Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Lycée des Feuillants de Poitiers is part of a double temporality: its origins date back to the early seventeenth century, when the Jesuits built a college and its chapel on this site. These early constructions, now missing or integrated, marked the educational and religious landscape of Poitevin. The original project reflected the growing influence of the Society of Jesus in France, before his expulsion in 1762.

In the middle of the 19th century, a religious and educational renewal took place with the construction of the current high school between 1858 and 1864. The site, carried by Reverend Father Tournesac — himself an architect of formation — was part of a desire to restore a strong Catholic educational presence. Tournesac, also designer of the Gesù and the chapel of the Sisters of Providence, printed in the building a sober but monumental style, characteristic of the religious establishments of the period.

The Lycée des Feuillants was officially recognized as a Historic Monument in 1996, with limited protection to the facades and roofs of the main building. This inscription highlighted the heritage value of the building, a witness to both the Jesuit heritage and the urban transformations of Poitiers in the 19th century. Today, the site remains managed by an association, perpetuating its original vocation while adapting to contemporary needs.

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