Fontaine Saint-Michel



At the heart of Quartier Latin and close to Paris Universities, the Place St-Michel is a famous Paris landmark. The fountain in the center of the square was created by French sculptor Davioud in 1860 and represents Saint Michel, protector of France, slaying a dragon.

Jardin des Plantes



The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France. The Jardin des Plantes maintains a botanical school, which trains botanists, constructs demonstration gardens, and exchanges seeds to maintain biotic diversity.

The garden was originally planted by Guy de La Brosse, Louis XIII's physician, in 1626 as a medicinal herb garden. It was originally known as the Jardin du Roi. In 1640 it opened to the public.

Panthéon



The Pantheon ("Temple of all the gods") is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the state religion of Ancient Rome. It is the best preserved of all Roman buildings, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. It has been in continuous use throughout its history. Although the identity of the Pantheon's primary architect remains uncertain, it is largely credited to Trajan's architect Apollodorus of Damascus. Since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Christian church.

Sorbonne



Robert de Sorbon founded a college in 1253 for theology students without money. The pope approved of the idea, and it later became the University of Paris. Student life was ruled by a rigorous class schedule: dialectics, astronomy, grammar, rhetoric, and math. The students' discipline had to be strict to endure the early rising and studies stretching into the evening. The only remnants of the old college are the traces of the chapel, visible in the Sorbonne courtyard.

Cardinal Richelieu was elected president of the Sorbonne in August 1622 and decided to rebuild it all. He gave the work to Jacques Le Mercier and the first stone was laid on March 28, 1627. The Sorbonne Church was begun in 1635, and is the home of Richelieu's tomb, and Girardon's sculpture of the Cardinal. The chapel is the only building still standing from this era. The Sorbonne was rebuilt again by Nenot in 1883 in order to provide more room for the increasing demands of students. Amphitheaters, test rooms, labs, a library with over 2 million works, and an observatory were all built for the growing student body.

The Sorbonne's international reputation has always placed it among Europe's most important universities. It is a vital part of a long university tradition.

Source: www.pariserve.tm.fr