Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Collège des Jesuits de Bourg-en-Bresse, founded in 1649, is an emblematic building of the 17th and 18th centuries. Built by the Jesuits, it includes a Baroque chapel, unique in the city, and an 18th century gate. After the Jesuits were banished in 1762, the institution successively became a parliamentary college, a central school in the department of Ain, then an imperial high school under Napoleon III in 1856. He took the name of high school Lalande in 1889, in homage to astronomer Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande, native of Bourg-en-Bresse.

The chapel, classified as a historical monument in 1983, and the gate, registered since 1950, bear witness to its architectural heritage. The high school played a major role during the Second World War, sheltering resistance, which earned him the Medal of the French Resistance, a unique distinction for a civil establishment. His famous students and teachers include André-Marie Ampère, Gustave Doré, and resistance fighters such as François-Yves Guillin.

In the 20th century, the high school extended with new buildings, while keeping its chapel until it was transferred to the municipality. Today, it is home to about 1,250 students, offering secondary education and scientific preparatory classes. Its history is marked by intellectual figures and commitments, such as those of resistant teachers and students, celebrated every November 11.

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