COËTQUIDAN, France — The first two Armenian cadets in the history of the Saint-Cyr Military Academy received their swords, symbols of their entry into the demanding ranks of officers.
The Saint-Cyr Military Academy (ESM Saint-Cyr), more often simply called Saint-Cyr, was founded on May 1, 1802, by Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul. Along with the Naval Academy, the Air and Space Academy, the National Gendarmerie Military Academy, the École Polytechnique, the Army Health School, ENSTA (National School of Applied Sciences and Technology), and the Army Commissariat School, it is one of the eight major French military academies. Today, it trains officers for the French Army and some officers for the National Gendarmerie.
