Rue Sainte-Catherine, Lyon
Encyclopedia
This article is about the street in Lyon
. For other streets of this name, see Rue Sainte-Catherine (disambiguation).
The rue Sainte-Catherine is a very old street at the foot of the slopes of La Croix-Rousse
quarter, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon
. It is particularly known for being a drinking street. The street belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site
by UNESCO.
, and therefore is in the historic center of Lyon, overlooking the Hôtel de Ville of the 1st arrondissement. This situation is relatively unusual because it is quite rare for a street with a bad reputation to be as close to the City Hall of a big city, to the richest shopping areas (rue Édouard-Herriot
, rue de la République
...), to the Opera Nouvel and to the Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon
: this is a paradox indeed very representative of the spirit of the slopes of the Croix-Rousse quarter, which the last "flat" street before the slopes, the rue Sainte-Catherine, is the natural boundary, geographic alter ego of the Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse.
to the entire neighborhood, then rue de la Commission temporaire after 1793.
In 1680, a street and a place named Sainte-Catherine are attested, named after a treatment facility for orphans located on this square. There was indeed a hospital named St. Catherine Hospital, later replaced by the Adopted Daughters of Charity. The name of the street refers to St. Catherine of Alexandria
, a saint much worshipped in the Middle Ages
who died in 307 as martyr under Maximinus
. The hospital was later occupied by the Duparc house.
The house named Le Dauphin, at No. 1, was owned by the Duke of Villeroy. In 1780, an ancient altar was found in the Hôtel des Quatre Nations, at No. 5, belonging to Jacques Imbert Colomès. At No. 9 to 13, the villa owned by Governor Philippianus had a household altar. The first silk mill in France was established in the street.
At the corner of the rue d'Algérie and the rue Saint-Marie-des-Terreaux, a statue of Catherine of Alexandria, carved in 1866 by Joseph-Hughes Fabisch to replace a seventeenth century work by Bridant, also recalls the memory of this hospital which depends the Hôpital de la Charité de Lyon. Over the centuries, several names were used (marché du Fillet, place du Fil, place Neuve-des-Carmes, rue du Forès) and another rue Sainte-Catherine is attested in 1831 in the 4th arrondissement (the current rue Saint-Charles-Francois-Lebrun). There was also a small rue Sainte-Catherine and a Grande rue Sainte-Catherine. On 4 August 1854, the Petite rue Sainte-Catherine became the rue Jean-François-Terme and the current rue Sainte-Catherine took its final name. The Place Sainte-Catherine was then included in the street of the same name. The No. 5 was, in 1868, the headquarters of the Fanfare Lyonnaise, led by Joseph Luigini. On 9 February 1943, the Germans arrested 86 people at the headquarters of the Union Générale des Juifs de France at No. 12.
Following the more restrictive measures taken by local authorities and the recent decision to renovate the neighborhood slopes (passage Thiaffait
, montée de la Grande Côte...), it seems that the atmosphere of the rue Sainte-Catherine tends to evolve gradually to a relative calm and gentrification, since many barrs are now closed and some of them are replaced by respectable pubs for middle-class youth, including the Shamrock. In addition, the inhabitants of the street complained about the presence of dealers.
The street its famous for its many bars, since its central position made it able to drain a large population which come from the Croix-Rousse as well as from the Presqu'île
, from Saint-Jean and Saint-Paul
quarters (by the bridge La Feuillée) and from the 6th arrondissement by the bridge Morand. The metro station "Hôtel de Ville" is served by A and C lines, and there are many buses until quite late, allowing the rue Sainte-Catherine to be much more active on night, and often even completely congested with people in the middle of the night. The street remains famous for its many bars and pubs (l'Abreuvoir, le Shamrock, le Perroquet Bourré, l'Albion, le Douala...), surrounded with kebabs and groceries shops. It is also known for its popular and festive atmosphere. There are also a mixed sauna and an hotel.
s in the street:
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. For other streets of this name, see Rue Sainte-Catherine (disambiguation).
The rue Sainte-Catherine is a very old street at the foot of the slopes of La Croix-Rousse
La Croix-Rousse
This zone is served by the metro line La Croix-Rousse is a hill in the town of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a quarter located on this hill . It is 254m at its peak...
quarter, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon
1st arrondissement of Lyon
The 1st arrondissement of Lyon, France is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon. It is located below the hill of Croix-Rousse and on the north part of the Presqu'île formed by the Saône and the Rhône, the two rivers in Lyon...
