Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Villa Gillet, located in the Cerisaie Park in Lyon, was built in 1912 by architect Joseph Follea for the Gillet family, Lyon industrialists specializing in dyeing. This Italian villa, decorated with an animal frieze painted by Louis Bardey in 1913, reflects the style of bourgeois residences of the time. Sold to Lyon in 1976 after Paul Gillet's death, in 1987 it became a place dedicated to contemporary writing, welcoming writers, artists and thinkers from all over the world.

The Gillet family, a pioneer of the Lyon chemical industry, founded a textile empire as early as 1853, with factories located near the Saône, including that of the Joseph Gillet wharf (formerly Serin wharf). The villa, built on the heights overlooking these factories, symbolized the typical 19th century employers' proximity. In 2015, the building was listed as a historical monument for its architecture and history linked to Lyon's industrialisation.

Since 1987, Villa Gillet has organized international festivals such as Les Assises du roman (2007-2019) or Litérature Live (since 2021), as well as Mode d'emploi, a festival of ideas launched in 2012. She also awarded the Franz-Hessel Prize, awarded by French and German authors. Directed by Guy Walter from 1989 to 2019, then by Lucie Campos, she remains a key player in Lyon and regional cultural life, supported by the City of Lyon, the Métropole, and the DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

The 4.5-hectare park, facades, roofs, and some masonry elements have been protected since 2015. The architecture, inspired by Italian villas, is characterized by bodies of buildings of varying heights, low-slope roofs, and stalled balconies. The villa now houses a theatre, salons, and collaborates with institutions such as the Lyon Opera House or the Musée des Confluences for public events.

Villa Gillet experienced a crisis in 2016, when the Regional Chamber of Accounts criticized its management, resulting in a drastic reduction in its budget and payroll. After a period of restructuring, Lucie Campos redefined his project in 2019, refocusing activities on literature, the humanities and contemporary debates, with a team reduced to eight people.

Prestigious guests include Nobel laureates such as Orhan Pamuk, Svetlana Alexievitch, Olga Tokarczuk, and French and international intellectuals. The villa extends its influence abroad, notably through the Walls and Bridges festival in New York (2011-2013) and the Franz-Hessel Prize, which strengthens Franco-German literary ties.

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