Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Victor-Hugo High School in Château-Gontier was founded in the early eighteenth century. The establishment was officially created on 14 July 1710 by an act signed between the municipality and the priest Gilles Marais, appointed principal. Located in the former priory of Genêteil, the college prospers rapidly: a festive hall was inaugurated in 1723, and the building of the Clock, built in the 1730s, is now partially classified as a Historic Monument (decree of 6 June 1995). Under the direction of Gilles Marais (1710–133), the school has more than 300 pupils and becomes a major educational centre, requiring even the creation of a local printing house to supply textbooks.

During the 18th century, the college went through successive crises and administrative conflicts, but retained its prestige. In 1775 he welcomed 110 residents and 8 regents. The French Revolution marked a brutal turning point: the teachers, refusing the oath to the Civil Constitution of the clergy, were deported or hidden. The college was then transformed into a stable, a military depot, and then a prison. His property is sold, and his furniture is scattered.

In the 19th century Basile Horeau revived the establishment in 1803, restoring the buildings and restoring its influence. The college became mixed in 1825 and resisted political turbulence, such as student participation in the royalist uprisings of 1815 and 1832. In 1881 he was secularized and municipalized, before becoming a national high school in 1968. Renamed Victor-Hugo High School in 1985, he now offers general, technological and post-bac training, while retaining classified architectural elements.

The history of the high school is marked by influential figures, such as Gilles Marais, founder and first principal, or Basile Horeau, who saved him from the ruin after the Revolution. His former students include political figures (Jacques Defermon, minister of Napoleon I), religious (Blessed Basile Moreau), or Claude Pompidou, wife of President Georges Pompidou. The Horloge building, symbol of its heritage, recalls its anchoring in the educational and architectural history of Mayenne.

Ranked 6th out of 11 high schools in the department in 2015 for the quality of its teaching, the school continues a three-century school tradition. Its evolution reflects the political and social upheavals in France, from the Ancien Régime to modern public education. The lycée remains a major witness to the educational heritage of the Pays de la Loire, combining historical heritage and contemporary adaptation.

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