Lycée Henri IV
Encyclopedia
The Lycée Henri-IV is a public secondary school
located in Paris. Along with Louis-le-Grand
it is widely regarded as one of the most demanding sixth-form colleges (lycées) in France.
The school has more than 2,500 pupils from collège (the first four years of secondary education in France
) to classes préparatoires (classes to prepare students for entrance to the elite
Grandes écoles
).
Its motto is "Domus Omnibus Una" ("One House For All").
on the left bank
of the river Seine
, near the Panthéon
, the church Saint-Étienne-du-Mont
, and the rue Mouffetard
. Rich in history, architecture, and culture, the Latin Quarter encompasses France's oldest and the most prestigious educational establishments: the École Normale Supérieure
, the Sorbonne
, the Collège de France
and the Lycée Louis-le-Grand
.
The abbey was first established in 506; it flourished as a consequence of royal patronage, becoming an integral part of the Sorbonne
and housing a great library. The abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution
and, in October 1796, the site became the École Centrale du Panthéon, the first of many public schools in France. The lycée has changed its name several times since its inception – École Centrale du Panthéon (1794–1804); Lycée Napoléon (1804–1815); Collège Henri IV,(1815–1848); Lycée Napoléon (1848–1870) and Lycée Corneille (1870–1872) – before its current name was settled on in 1973.
Today the lycée retains many features of the former abbey. The former abbey's library, which had the third largest collection of books in Europe (transferred to the nearby Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève
during the 19th century), is composed of four aisles forming a cross with a cupola in the intersection. It is one of the main features of the Lycée with its 18th century boiseries and pavement as well as a cupola frescoed and carved by the painter Jean II Restout
in the 1730s. Two aisles of the library are now used as libraries for Lycée and Classes Préparatoires levels and the two other aisles are used as rooms for conferences and exams. Another highlight of the lycée is the Salle des médailles (Room of the medals), a long gallery once used as a cabinet of curiosities
(a room used to display natural curiosities and artworks). It has richly decorated and carved baroque boiseries and mirrors dating back to 18th century. The chapel of the Lycée dates back to middle-ages as well as the cloister and the Clovis tower, which is perhaps the most famous symbol of the Lycée. The Salle des Actes displays medieval effigies of dead priests of the Abbey which have been found during restoration campaigns in the 1990s. Another feature of the Lycée is the main staircase, named the escalier de la Vierge (Virgin Mary's staircase), which has a 17th century statue of the Virgin Mary as its centrepiece.
, with a pass rate of 100% in most years, against a national pass rate of about 80%. The Concours général
(national competition for brilliant students) and the examinations to enter the grandes écoles
are considered more difficult. Overall, Henri IV provides a high level education due to its rigorous selection process and the quality of its teachers.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in Paris. Along with Louis-le-Grand
Lycée Louis-le-Grand
The Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...
it is widely regarded as one of the most demanding sixth-form colleges (lycées) in France.
The school has more than 2,500 pupils from collège (the first four years of secondary education in France
Secondary education in France
In France, secondary education is in two stages:* collèges cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14...
) to classes préparatoires (classes to prepare students for entrance to the elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
Grandes écoles
Grandes écoles
The grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. The grandes écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams...
).
Its motto is "Domus Omnibus Una" ("One House For All").
Buildings and history
Lycée Henri-IV is located in the former royal Abbey of St Genevieve, in the heart of the Latin QuarterLatin Quarter
Latin Quarter is a part of the 5th arrondissement in Paris.Latin Quarter may also refer to:* Latin Quarter , a British pop/rock band* Latin Quarter , a 1945 British film*Latin Quarter, Aarhus, part of Midtbyen, Aarhus C, Denmark...
on the left bank
Rive Gauche
La Rive Gauche is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two: looking downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank is to the right....
of the river Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
, near the Panthéon
Pantheon
-Mythology:* Pantheon , the set of gods belonging to a particular mythology* Pantheon * Pantheon, Rome, now a Catholic church, once a temple to the gods of ancient Rome* Any temple dedicated to an entire pantheon-Other buildings:...
, the church Saint-Étienne-du-Mont
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont is a church in Paris, France, located on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in the Ve arrondissement, near the Panthéon. It contains the shrine of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris....
, and the rue Mouffetard
Rue Mouffetard, Paris
Rue Mouffetard is a street in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France.Situated in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, Rue Mouffetard is one of Paris's oldest and liveliest neighbourhoods. These days the area has many restaurants, shops, and cafés, and a regular open market...
