We have walked in the area and would like to have an imprint in my blog on the wonderful monument off the beaten path of my eternal Paris, There is so much to see even in Paris alone and glad found me these older paper pictures which now transposing in my blog for you and me, The pictures are old ,so the quality may not as good but the memories are forever, Therefore, here is my take on the Collége des Bernardins of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Collége des Bernardins is located at 20 rue de Poissy, 5th arrondissement of Paris, This is a former Cistercian college of the history of the University of Paris. It served as a college until the French revolution for residence of the Cistercian monks studying at the University of Paris. This monument, whose church was largely demolished by the layout of the rue de Pontoise and its ruins shaved in 1859 during the drill of Boulevard Saint-Germain, remained unknown to many ,so in the off the beaten path of my eternal Paris.
The Collége des Bernardins, started at the time of the reign of Saint Louis, at the beginning of the 13C ,the abbot of Clairvaux decided with the general agreement of the Cistercians to found a college in Paris to train the religious of this order, also known as Bernardins. It was a question of giving the monks an university education in Paris, then the intellectual capital of Europe. Installed initially in the Clos du Chardonnet, as a place of studies and research at the heart of Christian thought ; it was then the main building that survived. The home in which the monks had first elected home is soon too small, and it becomes necessary to build a new building. It will be Etienne de Lexington, another abbot of Clairvaux, born from a powerful family in England, who will carry out this project, by buying land considered until then unsanitary because they are regularly flooded by Bièvre river. The main body of the college was completed around 1253 , In 1320, the abbot and the religious of Clairvaux gave this establishment to the Cistercian order. Pope Benoît XII, who had been religious of this order, encouraged the construction of a sacristy and a church from 1338; The latter remains unfinished. The Bernardins preceded the Sorbonne, raised in 1257 under the authority of another theologian, Robert de Sorbon. The registers of the Faculty of Theology of Paris testify to the vitality of this high place which plays an even more important role when it becomes the headquarters of the ” l’Étroite Observance “, a reform encouraged by Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld and confirmed by Richelieu himself becoming abbot of Cîteaux in 1635. Jacques Fournier, a former student of the college, received doctor of theology in 1314, will be better known as Pope Benoît XII, in Avignon from 1334 to 1342. In 1790, the collége des Bernardins was confiscated by the revolutionaries and became national property, while the few monks who remained were chase out. It becomes the prison of the Bernardins, and received, in the premises surrounding the cloister, the prisioners transferred from the castle of the neighboring Tournelle, doomed to demolition. Most of them (70 out of 73) will be killed during the massacres of September 2.3 and 4, 1792 by the revolutionaries.
The site is acquired by the City of Paris, then representing an area of 2 hectares extending to the Seine. The abandoned church had meanwhile become stone quarry. It was demolished shortly after its sale on June 22, 1797. The remains of this building were definitively destroyed during the drilling of Boulevard Saint-Germain in 1886 , and will make different uses including the installation of a fire station on rue de Poissy. The college also served as a boarding school for the national police and welcomed many auxiliary police officers as part of the national service. The Bernardins refectory served during the bloody week of May 1871 of refuge to many Parisians ; designated the deadliest period of the civil war of 1871 and the final episode of the Paris Commune, The cellar which is said to be the largest in Paris, perhaps the most beautiful in the full extent of its three naves, has a very sober waxed concrete soil, which evokes the clay of the origin , and today, students, teachers and researchers have the opportunity to work in this venerable cellar.The discovery of a Bièvre derivation channel as well as the underground excavations reveal a tombstone, dated 1306, that of a Cistercian monk named Günther, originally from Thuringia. His presence attests to the European influence of the collége des Bernardins at its origin.
In April 2001, the Collége des Bernardins was bought by the diocese of Paris. It was inaugurated in early September 2008 by the Archbishop of Paris ,and on Friday September 12, 2008, Pope Benoît XVI made a speech in front of 700 culture personalities, as part of his apostolic journey in France. It now offers several activities: exhibitions of contemporary art, music, performances, activities for young audiences; Meetings and debates through conferences, conferences and round tables; In particular the weekly meetings where social and substantive subjects are treated; Theological and biblical training within the Cathedral School The college is based on a research center made up of six departments that work on the following subjects: “Human societies and educational responsibilities”, “Economy, Man, Society”, “Biomedical ethics”, “Society, Freedom, Peace”, “Judaism and Christianity”, “The Word of Art”; departments completed by a research chair. On October 13, 2008, a limited committee met at the college who decided on the final name as the « Académie catholique de France » or the Catholic Academy of France and its head office at this address. This new Parisian place offers 5,000 m2 of useful surface, including 1,000 of surfaces created with 15 classrooms and two auditoriums.
The official Collége des Bernardins of Paris : https://www.collegedesbernardins.fr/a-propos/venir-au-college
The Paris tourist office on the collége des Bernardins : https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/college-des-bernardins-p942
The Diocese of Paris on events in the Collége des Bernardins : https://dioceseparis.fr/-college-des-bernardins-.html
The official European Charter of the Cistercians abbeys and sites on the Bernardins: https://www.cister.net/abbeys/en/61/bernardins-college-des/
There you go folks, a dandy area to explore and enjoy with the family, Memorable moments in my eternal Paris, walking brings out sublime awesome spots with nice memorable family visits of yesteryear always remember and always looking forward to be back, eventually. Again hope you enjoy the post on the Collége des Bernardins of Paris as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 