Place Benoît-Crépu
Encyclopedia
The Place Benoît-Crépu is a stone-paved square, located in Saint-Georges quarter, on the banks of the Saône
(Vieux Lyon
), in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon
. It has fountains with dolphin heads, many benches and trees and a playground
. The place belongs to the area classified as World Heritage Site
by UNESCO.
The square was modified when the Quai Fulchiron was created in 1858, then expanded after the destruction of houses that prolonged the rue Lavarenne. The square was renovated for the construction of an underground car park from 2001 to 2006. During this work, various objects, including three Gallo-Roman boats, relatively well preserved, dating from the first or second century, were discovered. Similarly, while digging the tunnel which connects the parking under the rue Monseigneur-Lavarenne, several buildings of the Middle Ages
were discovered, apparently abandoned after the many floods of the Saône. Some of the old ramparts were also found. All archaeological discoveries caused a six to nine-month delay of work.
This square is situated on one of the many ports of the Saône, the port du Sablet or Sablé, which existed from the late Middle Ages to 1844, and was destroyed with the surrounding houses to develop the current wharf (e.g. a house was demolished in 1707 to create the square). The square was formerly named Place du Port-Sablé (also spelled Sablet, which perhaps referred to the sandy nature of the soil or the unloading of vessels which contained sand). In 1866, the church of Saint-Pierre-le-Vieux, which was on the square, was demolished. The current name was assigned by the municipal council of 23 November 1894 as tribute to Benoît Crépu, a tanner born in Lyon on 23 January 1839 and died in the city on 4 April 1893, as he had donated part of his fortune to the city of Lyon. In his will, he gave his building located at No. 24 rue de la Quarantine to be sold for the benefit of secular schools.
benches and beautiful pavements. The vegetation consists mainly of silk trees and groves of laurel
.
The majority of the square consists of two rows of four to six-storey buildings with narrow facades generally built in the 19th century. The building between the wharf and the rue Lavarenne was created in 1845 ; it has six different floors with a Virgin and Child at the corner of the wharf. At No. 8, two plaques say the height of the floods of the Saône on 5 November 1840 and 21 May 1856.
After having served for a while as a station for trolleys and buses, the square was gradually transformed into a large garden through a space reorganization. In 2008, landscapers of the Ilex agency completely modified the square.
The Église Saint-Georges
is near the square.
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
(Vieux Lyon
Vieux Lyon
The Vieux Lyon is the largest Renaissance district of Lyon in the 5th arrondissement.This zone is served by the metro line In 1954, Vieux-Lyon, the city's oldest district, became the first site in France to be protected under the Malraux law to protect France's cultural sites...
), in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon
5th arrondissement of Lyon
The 5th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.- History :The 5th arrondissement was created on 24 March 1852 . It is the historic center of Lyon. It is at Fourvière that Munatius Plancus founded the Roman colony of Lugdunum in 43 BC...
. It has fountains with dolphin heads, many benches and trees and a playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
. The place belongs to the area classified as World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by UNESCO.
History
In the thirteenth century the Order of St. Anthony was established here. This square partly absorbed the Rue Pierre-Percée, now called rue Monseigneur Lavarenne.The square was modified when the Quai Fulchiron was created in 1858, then expanded after the destruction of houses that prolonged the rue Lavarenne. The square was renovated for the construction of an underground car park from 2001 to 2006. During this work, various objects, including three Gallo-Roman boats, relatively well preserved, dating from the first or second century, were discovered. Similarly, while digging the tunnel which connects the parking under the rue Monseigneur-Lavarenne, several buildings of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
were discovered, apparently abandoned after the many floods of the Saône. Some of the old ramparts were also found. All archaeological discoveries caused a six to nine-month delay of work.
This square is situated on one of the many ports of the Saône, the port du Sablet or Sablé, which existed from the late Middle Ages to 1844, and was destroyed with the surrounding houses to develop the current wharf (e.g. a house was demolished in 1707 to create the square). The square was formerly named Place du Port-Sablé (also spelled Sablet, which perhaps referred to the sandy nature of the soil or the unloading of vessels which contained sand). In 1866, the church of Saint-Pierre-le-Vieux, which was on the square, was demolished. The current name was assigned by the municipal council of 23 November 1894 as tribute to Benoît Crépu, a tanner born in Lyon on 23 January 1839 and died in the city on 4 April 1893, as he had donated part of his fortune to the city of Lyon. In his will, he gave his building located at No. 24 rue de la Quarantine to be sold for the benefit of secular schools.
Architecture and description
The square has limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
benches and beautiful pavements. The vegetation consists mainly of silk trees and groves of laurel
Laurel
-Botany:* Laurel family , a group of flowering plants** Azores laurel ** Bay Laurel , also called True Laurel** California Laurel ** Camphor Laurel...
.
The majority of the square consists of two rows of four to six-storey buildings with narrow facades generally built in the 19th century. The building between the wharf and the rue Lavarenne was created in 1845 ; it has six different floors with a Virgin and Child at the corner of the wharf. At No. 8, two plaques say the height of the floods of the Saône on 5 November 1840 and 21 May 1856.
After having served for a while as a station for trolleys and buses, the square was gradually transformed into a large garden through a space reorganization. In 2008, landscapers of the Ilex agency completely modified the square.
The Église Saint-Georges
Église Saint-Georges
The Église Saint-Georges is a church located on the Place François-Bertras, in the Vieux Lyon quarter, in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon. It is under the direction of the Primatiale parish and was named in honor of Saint George...
is near the square.