The (
English: Catholic Institute of Higher Studies), also called Catholic University of Vendée, is a
Grande école
A (; ) is a specialized top-level educational institution in France and some other countries such as Morocco and Tunisia. are part of an alternative educational system that operates alongside the mainstream List of public universities in Franc ...
in
Vendée
Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.[France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...]
, founded in 1989.
In 1990, under the authority of the
Catholic University of the West
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, the Catholic University of the Vendée (ICES) was opened in
La Roche-sur-Yon
La Roche-sur-Yon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Vendée Departments of France, department in the Pays de la Loire Regions of France, region in western France. It is the capital of the department. The demonym for its inhabitants is '' ...
. After three years of collaboration, the Superior Council of the
Catholic University of the West
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
awarded the Catholic University of the Vendée (ICES) its academic independence in 1993.
François Garnier, Bishop of
Luçon
Luçon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Vendée Departments of France, department, Pays de la Loire Regions of France, region, western France. Its inhabitants are known as Luçonnais.
Luçon Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Luço ...
, became the institutional head of the establishment with the responsibility of maintaining its ecclesiastical membership. It was accepted as a French Grande Ecole by Conférence des Grandes Ecoles in 2023.
ICES has a main building, designed by the French architect
Denis Laming, that was built between 1990 and 1994. The University Library was completed in 1997. A student residence was established in the abandoned convent of the Sisters of the Christian Schools of Mercy in 2000.
Controversy
In May 2019, students from the university were part of a group of young people who carried out an attack on a Vendee LGBT Centre stand in La Roche-sur-Yonon on the
International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. The university's president Eric de Labarre condemned the attack: "We are poisoned by this minority
hich isradicalized, very politicized".
See also
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:Academic staff of the Institut catholique d'études supérieures
References
Works cited
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External links
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Universities and colleges established in 1990
Catholic universities and colleges in France
1990 establishments in France
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