Industrial · Architecture

Lycée Édouard-Herriot

Lyon

Lycée Édouard-Herriot is a public educational facility in Lyon with origins in 1882, when it was created under the influence of Jeanne Desparmet-Ruello, who directed it until 1908. Initially located at quai des Brotteaux near the collège-lycée Ampère, it welcomed young girls from the Lyon bourgeoisie. By 1884, student numbers had reached the building’s capacity, prompting the Academy rectors to ask Lyon city hall to find a new site. The city acquired land at place Saint-Pothin and organized an architectural competition, won by Barthélémy Delorme. The current building was inaugurated on 15 May 1888, faces a public garden and Saint-Pothin church, and was named in honor of Edgar Quinet during the inauguration. The school later hosted philosophy teachers Jeannette Colombelle and Renée Dufourt, and some students became involved in anticolonialist political engagement. Today, it hosts students preparing for the general baccalaureate, technological studies, and literary CPGE, including Norwegian students taking the French baccalaureate.

Map showing the location of Lycée Édouard-Herriot in Lyon
Location of Lycée Édouard-Herriot in Lyon

Nearby Objects

Founding and Relocation

The school known as Historique was created in 1882 under the influence of Jeanne Desparmet-Ruello, who directed it until 1908. It welcomed young girls from the Lyon bourgeoisie and was first located at quai des Brotteaux, near the college-lycee Ampere. By 1884, student numbers had already reached the building capacity limit, prompting academy rectors to write to Lyon city hall in search of a new site.

The city council responded by acquiring land at place Saint-Pothin and organizing an architect competition for the new building. Barthlemy Delorme won the competition, and the current building was inaugurated on May 15, 1888. During construction, Historique moved to palais Saint-Pierre. The new building faces a public garden and Saint-Pothin church. At its inauguration, the school was named in honor of Edgar Quinet.

Political Engagement at Historique

Lycée Edouard-Herriot, referred to in the facts as Historique, was associated with political engagement among both teachers and students. Jeannette Colombelle and Renee Dufourt taught philosophy there as members of the Committee for Defense of Rights and Liberties, and they advocated the creation of an antifascist front in universities. The school also saw some students become politicized and begin anticolonialist engagement during their studies. One example was Claude Touili, who entered hypokhagne in 1957. While a student at Historique, he belonged to a Lyon support network for the FLN, took part in demonstrations, and acted as a messenger carrying material for the FLN. His involvement led him to flee to Switzerland in 1961.

Teaching Offer and Academic Ranking

Lycee Edouard-Herriot hosts students preparing for the general baccalaureate in the S, ES, and L tracks, as well as the technological STMG stream. It also offers literary CPGE classes, including Khagnes A/L and LSH. In addition, the school admits Norwegian students who take the French baccalaureate. In 2015, it was ranked 67th at the departmental level for teaching quality and 1385th at the national level. These rankings were based on baccalaureate success rate, the proportion of first-year students who passed the baccalaureate after two years in the institution, and value added according to social origin, age, and national diploma results. Its national CPGE ranking is based on the rate at which students are admitted to grandes ecoles. The school was also included in L Etudiant's 2018 ranking for the 2017 competitions.