The writer was educated at the school. This is a plaster copy of the statue by David d'Angers. It was replaced (1937) by a bronze statue of Corneille by Duparc, professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Rouen.

In response to the Protestant Reformation, the archbishop of Rouen, Charles de Bourbon wished to found a school for Catholic instruction, opened as the Collège de Bourbon, run by Jesuits in 1593. It later operated as a Royal College (1762), awarding the baccalaureate. The courtyard and Hall of Records were created ca. 1762. The The first stone of the chapel was laid in 1614 by Queen Marie de Medici; completed 1631. This single-nave church with cross plan (52 m long) is a synthesis between the late Gothic and Neoclassical. It was saved from demolition by the City Council in 1895 and became a listed building in 1910. It became a central preparatory or high school in 1870. The school is now named for Pierre Corneille (1606-1684) who was educated at the college.