[3] The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century inspired the Archbishop of Rouen, Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon, to create a school to educate the children of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie in accordance with the purest doctrinal principles of Roman Catholicism.

[2] The chapel was opened in 1631, although the foundation stone was laid in 1614 by Marie de Médicis, the widow of King Henri IV of France.

After the French Revolution, influenced by the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment, the school became associated with the 'Ecole Centrale'; the study of humanities was reduced in favour of a broader-based curriculum.

In 1873, the Lycée was renamed 'Lycée Pierre-Corneille' in honour of the alumnus, the 17th century writer and academic, Pierre Corneille.

In 2018, Queen Sonja of Norway visited the school to mark the centenary of the scheme, with Brigitte Macron and Rolf Einar Fife.