Sorbonne, << sawr BON, >> was a world-famous college in Paris, one of the colleges of the University of Paris . It was originally a college of theology. The Sorbonne was founded in the 1200’s by the theologian Robert de Sorbon and became one of the finest theological schools in Europe. The French statesman Cardinal Richelieu rebuilt the college in the 1600’s.
During the 1800’s and early 1900’s, the Sorbonne was expanded to form the liberal arts and sciences division of the University of Paris. The name Sorbonne was often used for the university itself.
In 1970, the French government reorganized the University of Paris into separate universities. Although the Sorbonne no longer remained a separate college, several of the universities have used the name Sorbonne as part of their new name. Several universities also use the orginal Sorbonne buildings for lectures. One of the buildings includes the Sorbonne library, which has a large collection of rare books and manuscripts. In 2018, two universities merged to form a new public university called Sorbonne University (Sorbonne Université in French).
