Collège des Bernardins

A medieval monumental building has just been restored in Paris, the Collège des Bernardins. After five years of restoration, this building was inaugurated September 4 and open for public the following (rainy) day, when I went there.








The College dates from 1248 (start of the works) and is an outstanding example of Cistercian architecture.

Universities – Bologna, Paris, Oxford, Cambridge, Heidelberg... - had just started to take over the role of intellectual centres from monasteries. The Cistercians were encouraged to go to Paris and this was the reason for the creation of the College, where the monks, teachers and students lived and worked. Most of the University education took place in different Colleges.

An adjacent church was also built in the 14th century, but has been demolished since.*

The College was active for some 4 centuries, but of course the Revolution changed things. The building became a prison (another one!), later a warehouse and from 1845 to 1995 served as a fire brigade station. In 2001 it was bought by the Paris Diocese to become a – catholic - cultural centre.

The Pope, Benedict XVI, will visit the place September 12 – and make a speech on culture.

The arches and vaults in the major hall are magnificent. Under the new roof (with tiles made according to old methods and not one like the other), there are two auditoriums and in the cellar a number of smaller auditoriums and conference rooms. Of course, the enormous restoration job has obviously made the place look quite differently from what it may have looked like during medieval times, but I feel that a very nice job has been done.

*/ Just behind the College, you can find a trace of of one of the church walls.