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Origin and history

The college-lycée Ampère, located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, came into being in 1519, when the Trinity Brotherhood founded a school in a barn. In 1527, the City of Lyon took over the management of the establishment, which became the "College Confrérie de la Trinité". This college, the first mixed school in France, welcomes students such as Louise Labé and Pernette du Guillet, figures of the École de Lyon. In 1565, the Jesuits took over the leadership of the college, marking the beginning of a period of prosperity and architectural expansion.

Between 1604 and 1622, the Jesuits undertook important work, including the construction of the Trinité chapel, the first baroque building in Lyon. The establishment is enriched with chapels, a library, an astronomical observatory (1702) and a theatre. In 1644, a fire destroyed part of the buildings, rebuilt thanks to the funding of Queen Anne of Austria. The college, nicknamed "Grand Collège", dominated Lyon's teaching until the suppression of the Jesuits in 1763.

From 1763 to 1792 the Oratorians resumed teaching and enlarged the college with a new wing on the wharf of the Rhône. During the Revolution, the establishment became a "Central School" and welcomed troops. Napoleon turned him into an Imperial Lycée in 1802. In the 19th century, it took the name Collège royal, then Lycée de Lyon in 1848, before being renamed Lycée Ampère in 1888 in homage to the physicist. Today, the high school retains major architectural remains, such as the Trinity Chapel, which was declared a historic monument in 1939.

The chapel of the Trinity, built between 1617 and 1622 by Étienne Martellange, embodies the Baroque architecture of the Counter-Reform. It was embellished in the 18th century by Jean and Ferdinand Delamonce, before becoming obsolete and restored in the 1990s. Other chapels, such as the Assumption (1640) or the Grand Artisans (1668), illustrate the diversity of past usages, some becoming refectories, amphitheaters or gymnasiums. The astronomical observatory, founded in 1702, was destroyed in 1793 but its former hall remains.

The Ampère High School, now known for its preparatory classes and language teaching (Japanese, Russian, Hebrew), perpetuates an educational heritage of five centuries. Its history reflects the political and religious upheavals of Lyon, from the wars of Religion to the Revolution, through Napoleonic reforms. Recent social movements, such as the mobilizations against the reforms of the baccalaureate or pensions, bear witness to its anchoring in Lyon news.

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