SORBONNE. a celebrated academic body at Paris, which dates from the middle of the 13th c., and which, down to the French revolution, held a prominent. place in all church controversies. It derives its name from its founder, Robert de Sorbon, a canon of Cambrai, born at Sorbon, in the Ardennes, in 1201. He was selected by Louis IX. as his chaplain and confessor. At this time the university of Paris was at the very height of its celebrity, and Robert de Sorbon resolved on opening in it an institution in which a society of secular priests, being provided with all UN necessaries for their own maintenance, should devote themselves gratuitously to the teaching of theology. It was established with the sanction of king (afterward St.)Louis in 1232, originally for the re ception of 16 scholars, four respectively from the Gaulish, Norman, Picard, and English nations, to which the German was subsequently added. Robert was himself the first head ; and in 1270 drew up its constitution, which remained in force without any sub stantial alteration till the French revolution. It was not confined to the original poor scholars, but extended to the bachelors and doctors aggregated to the body of the Sor bonne. All these were of necessity graduates of the faculty of theology of the University of Paris, but they were only admitted to membership of the Sorbonne by time votes of that body, which formed one of the four constituent parts of the theological faculty, and after a public disputation, technically called the " Sorbonica," or " Robertina," to which the disputant was required to sustain against all antagonists, from the hour of five in the morning to that of seven in the afternoon, theses or propositions selected from the whole range of theological science. The first disputant was a Franciscan friar named Mayron, a scholar of John Duns Scotus; but he was followed by many of the greatest names in medkeval and post-reformation history. These form in sonic respects one of the most charactitristic chapters in mediaeval literary history. The dis putants in some cases exceeded 60 in number. The foundation of Robert de Sorbon was approved in 1268 by Clement IV.; but the name of Sorbonne does not appear to have been appropriated to it till the 14th century. Hubert de Sorbon also established another preparatory college for the study of the humanities and philosophy, which was called the college of Calvi, or the little Sorbonne. In the 15th c. the Sorbonne, as being in great measure identified with the theological faculty of the Paris university, holds an im portant place in the history of theological controversy, and in all the contests which fol lowed the reformation in France; there being few of the great names of the Galilean church which are not included in its academic roll. Among the munificent works of
the great cardinal Richelieu, who was a pupil of the Sorbonue, was what may be de scribed as a complete reconstruction of the buildings. The new Sorbonne comprised,in addition to the public academical hall, lodgings for the 36 doctors, which were assigned to the doctors successively in the order of seniority. The head of the Sorbonne institute was called provisor, and Was elected by the members together with the archdeacon of Paris, the four deans of faculty, and some other dignitaries of the university. Besides the resident members of the Sorbonne, there were also external associates, called " Soci Hospitalitatis," who had no share in the governmental acts of the iustitution. The Sori bonne continued in the enjoyment of its privileges and its revenues down to the revolu tion, when it shared in the common ruin of all the ecclesiastical establishments of France. At the re-organization of the university by Napoleon in 1808, the Sorbonne was re-established as the theological faculty of that body; but it failed to recover its old prestige even with the clerical body. One of the conditions of membership was an oath to maintain the celebrated four " Galilean propositions." See GALLICAN Cuuncn. This condition deterred many; and although it was revoked by the proposed concordat of 1817, yet on the failure of this concordat, it still continued in force down to the revo lution of 1830. In the more recent organization of the university of France, the Sor bonne has resumed its place as the representative of the faculty of theology, with seven professors and a dean of faculty. The professorships are of dogmatic theology, moral theology, sacred scriptures, canon la. s, church history, Hebrew, and sacred eloquence. These professors, however, are named by the minister of public instruction; and the absence of control on the part of the bishops over their appointment and their teaching has led to the general withdrawal of clerical students from the schools. Nevertheless, the Sorbonne still possesses at least the permissive sanction of the church, and the au thorization of the archbishop of Paris may be seen attached to the printed programme of its courses. Distinguished churchmen like the late bishop of Orleans have been of the number of its professors.