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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague High School, often referred to as Franklin because of its location on Rue Benjamin-Franklin, is a private Catholic establishment founded in 1894 by the Jesuits. Originally named "Petit Externat du Trocadéro", he moved to premises on Franklin Street, then in the midst of urbanization. Intended to serve as an outpost at Collège Saint-Ignace, it first welcomed students from the 10th to the 6th. Its rapid development, despite the anti-clerical laws of the early twentieth century, led it to expand and modernize its infrastructure.

Between 1933 and 1935, the architect Henri Viollet rebuilt the establishment in an Art Deco style, including a chapel of 1,300 reinforced concrete seats. This chapel, decorated with a fresco by Henri de Maistre depicting the life of Saint Louis de Gonzague, was classified as a historical monument in 1993. During the Second World War, the school adapted its operation, with classes in the cellar and a boarding school relocated to the castle of Baville.

After the war, the institution gradually lay down and opened up to mixing in 1980, becoming a symbol of academic excellence. In 1986, he created ECE preparatory classes, and major renovations were carried out in the 21st century, such as the restoration of the chapel in 2021. Today, Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague remains one of the most prestigious high schools in France, frequented by a social and intellectual elite.

The college is also marked by cases of sexual abuse in the 1950s-1960s, revealed in 2016 by former students. Despite these controversies, its architectural and educational heritage, linked to the Jesuit tradition of the Magis (search for excellence), makes it an emblematic monument of Parisian education.

The fresco of the chapel, a major work by Henri de Maistre, and the Art Deco buildings by Henri Viollet illustrate the alliance between religious heritage and educational modernity. The establishment, always run by the Jesuits via the Association Saint Louis de Gonzague (ASLG), perpetuates a pedagogy focused on academic requirements and social engagement.

His former students include political figures (Bruno Le Maire, Luc Chatel), businessmen (François Villeroy de Galhau, Jacques-Antoine Granjon) and artists (Michel Galabru, Régis Wargnier). These paths reflect the lasting influence of the institution in French elites.

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