The Lycée Albert Premier ( Monegasque: ''Liçe̍ Albertu I^mu'') of

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

(or the Albert 1st of Monaco High School) is a prestigious public secondary school founded in 1910 in the Principality of Monaco. The school offers courses according to the curriculum prescribed by the French Directorate of National Education, Youth and Sports. It is located in

Monaco-Ville Monaco City ( ; ) is the southcentral ward in the Principality of Monaco. Located on a headland that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, it is nicknamed The Rock (; ). The name "Monaco City" is misleading: it is not itself a city, but a histor ...

on the Rock, site of the Visitation.

The 17th to 20th century

The main building was constructed between 1665 and 1675 as a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

for noble girls, as requested by the Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, wife of

Louis I Louis I may refer to: Cardinals * Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (1527–1578) Counts * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois (1172–1205) * Louis I of Flanders (1304–1346) * Louis I of Châtillon (died 13 ...

. Today, the monastery still shows vaulting from this period. During the French Revolution, the convent was transformed into barracks for

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

n troops. They occupied the buildings until 18 July 1860 when the King of Sardina's rule over the Principality ended. For the next 10 years, the buildings were vacant, until, on 31 May 1870, a group of Italian

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

began to use them to provide open college courses. This lasted until 1910.

The school of Monaco from 1910 to 1960

In Monaco, many religious schools were created after 1860, including the Ladies of Saint-Maur, a primary school that is still in use today, and the Christian Brothers College. Seeking a secular alternative to these religious schools, Albert I, an eminent scientist, founded the "School of Monaco" in September, 1910. He also founded the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco that faces the high school in the same year. The school was originally only for boys, and followed the French model. The first candidates for BA (French) graduated in 1913. However, in 1918, the school expanded to include girls.

After 1960

On the 50th anniversary of its founding, Rainier III renamed the school "Lycée Albert I st" to commemorate its founder. He also had a plaque placed at the schools entrance, detailing the school buildings’ various transformations. The High School Albert 1st continues to deliver courses to this day, having celebrated its centenary in 2010. Currently, one hundred faculty offer courses to 751 students. In 2022, success rate at

baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

was 98%.

Library Prince Albert II

The library was inaugurated by

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...

. The library preserves many ancient works from private donations including a copy of the Encyclopedia of

Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during t ...

and

d'Alembert Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert ( ; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanics, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the ''E ...

. Originally named the Prince Albert Library, the name was changed to the Prince Albert II Library during the centenary celebrations in 2010 to honor Albert II.

Famous alumni

Léo Ferré Léo Ferré (; 24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993) was a Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer. He released some forty albums over this period, composing the music and the majority of the lyrics. He released ...

(1916–1993) * Claude Francois (1939–1978) * Dominique Strauss-Kahn (b. 1949), formerly chairman of the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

Albert II, Prince of Monaco Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005. Born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Albert is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. He attend ...

(b. 1958) (class of 1977) * Stéphane Valeri (b. 1962) * Jean-François Robillon (b. 1962) * Louis Ducruet (b. 1992) (class of 2010) * Pauline Ducruet (b. 1994) (class of 2011) * Charles Leclerc (b. 1997)

References

''Translated from Lycée Albert-Premier in Wikipédia en français''

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20110722170522/http://www.lycee-albert1er.mc/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Lycee Albert Premier Educational institutions established in 1910 Schools in Monaco 1910 establishments in Monaco