Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Place des Jacobins, located in the Bellecour district of Lyon, has known several denominations over the centuries. Until 1782 she was called Place Confort, referring to a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de Confort. After that date, it took the place name of the Jacobins, in tribute to the Dominican religious (or Jacobins) who occupied the buildings on the south side. The latter were named after Philippe Auguste assigned them a building in Paris, the starting point of the pilgrims for Santiago de Compostela (Jacobus in Latin). Under Louis-Philippe (1830-1848), the Jacobin convent became the prefecture of the Rhône, and the square was renamed Place de la Prefecture, then Place de l'Imperatrice under Napoleon III, before returning to his present name in 1871.

In the 16th century, the square, then triangular, was a place of market and gathering, closed by walls. A pyramidal obelisk, erected by Philippe Lalyame in 1556, stood there before being replaced by a fountain in 1760, designed by Antoine Michel Perrache. The French Revolution saw the destruction of the pyramid in 1793, leaving only its pedestal until 1813. A new fountain, financed by the bequest of Louis Danton, was installed in 1856, designed by Liénard and melted by Barbezat. However, considered obsolete, it was dismantled in 1877 to give way to the current fountain, inaugurated in 1885 after a competition won by architect Gaspard André.

The current fountain, designed by Gaspard André and decorated with statues made by Degeorges, pays tribute to four Lyon figures: Hippolyte Flandrin (painting), Gérard Audran (graveur), Guillaume Coustou (sculptor) and Philibert Delorme (architect). Inaugurated on 14 July 1885, it was included in the additional inventory of historical monuments in 1992. Its imposing diameter (41.75 metres) and its central statue, originally planned to honor Claude-Marius Vaïsse (controversial prefect), were changed after the fall of the Second Empire. The statue, never installed, was melted in 1902.

The place of Jacobins underwent several redevelopments, notably under Napoleon III, where it took its current trapezoidal form. In the 20th century, destructions (such as the north-west island in the 1970s) and restorations (notably in 2011-2012) marked its evolution. Today, the fountain is a symbolic place, often used for events (coloration of water in green or red) or cultural events, such as the Feast of Lights, where it hosts artistic installations.

The Jacobin fountain also embodies contemporary social tensions. In April 2023, it was the scene of confrontations between ultra-left and ultra-right militants, after the ban on a demonstration in Old Lyon. Despite these episodes, the square remains a central space of Lyon life, welcoming braderies, festivals (like the Lyon Braderie Festival in October) and solidarity initiatives, like the Lumignons du coeur during the Fête des Lumières. Its recent redevelopment (2013-2024), with widening sidewalks and vegetation, has strengthened its appeal for Lyons and tourists.

External links