Lycée Notre Dame du Kreisker
Saint-Pol-de-Léon
The building was built in 1708 by Monseigneur de la Bourdonnaye to house the Grand Seminary of Léon, run by the Lazarites. Visit of the exteriors only.
The French Revolution eliminated both the Seminary and the Bishop of Saint-Pol-de-Léon. The building was purchased by the Ursulines, a religious order that had been based in Saint-Pol-de-Léon since 1629, and became their convent in 1807. The Chapel de la Sainte Famille was later added, in 1812. For a century, they educated young girls from Saint-Pol-de-Léon and the Léon area.
However, they were persecuted from 1901 to 1904, because of the legislation against religious congregations. They fled to Belgium, many of their pupils followed them.
A footbridge over Cadiou street led from the main lodgings of the convent (which no longer exist today) to the Chapelle du Kreisker. It was demoslished in 1800.
The Collège du Léon was also forcibly closed. The institution of Notre Dame du Kreisker, today a private catholic secondary school, first opened on the January 5th, 1911.
The whole of the teaching staff were priests until the 1970’s.