The Institut catholique de Paris (, abbr. ICP), known in English as the Catholic University of Paris (and in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

as ''Universitas catholica Parisiensis''), is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

located in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France.

History: 1875–present

The Institut catholique de Paris was founded in 1875, under the name of the Université catholique de Paris by Maurice Le Sage d'Hauteroche d'Hulst. The school settled on the site of the former convent of the

Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

, however the premises were not well adapted. Gabriel Ruprich-Robert developed a new project for the site; however, due to a lack of sufficient funds, he decided to renovate some of the old buildings instead of destroying them. The first phase of the renovation took place between 1894 and 1897. Following the French law establishing the separation of the church and state, ownership of the premises was given to the state. In 1927, the premises were repurchased by the institute, allowing the second phase of the renovation to take place between 1929 and 1930, followed by a third phase between 1932 and 1933. The Neogothlic architectural style is prevalent on the campus. ICP is a non-for-profit association pursuant to the French Law of 1901, recognized as promoting public interest, in 1941. The current rector is Bishop Philippe Bordeyne, who has been the rector of ICP since 2011. In 2017, there were 10,000 students attending ICP. This was also the year that ICP inaugurated its renovated campus.

Overview

The university is known for its liberal theology and offers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees in various faculties. The Faculté de Théologie is a pontifical institution with the canonical authorization to educate men for the Catholic priesthood. The Faculté de Lettres is a school of the humanities with no explicit religious orientation. During the summer, the institute opens the Faculté de Lettres to international students for month-long terms. Professors at the university are recruited from sacred (i.e., theology, canon law, etc.) and secular disciplines (e.g., literature, philosophy, education, social sciences, economics). The Institut catholique de Paris belongs to the

European Higher Education Area The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) was launched in March 2010, during the Budapest-Vienna Ministerial Conference, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Bologna Process. As the main objective of the Bologna Process since its incep ...

and follows the LMD system. ICP delivers state degrees recognized at the National and European levels (bachelor, master and doctorate degrees), canonical diplomas as well as its own diplomas. The majority of degrees and diplomas awarded by the Catholic University of Paris are state-authorized diplomas, as the university is certified to issue them by the Ministry of Education. Canonical degrees are awarded in the name of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

and are the result of a prescribed course of study in the ecclesiastical faculties, such as theology and canon law. The university charges tuition, because the state does not pay the wages of professors at Catholic institutions of higher learning, as authorized under the Debré Law of 1959. The institute receives a state subsidy which covers 34% of its financial needs. The amount of the subsidy, derived from the Ministry of National Education, is independently fixed each year by the government within the framework of the national budget, without any obligation or contract of any kind. The university belongs to the network of the UDESCA (Union of the Catholic Higher Educational Establishments) which includes the five French Catholic institutes -

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

and

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

- and is a member of the

International Federation of Catholic Universities The International Federation of Catholic Universities () is an organisation of 226 Catholic universities throughout the world. The secretariat is at the Institut Catholique de Paris. History The federation has its origins in collaboration in 192 ...

(FIUC), comprising 200 Catholic universities throughout the world.

Campus

The premises of ICP are shared between various faculties and schools, and include multiple libraries. They also include a seminary university, the Seminary of Carmes, and a church: Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes. The

Musée Edouard Branly The Musée Édouard Branly () is a museum dedicated to the work of radio pioneer Édouard Branly (1844―1940). It is located in the 6th arrondissement at the Institut Catholique de Paris-ISEP, 21, rue d'Assas, Paris, France, and open by appointm ...

, located within the institute, preserves the laboratory of physics professor and noted radio pioneer

Édouard Branly Édouard Eugène Désiré Branly (, ; ; 23 October 1844 – 24 March 1940) was a French physicist and inventor known for his early involvement in wireless telegraphy and his invention of the coherer in 1890. Biography He was born on 23 October 1 ...

, developer of the first practical

radio receiver In radio communications, a radio receiver, also known as a receiver, a wireless, or simply a radio, is an electronic device that receives radio waves and converts the information carried by them to a usable form. It is used with an antenna. ...

device, the Branly

coherer The coherer was a primitive form of radio signal detector used in the first radio receivers during the wireless telegraphy era at the beginning of the 20th century. Its use in radio was based on the 1890 findings of French physicist Édouard Bra ...

, who also coined the term "radio". The institute also houses the Bible and Holy Land Museum. In 2017, the campus was renovated allowing the school to gain in additional space, which includes an amphitheater with a capacity for 400 people.

Libraries

The main library, known as Bibliothèque de Fels, is home to 600,000 volumes including 60,000 ancient volumes and 800 manuscripts. The library is mostly due to donations made by

Edmond de Fels Edmond de Fels (1858, in Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regi ...

. Other libraries on campus include the Jean-de-Vernon Library of Theology and Biblical Sciences, the Library of the Faculty of Canon Law which publishes L'Année Canonique (The Canon Year). In addition to the Documentation Center of the Institute of Education, and the Library of the French Institute of Byzantine Studies.

International

Founded in 1948, ILCF (Institute of French Language and Culture) of ICP has offered classes to French language learners for over 60 years. ILCF has been awarded the “Qualité FLE” certification by three public ministries. Ensuring the quality of teaching French as a Foreign Language. ICP has developed mobility partnerships with more than 135 universities in 35 countries.

Notable alumni

Cardinals and bishops

* Cardinal

Jean-Marie Lustiger Jean-Marie Aron Lustiger (; 17 September 1926 – 5 August 2007) was a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Paris from 1981 until his resignation in 2005. He was made a cardinal in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. His lif ...

