Inaugurated in 1808, it is the oldest secondary school of the town of Nantes and in the department of Loire-Atlantique.
It is located next to a botanic garden (Jardin des plantes).
Train and tram stations offer an easy access to the school for students.
The Emperor Napoleon visited the Lycée on 9 August 1808.
The school was rebuilt from 1886 to 1892 to a design by the architects Antoine Demoget and Léon Lenoir.