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The Clovis tower and the "Panthéon"
Along our way, we will point out or visit beautiful churches, some converted into republican temples, others still dedicated to worship. We’ll also discover the former Saint-Médard borough perched on one of the very charming hilly districts of Paris, and you’ll hear some related anecdotes.
A Priest in the Thermae
Twelve centuries later, the University of Paris was created, liberating little by little the religious supremacy in teaching in the already numerous private high schools (« Collèges » in French) that housed students. We will have the opportunity to discover many of these « Collèges » or at least their remains. But what about the daily life of the students ? Where did they come from ? What subjects did they learn ? Were there any famous people amongst them ? Some fell foul of the extremely severe rules and suffered a jolly good whipping !!!
The TOURS
You can be sure you will learn what most Parisians totally ignore when they hurry by these places daily.
All tours are organized in the historical heart of the city and comprise an overview of how Paris evolved: a quick summary takes you from pre-historic times to the 13th century. Tours do not cover the famous tourist monuments such as The Louvre or Notre-Dame but they focus on charming, off-beat places, from the 13th to the 20th century, covering their history and accompanying anecdotes, be they funny or tragic.
Tours are entirely on foot, and last from 2 to 3 hours depending on your level of interest and questions asked. Rain is never a cause for cancellation (although we prefer sunshine to umbrellas!)
We’ll return to the times of the circus games in the Roman arena saved by Victor Hugo and some of his comtemporaries before making a final journey in time to see a magnificent « Collège » of the 12-14th century, thereby ending our walk in a place of outstanding beauty... Isn't that magic !!!
Not every street in Lutetia led to Rome...., but we'll stroll down a few of them during our walk, to the site of the thermal baths, one of the largest vestiges in Northern Europe, adjacent to the former Roman Forum.
How did Julius Caesar manage to conquer Gaul and Lutetia that eventually became its capital : Paris ? What did the Romans bring to Gaul ? And what about the Gauls ? Didn’t they teach their invaders and peacemakers anything ?
Roman Paris - The birth of the University
"Colllège des Bernardins"
TOUR 7