Lycée Janson-de-Sailly stands as a monumental institution in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, with a history as dramatic as the destinies of its many illustrious alumni. Birthed from the betrayal of a wealthy Parisian lawyer, Alexandre-Emmanuel-François Janson de Sailly, who, upon discovering his wife’s affair, disinherited her and willed his fortune to the creation of an all-male high school in Paris. His widow tried and failed to contest his will up until her death in 1876, paving the way for the school’s establishment.
Jules Ferry laid the first stone of the lycée in 1881, declaring it a school of the new times, and Victor Hugo delivered a speech at its inauguration three years later. From its inception, the lycée was positioned as a crucible for France’s future elites, targeting scientific, literary, military, industrial, diplomatic, and political training for the male youth of the Third Republic.
In 1959, the first female students were granted admission. Numerous alumni of the institution enlisted in the military and actively participated in the conquest of the French Colonial Empire, particularly in Africa. In 1944, a small group of Jansonians managed to depart from the lycée and joined the French Free Forces, specifically the 1st Army led by Jean de Lattre de Tassigny. They established the 2nd Shock Battalion, also known as Bataillon Janson-de-Sailly, along with the bataillons des bacheliers. These brave individuals confronted the German divisions in Alsace, notably in the battles of Masevaux and Colmar, during the counter-attack of Ardennes. Furthermore, they marched into Germany alongside General Patton’s forces in 1945.
Today, with 3,200 students enrolled in various educational streams, Janson-de-Sailly has adapted to the modern era while maintaining its educational reputation. It offers a wide range of language programs, with English, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, Hebrew, and Swedish in partnership with other lycées, reflecting its commitment to global citizenship. Moreover, the lycée provides an AbiBac section, allowing students to study for the German Abitur as well as the French Baccalauréat, representing its bicultural academic offerings.
The lycée’s scholastic ranking stands at or above the median for area schools, which is no small feat given its location in one of Paris’s most affluent neighborhoods. Sociologists Michel Pinçon and Monique Pinçon-Charlot note that it is predominantly attended by children of the upper class or aristocracy.
The roster of Janson-de-Sailly’s alumni is a testament to the institution’s lasting influence across varied domains. Among the political elite, names like Élisabeth Borne, the Prime Minister of France, and former Presidents like Valéry Giscard d’Estaing stand out. The military is represented by heroes such as Roland Garros, while the fields of mathematics and science boast Nobel Prize laureates like Jean Baptiste Perrin and Fields Medalist Laurent Schwartz.
As a reflection of its storied past and celebrated present, the school honors its alumni with commemorative plaques, ensuring that their legacies continue to inspire future generations. Lycée Janson-de-Sailly is not just an educational institution; it is a historical landmark that has shaped, and continues to shape, the contours of French society and beyond.
Relevant articles:
– TIL Janson-de-Sailly was a French lawyer who, upon learning that his wife had a lover, disinherited her and bequethed his property to the state to build a boys’ high school in Paris
, Nov 27, 2018