La Sorbonne, the most famous University in France, has been a revered institution for the intellectual elite of France for many centuries. It all started when in 1253, Robert de Sorbon, the French theologian and chaplain of Louis IX of France, established his religious institution named Collège de Sorbon, which was later named La Sorbonne and linked to the University of Paris. La Sorbonne, which became an important and prestigious theological faculty, took its architectural form in the 16th century. It was in 1622, when Cardinal Richelieu, director of La Sorbonne, commissioned the renovation and unification of the old buildings to the architect Jacques Lemercier. The buildings of Lemercier were demolished, and only the chapel has survived. The current complex dates back to the end of the 19th century. The university ceased its functions during the French Revolution and wouldn’t resume its operation until the time of the Third Republic.