Sébastien Roch : roman de mœurs

In the summer of 1862 the Jesuit college of Saint‑François‑Xavier stands proudly above the Breton coast of Vannes, a glittering beacon of elite education. Its halls are filled with sons of noble families from Brittany, Anjou, the Vendée and beyond, as well as a handful of foreign pupils drawn by the school’s reputation for a blend of rigorous religion and polished manners. The surrounding landscape—rugged moors, ancient calvaries and the salty breath of the nearby sea—infuses the curriculum with a lingering sense of legend, martyrdom and regional pride, creating an atmosphere that feels both scholarly and almost mythic.

Into this world arrives eleven‑year‑old Sébastien Roch, the son of a modest locksmith from the quiet town of Pervenchères. His father, hopeful yet wary of the lofty price, sends him to the college after a lively exchange with the local priest, who champions the opportunity as a chance for the boy to rise above his humble origins. As Sébastien steps onto the stone‑flagged courtyard for the first time, the reader is invited to share his mixture of awe, nervous anticipation and the subtle clash between his simple upbringing and the grand expectations of the Jesuit world.