Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Lalande High School in Bourg-en-Bresse was founded in 1649, when the Jesuits founded a college in the city. After their banishment from France in 1762, the establishment passed under various administrations: parliamentary college, central school of the department of Ain under the Revolution, and then college under the Restoration. He became an imperial high school in 1856 under Napoleon III, before being renamed high school Lalande in 1889 in tribute to astronomer Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande, native of Bourg-en-Bresse. The chapel, the only baroque building in the city, and its 18th century portal, bear witness to this Jesuit history.

During the Second World War, the high school played a major role in the Resistance, which earned it the only civil establishment in France decorated with the Medal of the Resistance. Every November 11, a ceremony commemorates this commitment. The establishment also houses historical objects, such as 19th century scientific instruments, and preserves traces of its past, including the chapel, used as a plastic arts room before its attachment to the municipality.

Today, Lalande High School is home to about 1,250 students, while the second one is in the preparatory scientific classes (CPGE). It offers 10 of the 12 specialties of the baccalaureate and collaborates with other local high schools to offer a wide choice to students. Ranked 7th out of 16 in Ain for the quality of his teaching in 2015, he perpetuates an educational, historical and memorial heritage, marked by illustrious figures such as André-Marie Ampère or Gustave Doré, former students or teachers.

The high school portal has been listed as a historical monument since 1950, while the chapel (including portal and sacristy) has been listed since 1983. These protections highlight the heritage value of a place where religious architecture, educational history and citizen engagement combine.

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