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Origin and history

The carved stones of the 36th Arloing quai are a set of 11th century sculptures, characteristic of the early Romanesque sculpture. They came from the former Abbey of Ile-Barbe, located in Lyon, and were initially integrated into the facade of the Saint-Martin-et-Saint-Loup Abbey Church. These sculptures, including a stone representing two characters and a frieze decorated with Zodiac signs, were re-used as building materials after the French Revolution and the First Empire, when the abbey was transformed into a quarry.

During this period, the blocks were sold to entrepreneurs and integrated into a front wall at 36 Arloing Pier in the Lyon district of Vaise. In 1933, these sculptures were listed as historic monuments, recognizing their heritage value. Their history reflects the upheavals suffered by religious buildings during and after the Revolution.

In 1943, Barthélémy Gros, a textile and art lover, bought these sculptures to install them in the garden of his property, Villa Chantemerle, in Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or. He entrusted the architect Louis Mortamet, the pupil of Tony Garnier, to assemble them with other sculptural elements, creating an eclectic montage. These stones, although not visible from outside today, remain a valuable testimony of Lyon Romanesque art.

In 1995, the Gadagne Museum made moulds of these blocks for an exhibition, highlighting their cultural importance. Their current, although private, location is documented in the Merimée database, with geographical accuracy considered satisfactory. These sculptures thus illustrate both Lyon's artistic history and the hazards of heritage conservation throughout the centuries.

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