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Origin and history

The Puy-en-Velay College, founded in 1570, was entrusted to the Jesuits to establish a school. In 1588, fourteen Jesuits settled there, despite threats of closure in 1595 after Chastel's attack on Henry IV. The construction project, led by architect Martellange, began in 1607, with a contract signed that same year. This college served as a prototype for other Jesuit establishments, with a two-course structure and characteristic arches.

After the Jesuits were abolished in France, the college was taken over by secular priests and closed in 1794. From 1798 to 1804, it housed the Central School, before becoming a municipal college again in 1808. In 1834 he was transformed into a royal college and then a high school. In the 19th century, eastward expansions were made. The chapel, desacralized, and the room of Saint-François-Régis (1625-1645), transformed into an oratory, still remain today.

The facades and roofs of the buildings surrounding the south courtyard, as well as the boss doors, were listed as historical monuments in 1972. The high school, now named Charles and Adrien Dupuy, has been hosting an excellent boarding school since the 2020s. His former students include Jules Vallès, General Raymond de La Rocque, and Saint-Jean-François Régis, a major figure in the Catholic Church.

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