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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Gabriel Faure High School, located in Tournon-sur-Rhône in Ardèche, is one of the oldest high schools in France. Founded in 1536 by Cardinal Francis II of Tournon as Collège de Tournon, it became a university of liberal arts in 1548, attracting more than 2,000 European students. In 1561, the Jesuits took the lead, made a Catholic bastion against Protestantism, and introduced teachings such as Hebrew or Chaldean. Its peak was reached in 1604, before becoming a secondary school again in 1626.

A fire devastated the college and its library in 1714, destroying most of the 4,000 books, including incunables left by the cardinal. After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1763, the college passed to the Oratorians in 1776, becoming a Royal Military School with modernized teaching (science, history-geography). He was lay-off in 1820, then became imperial high school under the Second Empire, before adopting his current name in 1967 in tribute to the writer Gabriel Faure.

The site preserves remarkable elements classified as historical monuments: the entrance gate (XVIth century, classified in 1925), the Jesuit chapel (1673–20, classified in 1943) with its organ and tapestries of Aubusson, and a library containing rare works such as the Encyclopedia of Diderot or the Description of Egypt. The gallery of tapestries (XVIth-15th centuries) and the park (classified in 1932) complete this heritage, witness to five centuries of educational and religious history.

Among the personalities related to the high school are poet Stéphane Mallarmé, professor in the 19th century, and writer Augustin Perugia. Today, the institution combines historical heritage (1,000 students, various sections) and modest rankings (11th/12 in Ardèche in 2015), while preserving its cultural treasures, such as the 8 tapestries in restoration in 2025 thanks to the Region and the DRAC.

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