. Rich in history, architecture, and culture, the Latin Quarter encompasses France's oldest and the most prestigious educational establishments: the École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
, the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
and the Lycée Louis-le-Grand
Lycée Louis-le-Grand
The Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...
.
The abbey was first established in 506; it flourished as a consequence of royal patronage, becoming an integral part of the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and housing a great library. The abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and, in October 1796, the site became the École Centrale du Panthéon, the first of many public schools in France. The lycée has changed its name several times since its inception – École Centrale du Panthéon (1794–1804); Lycée Napoléon (1804–1815); Collège Henri IV,(1815–1848); Lycée Napoléon (1848–1870) and Lycée Corneille (1870–1872) – before its current name was settled on in 1973.
Today the lycée retains many features of the former abbey. The former abbey's library, which had the third largest collection of books in Europe (transferred to the nearby Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève
Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève
The Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève inherited the writings and collections of one of the largest and oldest abbeys in Paris. Founded in the sixth century by Clovis I and subject to the rule of St. Benedict Abbey, initially devoted to the apostles Peter and Paul, in 512 received the body of the St...
during the 19th century), is composed of four aisles forming a cross with a cupola in the intersection. It is one of the main features of the Lycée with its 18th century boiseries and pavement as well as a cupola frescoed and carved by the painter Jean II Restout
Jean II Restout
Jean II Restout was a French painter, whose late baroque classicism rendered his altarpieces, such as the Death of Saint Scholastica an "isolated achievement" that ran counter to his rococo contemporaries.-Biography:...
in the 1730s. Two aisles of the library are now used as libraries for Lycée and Classes Préparatoires levels and the two other aisles are used as rooms for conferences and exams. Another highlight of the lycée is the Salle des médailles (Room of the medals), a long gallery once used as a cabinet of curiosities
Cabinet of curiosities
A cabinet of curiosities was an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorical boundaries were yet to be defined. They were also known by various names such as Cabinet of Wonder, and in German Kunstkammer or Wunderkammer...
(a room used to display natural curiosities and artworks). It has richly decorated and carved baroque boiseries and mirrors dating back to 18th century. The chapel of the Lycée dates back to middle-ages as well as the cloister and the Clovis tower, which is perhaps the most famous symbol of the Lycée. The Salle des Actes displays medieval effigies of dead priests of the Abbey which have been found during restoration campaigns in the 1990s. Another feature of the Lycée is the main staircase, named the escalier de la Vierge (Virgin Mary's staircase), which has a 17th century statue of the Virgin Mary as its centrepiece.
The High School
Admissions at Henri IV are very competitive. Prospective students are selected based on grades. Students may come from middle schools throughout France. This cosmopolitan philosophy enables the school to have a large and strong range of cultural values. The education is highly rated and the conditions of work are optimal due to the diverse qualities of the teachers. Henri IV students generally achieve high marks and results for the baccalauréatBaccalauréat
The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
, with a pass rate of 100% in most years, against a national pass rate of about 80%. The Concours général
Concours général
In France, the concours général is a national competition held every year between students of Première and Terminale in almost all subjects taught in both general, technological and professional high schools...
(national competition for brilliant students) and the examinations to enter the grandes écoles
Grandes écoles
The grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. The grandes écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams...
are considered more difficult. Overall, Henri IV provides a high level education due to its rigorous selection process and the quality of its teachers.
Famous alumni
- Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, governor-general of Algeria, member of parliament, member of the Académie françaiseAcadémie françaiseL'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, the Académie des Beaux Arts and the Académie des Sciences morales et politiques- other sons of King Louis-Philippe
- Guy BéartGuy BéartGuy Béart is a French singer and songwriter.-Biography:He was born Guy Béhart-Hasson in Cairo, Egypt, to a family of Spanish, Swiss, and Russian background. His religious background is unclear, having been referred to as both Jewish and Christian...
, singer - Léon BlumLéon BlumAndré Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
, French prime minister (of the Front populaire party) - Jean-Louis BoryJean-Louis BoryJean-Louis Bory was a French writer, journalist and film critic.-Life:Jean-Louis Bory was born on 25 June 1919 in Méréville, Essonne....
, novelist and film critic - Jacques de Bourbon BussetJacques de Bourbon BussetJacques de Bourbon Busset, Count of Busset was a French novelist, essayist and politician. He was elected to the Académie française on June 4, 1981.-Bibliography:...
, co-founder of CERNCERNThe European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
, member of the Académie françaiseAcadémie françaiseL'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,... - Patrick BruelPatrick BruelPatrick Bruel is a French singer, actor, and professional poker player of Algerian Jewish descent.-Biography:...
