The maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur () are the French secondary schools set up by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and originally meant for the education of girls whose father, grandfather or great-grandfather had been awarded the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. Access is still by hereditary right.

History

It is impossible not to make a link between the Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur and the "

Maison royale de Saint-Louis The Maison Royale de Saint-Louis was a boarding school for girls set up on 15 June 1686 at Saint-Cyr (what is now the commune of Saint-Cyr-l'École, Yvelines) in France by King Louis XIV at the request of his second secret wife, Françoise d'Aubign ...

" founded by Madame de Maintenon in Saint-Cyr (now Saint-Cyr-l'École) and built by Jules Hardouin Mansart, which was used later by

as a school for officers of the French army. Napoleon knew the Maison royale de Saint-Louis, because his sister Élisa Bonaparte studied there and he took her out of the school in 1792. There are many similarities between the two schools: being linked to the

which inherits from the " Ordre de Saint Louis", being designed for daughters of poor officers or noblemen, being divided in classes identified by a color ribbon, etc. However, there are also differences, like the fact that the Maisons d'éducation, or at least some of them, were ruled by nuns, and it is known that Napoleon didn't want the school to look like the Maison royale, of which he had a bad opinion :Rebecca Rogers, ''Les demoiselles de la Légion d'honneur'' During Napoleon's reign as Emperor of the French, there were many military schools that educated boys to make them soldiers, but the girls' education was neglected, as the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

had closed all

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 ...

s which ensured education for girls. Napoleon created the Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur to take care of the daughters - among whom many were orphans - of his best soldiers and educate them. His first project was to create a school both for sons and daughters of the soldiers dead in the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

, but this project, presented on December 7, 1805, was finally cancelled. The

decree A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...

creating the Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur was signed by Napoleon on December 15, 1805, in the

Schönbrunn Palace Schönbrunn Palace (Austrian German, German: Schloss Schönbrunn ) was the main summer residence of the House of Habsburg, Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, the 13th district of Vienna. The name ''Schönbrunn'' (meaning "beautiful spring") ha ...

. It allowed the creation of three schools where daughters of members of the

could enter if they were between 7 and 10 years old, and went out of them at 21. Napoleon appointed Jeanne-Louise-Henriette Campan, former reader of the daughters of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

and

Première femme de Chambre ''Première femme de Chambre'' ('First Chamber Maid') was an office at the royal court of France. The ''Première femme de Chambre'' was in charge of the preparing of clothes, cosmetics and other things in the queen's wardrobe for the dressing and ...

of Queen Marie-Antoinette, headmistress of the first Maison d'éducation de la Légion d'Honneur. From 1794, Mrs Campan had ruled a boarding school for girls in

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...

and had had among her pupils

Hortense de Beauharnais Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte (; , ; 10 April 1783 – 5 October 1837) was Kingdom of Holland, Queen of Holland as the wife of King Louis Bonaparte. She was the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoléon I as the daughter of his first wife, Joséphi ...

Stéphanie de Beauharnais Stéphanie Louise Adrienne de Beauharnais (28 August 1789 – 29 January 1860) was a French princess and the Grand Duchess consort of Baden by marriage to Karl, Grand Duke of Baden. Biography Early life Born in Versailles at the beginning of the ...

, Pauline Bonaparte and Caroline Bonaparte. She wanted Napoleon to set the school in Saint-Germain, but he chose the "

Château d'Écouen The Château d'Écouen is an historic château in the commune of Écouen, some 20 km north of Paris, France, and a notable example of French Renaissance architecture. Since 1975, it has housed the collections of the Musée national de la Re ...