* Cardinal

Alfred Baudrillart Alfred-Henri-Marie Baudrillart, Orat. (6 January 1859 – 19 May 1942) was a French prelate of the Catholic Church, who became a Cardinal in 1935. A historian and writer, he served as Rector of the Institut Catholique de Paris from 1907 until hi ...

, C.O. * Cardinal

Christoph Schönborn Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert Schönborn, OP (; born 22 January 1945) is a Bohemian-born Austrian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Vienna from 1995 until 2025. He was chairman of the Austrian Bishops' Conferen ...

, O.P. * Cardinal

Franc Rode Franc Rode (or Rodé; born 23 September 1934) is a Slovenian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, having served as prefect from 2004 t ...

, C.M. *

Major Archbishop In the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop (sometimes also styled as major archeparch) is a title for the chief hierarch ("Father and Head") of an autonomous ('' sui juris'') particular Church that has not been "endowed with the patriarc ...

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Mar Mar, mar or MAR may refer to: Culture * Mar (title), or Mor, an honorific in Syriac * Earl of Mar, an earldom in Scotland * Mar., an abbreviation for March, the third month of the year in the Gregorian calendar * Biblical abbreviation for the ...

George Alencherry George Alencherry (; born 19 April 1945) is the Major Archbishop Emeritus of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church after serving in the position from 2011 to 2023. He is also a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was elected by the Holy Synod of the ...

* Cardinal

André Vingt-Trois André Armand Vingt-Trois (; born 7 November 1942) is a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Paris from 2005 to 2017, having previously served as Archbishop of Tours from 1999 to 2005. He was elevated to the car ...

* Cardinal

Jean-Marc Aveline Jean-Marc Noël Aveline (; born 26 December 1958) is a French Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Marseille since 2019. He was previously an auxiliary bishop there from 2013 to 2019. Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2022. Aveli ...

* Archbishop Michael Augustine * Archbishop

Anton Stres Anton Stres, C.M. (born 15 December 1942), was the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana and the metropolitan bishop of Ljubljana as well as the president of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference from January 2010 until July 20 ...

, C.M. * Bishop

Robert Barron Robert Emmet Barron (born November 19, 1959) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as bishop of the Diocese of Winona–Rochester since 2022. He is the founder of the Catholic ministerial organization Word on Fire, a ...

* Bishop Savarimuthu Arokiaraj

Priests

* The Rev. D. S. Amalorpavadass * The Rev.

Matthew Fox Matthew Chandler Fox (born July 14, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Charlie Salinger on '' Party of Five'' (1994–2000) and Jack Shephard on the drama series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), the latter of which earned him G ...

* The Rev.

Clarence Rivers Clarence Rufus Joseph Rivers Jr. (September 9, 1931 – November 21, 2004) was an American Black Catholic priest and well-known liturgist. His work combined Catholic worship with Black Gospel music, making him an integral part of the Black C ...

* The Rev. Chris Willcock, S.J. * Rev. Fr. Baby Varghese, MOSC

Other

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she ...

Charlotte Casiraghi Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi (born 3 August 1986) is a Monégasque model, socialite, equestrian and journalist. She is the second child of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist. She is eleventh in ...

* Ruchira Kamboj *

Pierre Pflimlin Pierre Eugène Jean Pflimlin (; 5 February 1907 – 27 June 2000) was a French Christian Democrat politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic for a few weeks in 1958, before being replaced by Charles de Gaulle during the ...

Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade (born 1 June 1945) is a semi-retired American classical singer. Best known for her work in opera, she was also a recitalist and concert artist, and she recorded more than a hundred albums and videos. She is especially associa ...

Audrey Tautou Audrey Justine Tautou (; born 9 August 1976) is a French actress. She made her acting debut at age 18 on television, and her feature film debut in '' Venus Beauty Institute'' (1999), for which she received critical acclaim and won the César Awa ...

Jean Vanier Jean Vanier (, September 10, 1928 – May 7, 2019) was a Canadian Catholic philosopher and theologian. In 1964, he founded L'Arche, an international federation of communities spread over 37 countries for people with developmental disabilities ...

Abdul Hafeez Mirza Abdul Hafeez Mirza (2 October 1939 – 17 November 2021) was a Pakistani tourism worker, cultural activist and educationist. He worked as general manager at Tourism Development Corporation Punjab (TDCP), and served as a consultant for Tourism C ...

Faculties

* Faculty of

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

* Faculty of Philosophy * Faculty of

Canon Law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

* Faculty of Humanities ** Literature Department ** History Department ** Languages Department ** History of Arts Department **Institute of French Language and Culture (ILCF) * Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics (FASSE) ** Department of Economics ** Department of Law ** Department of Political Science ** Department of Sociology * Faculty of Education

Schools

* School of Librarians and Documentalists (EBD): information management * School of Practitioners of Psychology (EPP) * School of Psycho-Pedagogical Training (EFPP): training specialist educators and educators of young children * Institute of Intercultural Management and Communication (ISIT) * Pedagogical Training Centre (CFP) E. Mounier, specializing in the teaching profession in schools * Graduate School of Sports Professions (ILEPS) * ESSEC group- ESSEC MBA, EPSCI * School of Electricity, Production and Industrial Methods (EPMI) * Paris Higher Institute of Electronics (ISEP) * Graduate School of Organic and Mineral Chemistry (ESCOM) * LaSalle Beauvais Polytechnic Institute

References

External links

Official website in English
{{Authority control Catholic Church in France Education in Paris Universities and colleges established in 1875 Universities in Paris 1875 establishments in France