Immersion at the Legion of Honor boarding school

The education house of the Legion of Honor is one of the most prestigious in France, and one of the strictest too. An establishment created in 1805 by Napoleon to provide education to the daughters of his most deserving soldiers. A 100% female high school with 500 students in a majestic setting, the former royal abbey of the Basilica of Saint-Denis. Only daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters medalists of the Legion of Honor or of the National Order of Merit are accepted. Plunge into a codified universe, as if frozen in time, where order, tradition and excellence advocate.

Entering the legion is like entering orders. Out of 700 requests per year, only a third is accepted by the school. The organization is almost military there. The wearing of the uniform is an immutable rule of this establishment, however public and secular. There is little room for fantasy, such as the austerity of the uniform with the belt, a scarf like the Miss France, inseparable from the costume for two centuries. Rigor, good manners, tradition … At the Legion, we do nothing by half measures. After two warnings, it is no longer possible to re-register the following year. In the third, direct exclusion. There, reverence is required when the principal who is called the superintendent arrives. Almost all high school girls accept the rules without plugging in.

In this elite high school, the success rate in the bac is 100%, including 50% very good in 2019. To complete the education of these young ladies, nothing like great music. A heritage from the Napoleonic era, when young girls from good families had to know how to play Mozart in order to shine in society. In this music pavilion, worthy of a conservatory, there are 20 studios. The legion even has an orchestra and a choir. Schooling is free, but boarding fees cost 2,800 euros per student per year. We followed three students and Madame Michaud, the overseer with the iron hand gloved in velvet.

This video extract is taken from the replay of Sept à Huit, a weekly news and reports program broadcast on TF1 and presented by Harry Roselmack. 7 à 8 offers 3 to 4 reports on current events: politics, news, society or even international events.