Saint John Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719). Born in Reims, he became a priest at the age of 27. An innovator in the field of education, he devoted his life to educating poor children. He opened free schools for girls and then for boys. To educate them, he founded a congregation: the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Beatified in 1888 and canonised in 1900 by Leon XII, he is celebrated on 7 April.
Adrian Nyel (1621-1687) was a French educator. Saint John Baptist de La Salle drew much of his inspiration from his methods to become one of the leaders of educational innovation.