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In 1971, René Descartes - Paris V University was created due to the University of Paris's reform. Their Faculties of medicine, pharmacy, humanities, sciences, and law were split and divided into eight universities located in Paris. The University Institute of Technology, the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education (STAPS), the Faculty of Odontology, the Saints Pères Faculty of Biomedical Sciences were first added to the original René Descartes - Paris V University created in 1971, then in 1976, the Faculty of Law of Malakoff also joined the University. In 2004, the University underwent once again some significant changes. The three faculties of Paris' medicine (Necker, Cochin, and Broussais) merged to become the Faculty of Medicine of Paris Descartes (MP5). They hence could offer students decompartmentalized general and specialized teaching and constitute a federative center, representative of medicine in Paris. Furthermore, the University was one of the first to implement the Bologna Process (LMD - Degree, Master, Doctorate, or 3-5-8) to make the diplomas European. The reform, based on the academic teaching organization in semesters and the capitalization of credits (ECTS), provides a greater understanding of the students' skills and makes it easier to study abroad. When it was created, the University chose to be under the patronage of René Descartes (1596-1650), whose scientific approach was genuinely modern, encompassed all human knowledge, and was perfectly adapted to a multidisciplinary university. With its nine Training and research departments (UFR) and its Institute of Technology (IUT), Paris Descartes University encompasses all the fields of human and health sciences. As the years went by, various faculties (UFR) were added to the original medical faculty. The University welcomes the general public on National Heritage Days (journées du Patrimoine), and the Musée d'Histoire de la médecine is open for the general public all year round. It was placed from the beginning under the patronage of the philosopher René Descartes and is open to all academic subjects. In 1769, Louis XV trusted the architect Jacques Gondolin to become the Faculty of Medicine at the beginning of the 19th century. The king himself placed the "last stone" of the amphitheater in 1774. The building was a master-work in the "Greek style," very fashionable by the end of the reign of Louis XV. At that time, the New Faculty of Medicine, located on rue des Saints-Pères, took over. The exterior walls of the University Centre of the Saints-Pères are decorated with 45 medallions, 120 cm in diameter, representing subjects from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. The main gate in bronze was the work of Paul Landowski and represented scenes of men and women in Nature and scenes from Mythology. The Faculty of Law of Malakoff, formerly the École supérieure d’électricité, is one of the rare buildings devoted to teaching to be built in the 30's style in Paris. The Faculty of Pharmacy, on the avenue de l'Observatoire, was built between 1877 and 1882. It was extended many times between 1932 and 1965 and constituted an impressive architectural ensemble with its "Salle des Actes," a comprehensive reconstruction of the original model dating from the 17th century. Other more recent buildings are located near hospitals or other prestigious buildings: Cochin and the Convent of Port-Royal, Les Enfants Malades, and Necker Hospital or Laennec Hospital. The headquarters of the University contains works of outstanding quality: a set of Gobelins tapestries called "The Four Elements," designed by Charles Le Brun and bearing the arms of Louis XIV, numerous pictures by Van Clève, Philippe de Champaigne, Rigaud, Nattier, and Girodet, and some marble statues by J.B. Lemoyne and Houdon. The 18th century (colonnades, grand staircases, amphitheaters) and the noble additions from the 19th century create an elegant décor for these works of art. Paris Descartes University is proud to house many museums. Paintings, engravings, lithographs, tokens, and medals are exhibited with an outstanding collection of surgical and physiological instruments. This museum, restored and mostly open to the public, has become "The Museum of University Teaching and Research" (Musée de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche). The beautiful collection of china pots and bronze mortars of the Faculty of Pharmacy must be noted, together with the Museum of Medical Matters (Musée des matières médicales), which is one of a kind in the world, and whose collections have been regularly enriched since the beginning of the 18th century. View full university