", which had been a property of the Légion d'honneur since July 6, 1806. In a letter dated May 15, 1807, Napoleon described the principles of the education that should be given to the girls : He required simple studies, aiming to "master vanity, which is the most active passion of the (female) gender" and make the pupils grow up as modest mothers and wives. On March 25, 1809, Napoleon signed a decree to create a second Maison d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur, in the

Basilica of St Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and archite ...

which had been made property of France in 1790. The school was inaugurated on July 1, 1811, but the first boarders entered it in 1812. On July 15, 1810, another decree of Napoleon created the "Maisons d'orphelines de la Légion d'honneur", which were opened to orphan daughters of members of the Légion d'honneur, whatever their grade in the army or in the order. These schools were ruled by nuns of the "Congrégation de la Mère de Dieu". Three of them were created : one in the "Hôtel de Corberon" in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(opened in winter 1811), the former convent of Augustines of "Les Loges" in

(opened in spring 1812) and the "Abbaye de Barbeaux" in

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

(opened in July 1813). A decree of King

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

closed these schools on July 19, 1814, but they were re-opened on September 17, 1814, on request of widows of officers to Louis XVIII, except for the "Abbaye de Barbeaux" which remained closed. In 1821, the schools were re-organized: the school of Saint-Denis admitted only superior officers' daughters, while the other schools, considered as "annexes", admitted daughters of lower grade soldiers. In 1881, the laws of

Jules Ferry Jules François Camille Ferry (; 5 April 183217 March 1893) was a French statesman and republican philosopher. He was one of the leaders of the Opportunist Republicans, Moderate Republicans and served as Prime Minister of France from 1880 to 18 ...

about education forced the religious schools to become lay. In 1890, the Maisons d'éducation started to follow different curricula: "Les Loges" gave a manual and professional education, Écouen prepared to commercial and teaching careers, while Saint-Denis prepared to superior studies.Dossier du CRDP de Reims sur les Maisons d'éducation
In 1920, the Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur started following the same curriculum as the French ''

lycée In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

s''. The youngest girls studied in "Les Loges", the older ones in Écouen and the oldest ones in Saint-Denis. It is still the same nowadays : "Les Loges" follows the curriculum of '' collège'' while Saint-Denis is a ''

''.

Écouen

The "

" was the place where the first Maison d'éducation de la Légion d'Honneur was founded. It welcomed its first boarders on November 17, 1807, with Jeanne-Louise-Henriette Campan being the headmistress of the school, having been appointed by

on September 5, 1807. Yet, the first rules of the school were only published in 1809. In 1814, King

gave the castle back to the Princes of Condé, who left it uninhabited from 1830; the castle's property was transferred back to the

in 1838. In 1851, the former "Maison des orphelines de la Légion d'honneur" of the "Hôtel de Corberon" in

, which had become an "annex" of the school of Saint-Denis in 1821, was moved to the Château d'Écouen by

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

. In 1962, the Grand Chancellor of the Légion d'honneur closed the school of Écouen and gave the castle to the Ministry of Culture, to make it the National Museum of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

Saint-Denis

Inaugurated on July 1, 1811, the Maison d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur of Saint-Denis was ruled by Madame du Bouzet, the widow of a colonel dead at the Battle of Jemappes. The first boarders came in 1812. From 1820 to 1837, the headmistress was Marie-Benoîte-Joséphine de Prévost de la Croix. On September 1, 1989, Saint-Denis opened a class of "Lettres Supérieures" (also called ''hypokhâgne''), and on September 1, 1994, a class of "Première Supérieure" ('' khâgne'') followed. On September 1, 1990, the school opened a class of "Brevet de Technicien Supérieur" (BTS) in international business, with an option of preparation to

business school A business school is a higher education institution or professional school that teaches courses leading to degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, s ...

s.Historique des maisons d'éducation
sur le site de la grande chancellerie de la Légion d'honneur Nowadays the school, set in the

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

of the former

, has about 500 pupils of ''

'' and the classes of ''hypokhâgne'', ''khâgne'' and BTS. The buildings are not opened to public but can be visited during the European Heritage Days. The school buildings are sometimes used to shoot films : for example, it was used to represent the "Institut des Aveugles de Duroc" in the French film '' Les Femmes de l'ombre''. The

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...

holds a painting called ''Le Martyre de saint Denis, de saint Eleuthère et de saint Rustique'' from the Flemish painter Caspar de Crayer.

