| Lycée Henri-IV | |
|---|---|
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23 Rue Clovis 75005Paris | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | Domus Omnibus Una (A home for all) |
| Established | 1796 |
| School district | Latin Quarter |
| Principal | Stéphanie Motta-Garcia (proviseur) |
| Number of students | 1,948 |
| Website | https://lycee-henri4.com/ |
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TheLycée Henri-IV[1] (French pronunciation:[liseɑ̃ʁikatʁ]) is a publicsecondary school located in Paris. Along with theLycée Louis-le-Grand, it is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and demanding sixth-form colleges (lycées) in France.
The school educates more than 2,500 students fromcollège (the first four years ofsecondary education in France) toclasses préparatoires (preparatory classes to prepare students for entry to theelitegrandes écoles such asÉcole normale supérieure,École polytechnique,Centrale Paris,Mines ParisTech,ISAE-SUPAERO,HEC Paris,ESSEC Business School, andESCP Europe, among others).[1]
Its motto is"Domus Omnibus Una" ("A Home For All").
Lycée Henri-IV is located in the former royalAbbey of St Genevieve, in the heart of theLatin Quarter on theleft bank of the riverSeine, near thePanthéon, the churchSaint-Étienne-du-Mont, and therue Mouffetard.[1] Rich in history, architecture and culture, the Latin Quarter contains France's oldest and the most prestigious educational establishments: theÉcole Normale Supérieure, theSorbonne, theCollège de France, theLycée Saint-Louis and theLycée Louis-le-Grand.
The abbey was first established in 506; it flourished as a consequence of royal patronage, becoming an integral part of theSorbonne and housing a great library.[1] The abbey was suppressed during theFrench Revolution, and in October 1796 the site became the first of many public schools in France.[1] The lycée's name has changed 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 1873.[1]
Today Henri-IV 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 nearbyBibliothèque 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-centuryboiseries and pavement as well as a cupola frescoed and carved by the painterJean II Restout in the 1730s. Two aisles of the library are now used as libraries forLycée andClasses Préparatoires levels and the two other aisles are used as rooms for conferences and exams. Another highlight is theSalle des médailles (Room of the medals), a long gallery once used as acabinet of curiosities (a room used to display natural curiosities and artworks). It has richly decorated and carved baroqueboiseries and mirrors dating back to the 18th century. The lycée's chapel dates back to the Middle Ages as does the cloister and theClovis tower, perhaps the lycée's most famous feature. TheSalle des Actes displays medieval effigies of the abbey's monks, discovered during restoration in the 1990s. The main staircase, named theescalier de la Vierge (Virgin Mary's staircase), which has a 17th-century statue of theVirgin Mary as its centrepiece, is another striking feature.[1]
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