THE HISTORY OF IZMIR PRIVATE SAINT-JOSEPH FRENCH HIGH SCHOOL
FROM PAST TO FUTURE: FROM NATIONAL TO GLOBAL
THE HISTORY OF IZMIR PRIVATE SAINT-JOSEPH FRENCH HIGH SCHOOL
The Lasalle Brothers arrived in Izmir in 1841 and left a lasting mark on the city's educational life.
In 1872, they laid the foundations of Collège Saint-Joseph by purchasing a plot of land bordered by Rose Street on one side and Theatre Street on the other. Although the exact location of the streets is unknown today, it is known that the site was located between Republic Square and Montreux Square.
The school principal at the time described the area in a letter to Paris as "the most central, bourgeois, and quietest neighborhood in the city."
1878-1922
Growth and Expansion
Construction began in 1878; the school opened for classes in 1880. The Brothers' high-quality teaching quickly became known; student numbers increased, and new schools were established in different districts.
By 1899, there were 6 schools and a total of 827 students in Izmir.
1915-1919
War and Separation
During World War I, foreign schools were closed. The Brothers were forced to leave the country in 1915. The buildings were returned in 1918, and education resumed on March 5, 1919.
1922
The Izmir Fire: The End of an Era
The great Izmir Fire of September 13, 1922, completely destroyed Saint-Joseph. The Saint-André building in Alsancak was undamaged, and the school temporarily moved there.
1923
New Campus, New Buildings
From 1923 onwards, additions were made to the buildings in Alsancak:
- Classrooms and dormitories
- A large veranda (the area where the Forum is located today)
- The pool and windmill have become symbols of the school.
A three-story modern building was constructed in 1956.
The indoor sports hall was built between 1991 and 1993.
In 1998, the lower level of the gymnasium was closed off to create the Forum.
1979
From 1979 to the Present
The school became co-educational in 1979 with the admission of female students.
High school classes opened in 1987.
With the law passed in 1997 that made eight years of uninterrupted education compulsory, middle schools were gradually closed down.
Since 2002, Saint-Joseph has continued to operate solely as a high school.
Nowadays
Following the Izmir earthquake on October 30, 2020, the school temporarily moved to Bornova; after the completion of reinforcement works, it returned to its historic building in Alsancak in 2025.
