Built in 1849, the Institut des Filles de Marie has welcomed several generations of children from L'Ile-Rousse. Once a school, it has become an iconic landmark of the city and is now the focus of a renovation project aimed at breathing new life into it.
Located at the eastern end of Place Paoli, the Institute of the Daughters of Mary is an iconic site in the history of L'Ile-Rousse.
Founded in the 19th century to house the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary, who came from Agen to provide education for young girls, it subsequently served various purposes. Secularized in 1906, it became the Jeanne d’Arc School and served generations of students until the late 1960s.
After the school closed in 1984, the building continued to house a private preschool and catechism classes until 2014.

Today, this former school is the focus of an ambitious renovation project led by the Communauté de Communes de L’Ile-Rousse Balagne, the City of L’Ile-Rousse, and the Tourist Office.
The goal is to preserve this remarkable heritage by giving it a new purpose: to house the Tourist Office as well as an Interpretation Center dedicated to exploring, sharing, and promoting the history, heritage, and treasures of the Balagne region.