After years of extensive restoration works, the 13th-century College des Bernadins, one of the illustrious learning institutions of the Latin Quarter, will be open to the public for the first time to the general public September 5-7 (Portes Ouvertes, 11am-6pm).
Modeled after the Cistercian abbeys of the period, the college was a center of theological and philosophical study up until the French Revolution, when it was transformed into a prison owned by the State. From 1845 until renovations began it housed a fire station and a police academy.
Today it is once again part of the Paris Diocese, and will continue in its tradition of theological education. But for the general public, the 5000m² medieval building (the largest in Paris) will be accessible for music concerts, art expositions, and cinema screenings. After the initial Open House Days, the Pope will be giving a talk there during his visit to Paris on September 12, and then the building will be reopened to the public beginning September 15.