, composer (who refers to the lycée in his song, «Place des grands hommes») - Isambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
, British engineer - Camille Dalmais, singer
- Gilles DeleuzeGilles DeleuzeGilles Deleuze , was a French philosopher who, from the early 1960s until his death, wrote influentially on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes of Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Anti-Oedipus and A Thousand Plateaus , both co-written with Félix...
, philosopher - Léon-Paul FargueLéon-Paul FargueLéon-Paul Fargue was a French poet and essayist.He was born in Paris, France on rue Coquilliére. As a poet he was noted for his poetry of atmosphere and detail. His work spanned numerous literary movements...
, poet - Michel FoucaultMichel FoucaultMichel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
, philosopher - Paul FournelPaul FournelPaul Fournel is a French writer, poet, publisher, and cultural ambassador. He was educated at the École normale supérieure of Saint-Cloud . Fournel wrote his master's thesis on Raymond Queneau and published the first book-length study of the Oulipo, Clefs pour la littérature potentielle...
, writer and bicyclist - Georges FriedmannGeorges FriedmannGeorges Philippe Friedmann , French Sociologist.Georges Friedmann was the founder of a human work sociology after World War II. In 1921, after studying industrial chemistry, he entered a teacher training college on the rue d'Ulm, in Paris, France. During the war, he was an intellectual Marxist...
, sociologist - André GideAndré GideAndré Paul Guillaume Gide was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1947. Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the symbolist movement, to the advent of anticolonialism between the two World Wars.Known for his fiction as well as his autobiographical works, Gide...
, writer - Julien GracqJulien GracqJulien Gracq , born Louis Poirier in Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, in the French département of Maine-et-Loire, was a French writer. He wrote novels, critiques, a play, and poetry. His literary works were noted for their Surrealism.Gracq first studied in Paris at the Lycée Henri IV, where he earned his...
, writer - Georges-Eugène Haussmann, baron, préfet, and city planner
- Alfred JarryAlfred JarryAlfred Jarry was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Brittany; he was of Breton descent on his mother's side....
, writer (of Ubu Roi, for example) - Pierre LotiPierre LotiPierre Loti was a French novelist and naval officer.-Biography:Loti's education began in his birthplace, Rochefort, Charente-Maritime. At the age of seventeen he entered the naval school in Brest and studied at Le Borda. He gradually rose in his profession, attaining the rank of captain in 1906...
, sailor and writer - Jacques MaritainJacques MaritainJacques Maritain was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised as a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive St. Thomas Aquinas for modern times and is a prominent drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
, philosopher - Guy de MaupassantGuy de MaupassantHenri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents....
, writer - Prosper MériméeProsper MériméeProsper Mérimée was a French dramatist, historian, archaeologist, and short story writer. He is perhaps best known for his novella Carmen, which became the basis of Bizet's opera Carmen.-Life:...
, writer (of Carmen, for example) - Christopher MeyerChristopher MeyerSir Christopher John Rome Meyer, KCMG is a former British Ambassador to the United States , former Ambassador to Germany and the former chairman of the Press Complaints Commission...
, British ambassador to the United States - Alfred de MussetAlfred de MussetAlfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.Along with his poetry, he is known for writing La Confession d'un enfant du siècle from 1836.-Biography:Musset was born on 11 December 1810 in Paris...
, playwright and poet - Paul NizanPaul NizanPaul Nizan was a French philosopher and writer.-Biography:He was born in Tours, Indre-et-Loire and studied in Paris where he befriended fellow student Jean-Paul Sartre at the Lycée Henri IV...
, philosopher and writer - Jean d'OrmessonJean d'OrmessonCount Jean Lefèvre d'Ormesson is a French novelist whose work mostly consists of partially or totally autobiographic novels.- Life :...
, novelist - Mazarine PingeotMazarine PingeotMazarine Marie Pingeot , who changed her name to Mazarine Marie Pingeot-Mitterrand in 2005, is a writer, journalist and professor.-Life:...
, novelist and journalist - Plantu, cartoonist for Le MondeLe MondeLe Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
- Pierre Puvis de ChavannesPierre Puvis de ChavannesPierre Puvis de Chavannes was a French painter, who became the president and co-founder of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and whose work influenced many other artists.-Life:...
, painter - Éric RohmerÉric RohmerÉric Rohmer was a French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter and teacher. A figure in the post-war New Wave cinema, he was a former editor of Cahiers du cinéma....
