Throughout the Middle Ages, strategically placed towns like Paris, positioned at a river crossing, became important centres of political power and learning. The Church played a crucial part in intellectual and spiritual life. It provided the impetus for education and for technological advances such as the drainage of land and the digging of canals. The population was still confined mainly to the Ile de la Cité and the left bank. When the marshes (marais) were drained in the 12th-century, the city was able to expand.

- Sainte Chapelle: The upper chapel of this medieval masterpiece was reserved for the royal family.

- Notre-Dame: The great gothic cathedrals took many years to build. Work continued on Notre-Dame from 1163 to 1334.

- The Nobility: From the mid-14th century, dress was considered to be a mark of class; noble ladie wore high, pointed hats!

- The monasteries: Monks of many different orders lived in Monasteries, especially on the Left Bank of the Seine.

Renaissance in Paris