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Origin and history

The Lycée Alphonse-Daudet de Nîmes found its origins in the 16th century as a hospice in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, outside the ramparts. Over the centuries, it evolved into a hospital and then an aborted project of Palais des Arts under the Third Republic. Its neoclassical façade, inspired by the nearby Roman arenas, was erected in 1807 under Napoleon Bonaparte, according to the plans of architect Charles Durand. The decorative frieze of 120 allegorical scenes (medicine, trades) and the commercial arcades on the ground floor testify to this hospital period.

Between 1875 and 1880, the architect Granon partially transformed the hospice into a Palais des Arts intended to house museum, library and schools, but the project was abandoned in 1881 in favor of his assignment as a high school. Architects Lucien Feuchère and Alfred Granon de Grolier then conducted ambitious works (1883–88): enlargement in academic style, enamelled ceramic friezes announcing Art Nouveau, and preaux supported by columns in Marseille cast iron. The chapel is demolished to give way to a monumental hall with stairs and honorary courtyard, employing the colonnades of the Hospice.

The rotunda of the clock (1887–89), the work of Augustus Augière, becomes a symbol of the high school with its allegories of the zodiac, the arts, and a miniature reproduction of the arenas and the Maison Carrée. The building, organized around four cross courtyards, houses a central staircase under a square tower. Ranked a historical monument in 2007, it perpetuates the legacy of the University of Nimes (founded in 1539) and the Jesuit College, after successive metamorphoses: Central School, Imperial High School, then National.

The high school, renowned in 1966 as a tribute to the writer Alphonse Daudet, is distinguished by its eclectic architecture combining brick and stone, and its allegorical decorations. Close to the arenas and the Maison Carrée, it embodies the transition between the ancient heritage of Nîmes and the educational ambitions of the Third Republic. Today, it remains one of the largest high schools in the academy, with general, technological and preparatory classes.

Its history reflects the urban changes of Nîmes: demolition of the ramparts in the 19th century, transfer of the hospital (now Gaston-Doumergue Hospital in 1938), and reassignment of the buildings of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. The arcades, initially opened for shops, were closed during the conversion to high school. The establishment preserves traces of each era, from lodges for alienated persons (1822–24) to contemporary extensions excluded from historical classification.

Since 2007, its heritage protection covers Durand's wing on Victor-Hugo Boulevard, the facades and roofs of the courtyards, excluding modern parts. The high school, still active, combines heritage and innovation, with bilingual sections (Abibac), artistic options, and a dynamic associative life, perpetuating its central role in Nîmes life.

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