Lycée Janson-de-Sailly

The Lycée Janson-de-Sailly occupies a vast city block defined by its austere, yellow-brick facade and long rows of windows that stretch toward the sky. It stands as the largest secondary school in Paris. Emmanuel-Vincent Janson de Sailly, a wealthy lawyer, left his entire fortune to found an institution for young men. His widow contested the will for years, claiming the school was an affront to their marriage. The doors finally opened in eighteen eighty-four, and the legal battle ended.