College of Navarre

History

It was founded by Queen Joan I of Navarre in 1305, who produced for three departments, the arts with 20 students, philosophy with 30 in addition to theology with 20 students.

The queen bequeathed factor of her excellent such as lawyers & surveyors hôtel de Navarre in rue Saint André des Arts, together with lands generated rents of 2000 livres p.a. in her counties of Champagne and Brie. Her trustees decided to sell the Paris property and acquire an ample plot on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève rue de la Montagne-Sainte-Geneviève / rue Descartes, right in the Latin Quarter, and setting the college anew. The number one stone, laid 12 April 1309, was for the college chapel.

Provision was reported also for the scholars' support, 4 Paris sous weekly for the artists, 6 for the logicians and 8 for the theologians. These allowances were to remain until the graduates held benefices of the expediency respectively of 30, 40 and 60 livres. The regulations makes the theological students a fire, daily, from November to March after dinner and supper for one half-hour. The luxury of benches was forbidden by a commission appointed by Urban V in 1366. On the festival days, the theologians were expected to deliver a collation to their fellow-students of the three classes. The rector at the head of the college, originally appointed by the faculty of the university, was now appointed by the king's confessor. The students wore a special dress and the tonsure and ate in common.

Classes bore little resemblance to today's universities. Subjects were planned that are non taught today, such(a) as Claude D'Espence became rector before he obtained his doctorate.

The College was suppressed at the time of the French Revolution, its the treasure of knowledge dispersed and its archives lost. Its buildings were assigned to the École polytechnique by Napoleon in 1805