Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The college of Juilly, founded in 1638 under the supervision of the Oratory of France, was one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the kingdom. Originally reserved for boys of the nobility, he became mixed in the 1980s. His history was linked to educational innovations, such as the use of coloured maps to teach Latin as early as 1642, and to major figures such as Bossuet, who stayed there several times. The college, sold as a national good during the Revolution, survived through successive takeovers and determined directors, despite periods of decline and partial destruction.

The legend attributes to Saint Geneviève the miraculous origin of a source on the site in the fifth century, around which was erected an abbey in the twelfth century. This abbey, transformed into an orphanage by Blanche de Castille, was destroyed during medieval conflicts before being restored in the 16th century by Nicolas Dangu, abbot and close to Antoine de Bourbon. In 1637, the Oratorians took over the decadent site to found their college, combining religious heritage and royal educational ambition under Louis XIII.

In the 19th century, the college experienced political and financial turbulence, passing into the hands of rival congregations like Lamennais, before being stabilized by the Oratory in 1867. The chapel and the library, built in the 19th and 20th centuries respectively, bear witness to its cultural influence. The college closed permanently in 2012 after decades of difficulty, and its buildings, partially classified as Historical Monuments in 2021, are now rehabilitated in housing, while the chapel was ceded to the commune.

His illustrious students include Montesquieu, the Marshal of Villars, or Jean Fourastié, reflecting his role in the formation of French elites. World War I temporarily transformed the college into a hospital, emphasizing its anchor in national history. Its park, pre-invented for its remarkable gardens, and its protected elements (library, chapel, fountain Sainte-Geneviève) recall an architectural, educational and spiritual heritage.

The objects classified, such as the bell of 1849, the clock of 1596, or the laying of the cardinal of Bérulle by Jacques Sarrazin, illustrate the artistic richness of the site. The library, vandalized in 2018, housed treasures like a reproduction of the American Declaration of Independence offered to La Fayette. Today, the current real estate project aims to preserve this historic place, while adapting it to contemporary uses.

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