Print by L.A. Roussin, 1863

Opened in 1818, the Collège Royal de Saint-Denis welcomed its first students on 7 January 1819. There were 25 students of whom 11 were boarders. In 1848, the school was renamed the "Lycée de La Réunion", and then "Lycée Impérial" in 1853 before becoming the "Lycée Leconte de Lisle" in 1897.