The influential cathedral canons of medieval Paris had the reputation of being greedy for power and possessions, but Canon Robert de Sorbon, Louis IX’s confessor, seems to have been an exception. In 1257, with the king’s support, he founded a college (known after its founder as the Sorbonne) in which poor students of theology could [...]

One of the largest and best known parks in Paris is the Tuileries (Jardin des Tuileries). When Catherine de Médicis had a palace built in 1563 on a site extending along the whole length of what is now Avenue du General-Lemonnier, close to the Louvre (see entry), she named it the Tuileries after the tile-works [...]

The Théâtre Francais, France’s oldest national theatre, is the home of the Comédie Française, the national theatrical company.
The Com̩die Fran̤aise, founded by Louis XIV in 1680, originated from the troupe headed by Moli̬re until his death in 1673. In 1812 Napoleon issued a decree making it a State company whose director was Рand still [...]

The main entrance to the Louvre Museum is the glass pyramid in the Cour Napoleon; a second entrance from the Carrousel du Louvre; and there is a third entrance, the Passage Richelieu between Place de Palais-Royal and the Cour Carrée, for Friends of the Louvre (Amin du Louvre), groups and visitors to the auditorium and [...]