Visiting Paris
You can track all necessary information to enjoy your stay in Paris in the official website of the Convention and Visitors bureau.
History of Paris
A brief history of Paris is available here or here.
About the conference site
Phononics 2015 will take place in a former abbey, Le Couvent des Cordeliers, right in the Center of Paris, at the crossroads of Quartier Latin and Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Cordeliers was the name given in France to the Franciscan monks after the rope they wore as a belt (the French for rope is corde).The Cordeliers site has a rich and complex history that starts in 1234. At that time, the Franciscans, a religious order who adheres to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of Saint Francis of Assisi built, on a former vineyard that King Saint-Louis gave them, a convent with a school of theology, two cloisters, several gardens, a large church, and a refectory which, with the cloister, are the only element that remain today from this abbey. The complex was forming an important educational center intended to compete with the nearby Sorbonne, the historical house of the former University of Paris.
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| The Sorbonne | The Panthéon |
The construction of these elements took several tens of years, until the abbey reached its apogee, in the second half of the 16th century. Before the French Revolution that broke out in 1789, the monks were spaciously housed and could even rent rooms to artists and craftmen.
In 1789, the monks were expelled from there by the revolutionaries. The refectory was chosen to host the meetings of the Society of Friends of Human Rights and of the Citizen, which soon became better known under the name Le Club des Cordeliers. All citizens could attend the speeches of the upcoming key figures of the French Revolution: Desmoulins, Danton, Hébert, and Marat.
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| The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David (1793) | The refectory |
After his assassination by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer (Les Girondins was the name given to a revolutionary group who was requesting for a pause in the Revolution. Most of them were sentenced to death in 1793), Marat was buried in the garden, under a weeping willow tree. His remains were later transferred to the Pantheon on November 1793 and his near messianic role in the Revolution was confirmed with the elegy: Like Jesus, Marat ardently loved the people, and only them….
Soon after the Revolution, the government decided to organize medical studies and created there a medical school. The church was destroyed first, followed by the rest of the buildings around 1802. Today, only the refectory and the cloister remain. The refectory was classified as a historical monument in 1905. Abandoned for 40 years, it was partially restored in 1980. Owned by the City of Paris, it is now a cultural center available to Universities to Paris to expand their missions of culture dissemination and scientific information.
The Cordeliers convent is located in the very center of the Latin Quarter. This is an area located on the left bank of the River Seine, parted between the 5th and the 6th districts of Paris, nearby the Sorbonne. The Latin Quarter is the intellectual center of Paris and acquired its name around 1253 when all students and professors at the Sorbonne University spoke Latin. Bookstores, schools, churches, jazz clubs, Roman ruins, publishing houses, and boutiques, characterize the district. It is the traditional center of what is sometimes called the Bohemian Paris.
The Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood has always had a special charm, and its mystery never ceases to amaze and inspire many authors. The area has gained its soul thanks to its attraction over intellectuals since the 17th century. Many authors have written about this Parisian district, among whom Boris Vian is probably the most emblematic.
Visiting Paris
You can track all necessary information to enjoy your stay in Paris in the official website of the Convention and Visitors bureau
History of Paris
A brief history of Paris is available here or here
About the conference site
Phononics 2015 will take place in a former abbey, Le Couvent des Cordeliers, right in the Center of Paris, at the crossroads of Quartier Latin and Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Cordeliers was the name given in France to the Franciscan monks after the rope they wore as a belt (the French word for rope is corde).The Cordelier site has a rich and complex history that starts in 1234. At that time, the Franciscans, a religious order who adheres to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of Saint Francis of Assisi, built on a former vineyard that King Saint-Louis gave them, a convent with a school of theology, two cloisters, several gardens, a large church, and a refectory, which is the only element, with the cloister, that remain today from this abbey. The whole was forming an important educational center intended to compete with the nearby Sorbonne, the historical house of the former University of Paris.
The construction of these elements takes several tens of years, up to the abbey reached its apogee, in the second half of the 16th century. Before the French Revolution that broke out in 1789, the monks were spaciously housed and could even rent rooms to artists and handicrafts.
In 1789, the monks were expelled from there by the revolutionaries. The refectory was chosen to host the meetings of the Society of Friends of Human Rights and of the Citizen, which soon became better known under the name Le Club des Cordeliers. All citizens could attend the speeches of the upcoming key figures of the French Revolution: Desmoulins, Danton, Hébert, and Marat.
After his assassination by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer (Les Girondins was the name given to a revolutionary group who was requesting for a pause in the Revolution. Most of them have been sentenced to death in 1793), Marat was buried in the garden, under a weeping willow tree. His remains were later transferred to the Pantheon on November 1793 and his near messianic role in the Revolution was confirmed with the elegy: Like Jesus, Marat loved ardently the people, and only them….
Soon after the Revolution, the government decided to organize medical studies and created there a medical school. The church was first destroyed and then the rest of the buildings around 1802. Today, only remain the refectory and the cloister.
The refectory was clasiffied as a historical monument in 1905. Abandoned for 40 years, it has been partially restored in 1980. Owned by the City of Paris, it is now a cultural center available to Universities to Paris to expand their missions of culture dissemination and scientific information.
The Cordelier convent is located in the very center of the Latin Quarter. This is an area located on the left bank of the Seine River, which lies between the 5th and the 6th districts of Paris, nearby the Sorbonne. The Latin Quarter is the intellectual center of Paris and acquired its name around 1253 when all students and professors at the Sorbonne University spoke Latin. Bookstores, schools, churches, jazz clubs, Roman ruins, publishing houses, and boutiques, characterize the district. It is the traditional center of what is sometime called the bohemian Paris.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood has always had a special charm, the mystery never ceases to amaze and inspire many authors.This area has gained his soul thanks to the attraction it exercised over intellectuals since the 17th century. Many writers have written about this Parisian district, among whom Boris Vian is probably the most emblematic.
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