
The courses are not for credit, nor have any exams, so are perfect for those who love to pursue intellectual or cultural venues for fun and pleasure. The courses offered are wonderfully diverse, but all have to do with cultural or historical aspects related to France or the European community.
I chose one entitled “The History of Paris from Henri the !V to the Revolution”. Being a devout , albeit amateur fan of historical Paris, I really do revel in walking around each quarter knowing there are thousands of stories tucked in those old buildings, just awaiting my discovery.
When you live in Paris, you are actually surrounding by living history that oozes everywhere you might go in the city. Every street and all the ancient stones you encounter breath history. True, there are recent buildings of course and a lot has changed, but then again a lot hasn’t!
Fortunately for me, the teacher, Professor Xavier LePerson has wonderful classical French enunciation, with little or no slang and thank God, does not ramble off words as fast as Parisians! Therefore ,my comprehension is practically perfect, which wasn’t the case many years ago.
The Sorbonne has changed quite a bit though,since I was a starstruck young Francophile naively looking for love. There are now several branches throughout the city, that didn’t exist “back then”.
The history of the Sorbonne goes back to the University of Paris, which is one of the oldest universities in the world, having begun in 1150. It was Robert de Sorbon who established the first division, named after him, in 1257 in buildings where the university stands today.
Prior to that time, students sat on bales on hay listening to their professors teach in latin, which gave the Latin Quarter its name. Philosophy and theology where the only subjects offered, as the university was a compliment to the theology school of Notre Dame cathedral.
Rue de Fouarre, meaning straw, still exists, and was where the original students were taught, as seen in a mural depicting the scholar Abelard teaching. This area now comprises a wonderful marché volant and is near the metro stop Maubert Mutualité.
Things went along fairly smoothly till the French revolution, when the university shut down for a while. It reopened with a four schools of law, medicine, sciences, and letters.
Another major event occurred on May the 6 , 1968, after the administration closed down the Nanterre branch. The national student union called a march and from there on, mutiny grew like wildfire. The following monday, over 20,000 students and their supporters charged through the street of the latin quarter, hurling bottles, over turning cars, and broke though police barricades to “occupy” the university.
People who participated or lived in that era, are called today the “soixante huitards”. Their American compatriots, demonstrating in Berkeley comprised more of the mentality of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, than the French.
Student occupation of the Sorbonne paid off, and grievances were heard resulting in changes. By 1970, the University of Paris broke into 13 branches. The historical building, as seen in the photo, remains in the 5 th arrondissement and is referred to as the Sorbonne.
Though the building is huge, it does not have a campus in the American tradition with sweeping lawns, but an interior courtyard. The entrance comprises a beautiful grand staircase with beautiful colourful frescos.
My favourites, seen in the photos, are of the surgeon Ambroise Paré, who I wrote about in august, 2012, and Abelard whose tragic story I posted in July, 2012. The magnificent baroque amphitheatre, as seen in the photo, is replete with huge statues lining the semi circle wall.
The school’s library, seen also, is likewise as beautiful and impressive. It houses a collection of over 2.5 million books, plus thousands of graphic arts, thesis’s, and manuscripts.
The adjoining chapel, with its domed top, is only open a few days during the year. The square in front with its lovely fountain, seen in a night photo, is now lined with cafes. During the day, at least recently, on the the spot massages can be had that seem to cater more to tourists than students.
It is really nice to just learn for the fun and pleasure of it all, for a very small fee considering the reputation of this institution. My own memories of graduate school were horribly stressful, but in the scope of my life, worth every moment of blood, sweat and tears.
Now the only stress I have is making sure I get a good seat, since the auditorium quickly fills up with all those “older” folks, who may or may not been those infamous soixante huitards themselves. Any way, one thing is for sure, I have no intention of missing not even one class.
Paris may not have changed all that much, but I have! Just as there are many a good story behind those mysterious walls, well I have accumulated quite a few myself!
Enjoyed very much–and how well I remember your first departure from Louisiana to Paris–we were ALL very naive then!!—PARIS–MONTREAL–NEW ORLEANS–so many great memories–and so wonderful to find certain parts have never changed–
Thank you Herbie! I have only been to Montreal twice, once for a psychiatric convention, so I don’t feel I know it well enough, but I do know that is your favourite city in the world besides New Orleans. Unfortunately, I haven’t been back to New Orleans, since Katrina, which is way to long in my book. I hope New Orleans still has that feminine old black lace sultry southern soul, that I loved so much.
Cherry,
Really enjoyed this blog.
It seems as if your life is going full circle……..only now I hope you are going to the Sorbonne with all of life’s wisdom looking for love again!
Hugs and xoxo,
KK
KK you are adorably insightful! I love your comment about looking for love again. Perhaps it will happen off campus so speak, like it did the last time, but who knows? Life is full of surprises! Pray that wisdom guides me! Hugs!
I love reading your blogs, Cherry. I think it is great that you are taking a course at La Sorbonne. I have never been there myself. Maybe one day I will get there.
Have a good time being a student again.
Thank you Serena for your kind vote of encouragement! I think I have been a student of life as well, as many of us are, but there have never been any diplomas for that!
As you well know, I love Paris, so this history course serves to enrich my comprehension of how the city grew and was developed under the various kings of France.
One of my French patients told me that Henri IV was probably the most studied king of France, because of his popularity with the people. It was he who advocated “a chicken in the pot” for all! Apparently he was very popular with the ladies too!
It is a little amusing with the contrast of going from a “star struck young Francophile naively looking for love” to the more serious and passionate enjoyment of one’s life and historic and cultural surroundings. Cherry, you certainly appear to have landed in a superb place to enjoy the richness of life in your adopted country.
Those Sorbonne course sound terrific for someone with your passions for history and culture . . . and you can apparently easily walk to may of those places that you and study about. You certain appear to have found a perfect niche for enjoying life to your best satisfactions.
Now that you have had your youthful love passions, and have become steeped with courses and experiences with French culinary, and somewhat being retired, you can truly concentrate on fully enjoying your life in Paris pursuing your interests. You surely are leading an enviable life of your choosing. It sounds like you have becomea Parisian to the marrow of your bones.
Yes, it is time for those of our generation to “stop and smell the roses” and to just enjoy this stage of our lives to the fullest. Best wishes to you in your studies and your seeking out the places that you study.
Thank you David for your very interesting comment! I do not know if I have become Parisian to the core, as basically I remain an American girl with passionate leanings towards a culture that I love and have embraced.
Paris is the most voluptuous city in the world for me, that constantly invites us to live our lives to the upmost of our beauty and potential.
On youthful passions, well I don’t think any of us have finished that aspect of our lives, at least not me! No retirement needed for me to stop and smell the roses, as fortunately I am inclined to do so by nature!
LOL . . . I guess that my comment was more towards the contrast of the sometimes frantic, and lesser experienced youthful passions versus the more experienced and tempered approaches to the zest for life that comes with a life time of experiences. One’s priorities and perceptions change a little . . . such as not intending to miss any clases versus youthful quests to search out life. Tome,it is a much more relaxed and measurable approach to life at our leisure.
David, I could not have expressed any better than you! So thank you! Our life experiences certainly tempers our approaches to life, sometimes with more caution, but certainly with different priorities as you so well verbalised!