Place des Jacobins

Place des Jacobins

Place des Jacobins is a square in the center of Lyon, France, located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. It was laid out in 1556, and a fountain was added in 1856. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The square is named after the Dominican convent on its southern side. French King Philip II granted one of these buildings to the Dominican friars in Paris and in cities along the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. The church was built in the 15th century and was demolished in 1808. Until 1782, the square was called Place Comfortable; after that year, it became Place des Jacobins. In 1794, it was renamed Place de la Fraternité; it was later renamed twice more: Place du Département and Place de l'Impératrice. In February 1871, it regained the name Place des Jacobins. In 2004, a plaque explaining its history was installed on the square.

In 1877, the city council decided to build a new fountain in Place des Jacobins. On June 17, 1878, Degeorges won the competition for the square’s fountain, designing four statues: one by Jean-Polymnie Flandrin created in Paris, and the other three—by Gérard Audran, the elder Guillaume Coustou, and Philibert Orb—carved in Lyon. The statues were not completed until 1885. The fountain has also been listed on the supplementary inventory of historical monuments. No. 4 Place des Jacobins was the home of painter Paul Borel, designed and built in 1863 by architect Pierre Bossan.

Place des Jacobins

Must-see reason: One of the oldest squares in Lyon

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: France[France]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Rhône-Alpes Region [Rhône-Alpes Region]

City where the attraction is located: Lyon [Lyon]