Foundation of the Priory Saint-Pierre Xe siècle (≈ 1050)
Estate became property of the Abbey of Payerne.
1714
Purchase by Jesuits
Purchase by Jesuits 1714 (≈ 1714)
Construction of the current building started.
1742–1750
Construction of the chapel
Construction of the chapel 1742–1750 (≈ 1746)
Baroque style with nave and dome.
1765
Expulsion of Jesuits
Expulsion of Jesuits 1765 (≈ 1765)
Transformation into Royal College.
1785–1787
Works by dIxnard
Works by dIxnard 1785–1787 (≈ 1786)
College and library facilities.
1796
Upper Rhine Central School
Upper Rhine Central School 1796 (≈ 1796)
Reorganization under the Revolution.
1856
Becoming Imperial High School
Becoming Imperial High School 1856 (≈ 1856)
New national educational vocation.
1920
Classification of the chapel
Classification of the chapel 1920 (≈ 1920)
Protection for historical monuments.
1923
Theatre and library ranking
Theatre and library ranking 1923 (≈ 1923)
Recognition of their heritage value.
1986
Inscription staircase and vestibule
Inscription staircase and vestibule 1986 (≈ 1986)
Protection of outstanding interior elements.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Chapel: by order of 26 June 1920; Theatre and library: by order of 15 May 1923; Escalier d'honneur with its wrought iron ramp, vestibule and cage (Box BY 8): inscription by order of 26 March 1986
Key figures
Pierre-Michel d'Ixnard - Architect and contractor
Amenagea college, act room, library (1785–87).
Ferronniers de Strasbourg - Artisans
Realized the wrought iron ramp.
Jésuites - Initial sponsors
The building was built in the 18th century.
Origin and history
The Bartholdi High School in Colmar occupies the site of the former Villa Columbaria, a domain which in the 10th century became the property of the Benedictine Abbey of Payerne (Switzerland), which founded the priory of Saint Peter. This site gave birth to the town of Colmar. In 1714, the estate was sold to the Jesuits, who built the present building between 1742 and 1750, including the chapel Saint Peter. After their expulsion in 1765, the premises successively housed the Royal College (1765), the Upper Rhine Central School (1796), and the Imperial High School (1856).
The Baroque style chapel is distinguished by its four-span nave, its transept with pediment altars, and a dome covering the cross. The library, inspired by that of Versailles, has a painted ceiling representing the Parnasse. The honour staircase, made by Strasbourg ironmakers, has three straight flights decorated with wrought iron ramps with characteristic volutes. On the first floor, the mass of weapons of the Colmar coat of arms recalls the local anchoring of the monument.
Several elements of the school are protected under the title of historical monuments: the chapel (classified in 1920), the theatre and the library (classified in 1923), as well as the honorary staircase, its vestibule and its cage (registered in 1986). The architect Pierre-Michel of Ixnard intervened between 1785 and 1787 to arrange the royal college, the act room and the library. The building thus illustrates the Jesuit heritage, the 18th century Alsatian handicrafts, and the evolution of public education in France.
The school derives its present name from Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904), a Colmarian sculptor famous for the Statue of Liberty, although its direct connection with the establishment is not mentioned in the sources. Today, he ranks among the best high schools in the Haut-Rhin department, perpetuating his educational vocation in a preserved historical setting.
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