, New Wave director, writer and actor - Michel SapinMichel SapinMichel Sapin is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Indre department, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche.-Biography:...
, Deputy Minister of Justice from May 1991 to April 1992, Finance Minister from April 1992 to March 1993, and Minister of Civil Servants and State Reforms from March 2000 to May 2002. - Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, philosopher - Maurice SchumannMaurice SchumannMaurice Schumann was a French politician, journalist, writer, and hero of the Second World War who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou in the 1960s and 1970s...
, fellow of the Académie françaiseAcadémie françaiseL'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, minister, and senator - Jorge SemprúnJorge SemprúnJorge Semprún Maura was a Spanish writer and politician who lived in France most of his life and wrote primarily in French. From 1953 to 1962, during the era of Francisco Franco, Semprún lived clandestinely in Spain working as an organizer for the exiled Communist Party of Spain, but was expelled...
, Spanish Minister for culture - Bertrand TavernierBertrand TavernierBertrand Tavernier is a French director, screenwriter, actor, and producer.-Life and career:Tavernier was born in Lyon, the son of Geneviève and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, several years president of the French PEN club. Tavernier wanted to become a filmmaker since the age of thirteen...
, actor, director, producer - Albert ThibaudetAlbert ThibaudetAlbert Thibaudet was a French essayist and literary critic. A former student of Henri Bergson, he was a professor of Jean Rousset...
, essayist and critic - Pierre Vidal-NaquetPierre Vidal-NaquetPierre Emmanuel Vidal-Naquet was a French historian who began teaching at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in 1969....
, historian - Alfred de VignyAlfred de VignyAlfred Victor de Vigny was a French poet, playwright, and novelist.-Life:Alfred de Vigny was born in Loches into an aristocratic family...
, poet - André Vingt-TroisAndré Vingt-TroisAndré Armand Vingt-Trois is a French cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Archbishop of Paris, having previously served as Archbishop of Tours from 1999 to 2005. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007....
, current Archbishop of ParisArchbishop of ParisThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris is one of twenty-three archdioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created in the 3rd century by St. Denis and corresponded with the Civitas Parisiorum; it was elevated to an archdiocese on... - Simone WeilSimone WeilSimone Weil , was a French philosopher, Christian mystic, and social activist.-Biography:Weil was born in Paris to Alsatian agnostic Jewish parents who fled the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. She grew up in comfortable circumstances, and her father was a doctor. Her only sibling was...
, philosopher - Fabrice Tourre, Goldman Sachs trader
- Esther DufloEsther DufloEsther Duflo is a French economist, currently the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also co-founder and the Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab...
, economist, professor at the MIT, recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal in 2010 - Ali Badou, novelist, journalist and philosopher
Famous teachers
- "Alain"Émile ChartierÉmile-Auguste Chartier, commonly known as Alain was a French philosopher, journalist, and pacifist.Alain entered lycée d'Alençon in 1881 and studied there for five years...
, philosopher - Henri BergsonHenri BergsonHenri-Louis Bergson was a major French philosopher, influential especially in the first half of the 20th century. Bergson convinced many thinkers that immediate experience and intuition are more significant than rationalism and science for understanding reality.He was awarded the 1927 Nobel Prize...
, philosopher - Étienne BorneÉtienne BorneÉtienne Vincent Borne was born in Manduel . He was a professor of philosophy Hypokhâgne at Lycée Henri-IV in Paris. Étienne Borne founded the Mouvement Republicain Populaire , and the French Christian Democratic Party. He was a columnist in the newspaper La Croix...
, philosopher - Jean-Louis BoryJean-Louis BoryJean-Louis Bory was a French writer, journalist and film critic.-Life:Jean-Louis Bory was born on 25 June 1919 in Méréville, Essonne....
, novelist and film critic - Émile Auguste Chartier, philosopher
- Georges CuvierGeorges CuvierGeorges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
, naturalist and zoologist - Georges PompidouGeorges PompidouGeorges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
, French president
See also
- Lycée Janson de SaillyLycée Janson de SaillyLycée Janson de Sailly is a lycée located in the XVIe arrondissement of Paris, France. It is generally considered as one of the most prestigious lycées in Paris...
- Lycée Louis-le-GrandLycée Louis-le-GrandThe Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...
- Secondary education in FranceSecondary education in FranceIn France, secondary education is in two stages:* collèges cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14...
- Education in FranceEducation in FranceThe French educational system is highly centralized, organized, and ramified. It is divided into three different stages:* the primary education ;* secondary education ;...