One of Paris’s hidden treasures, the 17th-century Collège des Trente-trois, can be found behind a carriage entrance at no. 34, rue Sainte-Geneviève (Métro: Maubert-Mutualité or RER: Luxembourg) in the heart of the Latin Quarter. Beyond the gate, you’ll feel cut off from the world in the tree-filled, cobblestoned courtyard, whose tranquility contrasts sharply with the bustling activity of the street outside, with its many bars and restaurants. The collège was set up in 1654 as a seminary funded by Anne of Austria, the mother of Louis XIV. It housed 33 poor students in honor of Jesus’s age when he was crucified. It closed in 1790. Today, the Collège des Trente-trois is a listed monument and hosts a martial arts dojo.
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