Les Loges

In 1811, at the arrival of its first boarders, the "Maison d'orphelines de la Légion d'honneur" of "Les Loges" in

was ruled by Madame de Lezeau, a superior of the "Congrégation de la Mère de Dieu". In 1814, King

closed the "Maisons d'orphelines", but the school was re-opened the same year, and in 1821 it became a Maison d'éducation annex to Saint-Denis. In the

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near the '' Camp des Loges'', the school houses about 500 students of '' collège''.

Conditions of admission

The Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur are public, non-confessional (there is a Catholic and Protestant chaplaincy for the boarders who need to practise their religion), girls-only schools. They are open, in order of priority, to:Les conditions d'admission
sur le site de la grande chancellerie de la Légion d'honneur * Daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters of members of the

* Daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters of people who have received the Médaille militaire * Daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters of members of the

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

* Daughters and granddaughters of foreign members of the Légion d'honneur (on agreement of the Grand Master of the Légion d'honneur) Boarders must be at least 10 years old when they enter the school. They cannot be, during the year of their admission, more than: * 12 years old in sixième * 13 years old in cinquième * 14 years old in quatrième * 15 years old in troisième * 16 years old in seconde * 17 years old in première * 18 years old in terminale The school fees for school year 2007-2008 were €1740 a year in the secondary classes and €1902 a year in the superior classes.Site officiel de la maison de Saint-Denis
/ref> A third of the fees must be paid each trimester, and each trimester must be paid entirely, even if the student leaves before its end.

Scholarships A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need, research ...

are not accepted in the Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur. Yet, low-income families may be granted a discount on the school fees, calculated from their revenues. Admission requests must be sent before March 15 for superior classes and before April 15 for secondary classes. The Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur reply around May 15 to indicate if the student is admitted.

Boarding school

All students of the Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur are boarders; the boarding school is now closed during the weekends. Each student in secondary school must have a "correspondant" living in

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

and who is in charge of taking her out of school for weekends and holidays. In superior classes, the students have the choice of being boarders and being allowed to go out alone, or being in ''internat externé'', which means they have lunch and dinner in the school, but live outside it.

Uniforms

School uniform A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution. They are common in primary school, primary and secondary schools in various countries and are generally widespread in Africa, Asia, O ...

is compulsory in all Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur. The uniform changed several times since the school's creation; its last modification was in September 2007. The uniform is composed of a navy blue sleeveless dress, and a white blouse with short sleeves in summer and long sleeves in winter. The uniform is tied with a sash whose color represents the student's class : * green in sixième * violet in cinquième * "aurore" (orange) in quatrième * blue in troisième * "nacarat" (red) in seconde * white in première * multicolored (with all colors of the lower grades) in terminale Students also wear a

beret A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of History of Spain (1808 ...

and a navy blue coat with golden buttons to go out. Students often call a fellow student or a class of the Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur using the color of the sash : for example a student in sixième can be called "une verte" (a green), the class of troisième can be called "les bleues" (the blue). Students of superior classes wear a navy blue suit with a badge; the badge is yellow in '' khâgne'' and blue in the "Brevet de technicien supérieur" class.Organisation des maisons d'éducation
sur le site de la grande chancellerie de la Légion d'honneur The uniform can be purchased when the student enters the school, and like the school fees, it is paid in three thirds at the beginning of each trimester, even if the family is granted reduced school fees. In schoolyear 2007-2008, it cost €438 for a secondary school student and €408 for a superior class student.

Education

Article R122 of the "Code de la Légion d'honneur" says : The Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur follow the curriculum of the French "Éducation nationale". The teachers are appointed to the Grand Chancellor by the Ministry of Education. Each ''collège'' grade has a "

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

" option, where students are given extra lessons in choral singing and learn to play different music instruments. The school also holds studios where the students can play music freely when they have no lessons. The choir students take part in

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s and sing in official ceremonies. Each year, they give the "Concert présidentiel" or "Concert du président" to the

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...

or his representative. Much importance is given to foreign languages in the curriculum : from the sixième, two languages ( English and German) can be studied, and Chinese can be studied from the cinquième. Foreign languages are also taught through stays in foreign countries : the school of Saint-Denis makes its students take part in 4-week, total immersion stays. The ''lycée'' in Saint-Denis offers different streams to prepare to ''

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 ...

'' : * ''Littéraire'' (literary) with specialization in foreign languages (English, German, Spanish, Russian, Ancient Greek,

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

), specialization in mathematics or specialization in arts (arts & crafts or music) * ''Scientifique'' (sciences) with specialization in mathematics, specialization in physics & chemistry, or specialization in earth & life science * ''Économique et sociale'' (economics and social sciences) with specialization in foreign languages (English or German), specialization in mathematics, or specialization in economics & social sciences * ''Science et technologie de la gestion'' (science & technology in management) with specialization in business action & communication (''baccalauréat technologique'') The ''lycée'' also prepares to

TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ) is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by more than 11,000 universities an ...

and (until schoolyear 2007-2008) to the admission in the Institut d'études politiques in Paris.

Exams results

From 2011, last year students (Terminale) of the Maison d'Éducation de la Légion d'Honneur achieve a 100% success rate in the ''

'' with more than 60% of the students getting first-class honours (mention Très Bien) since 2014. These results made the Maison d'Éducation de la Légion d'Honneur the top-school in France in 2015, according to

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

Organization

The Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur are directly under the authority of the Grand Chancellor of the

. The functions at the schools are called differently from in normal schools : The Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur have as a motto "Honneur et Patrie", while French schools follow the motto of the

French Republic 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 ...

: "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité". Each class is followed throughout the schoolyear by a "chargée d'éducation" ("lady in charge of education" : though the job is opened to men, actually only women do it). The lady in charge of education manages her class when they have no lessons : in homeroom, during the meals (which are served in the school refectory) and during school outings (visits at the museum, concerts, etc.). They can also give their classes pedagogical activities with the help of their teachers. Students are accommodated in dormitories, each dormitory hosting 2 or 3 classes, which makes from 40 to 70 students. Dormitories are managed and watched by the "maîtresses d'internat" ("boarding mistresses"), who can punish students having a bad behavior at the dormitory. Punishments are noted by "crosses" (five crosses are worth extra work, ten cross a temporary change of dormitory, twenty crosses a definitive change of dormitory). The schoolyear at the Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur contains several ceremonies : apart from the "concert présidentiel" cited above, the "lecture du rapport" is held before each school holiday, and is an announcement of all students' results. Students with good results or good behavior are awarded "medals" and a traditional party is organized until 10 p.m. for students of sixième and cinquième, until 11 p.m. for students of quatrième and troisième. At the end of the schoolyear, an awards ceremony is presided by a personality and by the Grand Chancellor of the Légion d'honneur.

Twin schools

The Maison d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur of Saint-Denis is twinned with : * Gymnasium Max-Joseph-Stift in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

* Uppingham School,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

* Odivelas Institute in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

* Maison d'éducation de Mariama Bâ on the Gorée Island,

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

Trivia

In 2002, the bicentenary of the

led to a special event : during the

Bastille Day Military Parade The Bastille Day military parade, also known as the 14 July military parade, translation of the French name of , is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of Bastille Day, 14 July, each year in Paris since 1880, almost with ...

, students from the Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur formed a giant fabric puzzle representing the cross of the Légion d'honneur on the

Place de la Concorde The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. It was the s ...

, in front of the presidential tribune. Then the students and their families were invited by the Grand Chancellor to a dinner with the Cadets of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

(who were also at the parade), and then watched the fireworks on the

Champ de Mars Champ, CHAMP or The Champ may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Champ (cartoon character), an animated dog introduced in 1960 * The Champ, played on radio and created by Jake Edwards (radio personality), Jake Edwards * Champ ...

References

All unless otherwise noted.

External links

All unless otherwise noted.
Website of Les Loges

Website of Saint-Denis

on the Grand Chancellery of the Légion d'honneur's website {{DEFAULTSORT:Maison D'education De La Legion D'honneur 1805 establishments in France Educational institutions established in 1805 Secondary schools in France Boarding schools in France Napoleon