. It is particularly known for being a drinking street. The street belongs to the zone 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.
Location
The rue Sainte-Catherine has an east-west axis and is parallel of the Place des TerreauxPlace des Terreaux
The Place des Terreaux is a square located in the centre of Lyon, France on the Presqu'île between the Rhône and the Saône, at the foot of the hill of La Croix-Rousse in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon...
, and therefore is in the historic center of Lyon, overlooking the Hôtel de Ville of the 1st arrondissement. This situation is relatively unusual because it is quite rare for a street with a bad reputation to be as close to the City Hall of a big city, to the richest shopping areas (rue Édouard-Herriot
Rue Édouard-Herriot
The Rue Édouard-Herriot is one of the most important shopping streets of the Presqu'île in Lyon. It links the two most famous places of the city, the Place Bellecour and the Place des Terreaux . Its northern part is located in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, but the main part of the street is in...
, rue de la République
Rue de la République
Rue de la République is a street located in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements of Lyon. This is the main shopping street of the city. This zone is served by the metro stations Bellecour, Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel and Cordeliers...
...), to the Opera Nouvel and to the Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon
Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon
The Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon is a municipal museum of fine arts in the French city of Lyon. It is housed near place des Terreaux in a former Benedictine convent of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was restored between 1988 and 1998, and despite these important restoration works it remained open...
: this is a paradox indeed very representative of the spirit of the slopes of the Croix-Rousse quarter, which the last "flat" street before the slopes, the rue Sainte-Catherine, is the natural boundary, geographic alter ego of the Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse.
History
The street was first named rue de la Fontaine in the sixteenth century, as a source belonging to the Hospice de la Charité provided drinking waterDrinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
to the entire neighborhood, then rue de la Commission temporaire after 1793.
In 1680, a street and a place named Sainte-Catherine are attested, named after a treatment facility for orphans located on this square. There was indeed a hospital named St. Catherine Hospital, later replaced by the Adopted Daughters of Charity. The name of the street refers to St. Catherine of Alexandria
Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
, a saint much worshipped in 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...
who died in 307 as martyr under Maximinus
Maximinus
Maximinus II , also known as Maximinus Daia or Maximinus Daza, was Roman Emperor from 308 to 313. He was born of Dacian peasant stock to the half sister of the emperor Galerius near their family lands around Felix Romuliana; a rural area then in the Danubian region of Moesia, now Eastern Serbia.He...
. The hospital was later occupied by the Duparc house.
The house named Le Dauphin, at No. 1, was owned by the Duke of Villeroy. In 1780, an ancient altar was found in the Hôtel des Quatre Nations, at No. 5, belonging to Jacques Imbert Colomès. At No. 9 to 13, the villa owned by Governor Philippianus had a household altar. The first silk mill in France was established in the street.
At the corner of the rue d'Algérie and the rue Saint-Marie-des-Terreaux, a statue of Catherine of Alexandria, carved in 1866 by Joseph-Hughes Fabisch to replace a seventeenth century work by Bridant, also recalls the memory of this hospital which depends the Hôpital de la Charité de Lyon. Over the centuries, several names were used (marché du Fillet, place du Fil, place Neuve-des-Carmes, rue du Forès) and another rue Sainte-Catherine is attested in 1831 in the 4th arrondissement (the current rue Saint-Charles-Francois-Lebrun). There was also a small rue Sainte-Catherine and a Grande rue Sainte-Catherine. On 4 August 1854, the Petite rue Sainte-Catherine became the rue Jean-François-Terme and the current rue Sainte-Catherine took its final name. The Place Sainte-Catherine was then included in the street of the same name. The No. 5 was, in 1868, the headquarters of the Fanfare Lyonnaise, led by Joseph Luigini. On 9 February 1943, the Germans arrested 86 people at the headquarters of the Union Générale des Juifs de France at No. 12.
Following the more restrictive measures taken by local authorities and the recent decision to renovate the neighborhood slopes (passage Thiaffait
Passage Thiaffait
The Passage Thiaffait is an urban area located on the slopes of La Croix-Rousse, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon. It has an entry by a portico and is a curved traboule which ends with a staircase leading to the hill...
, montée de la Grande Côte...), it seems that the atmosphere of the rue Sainte-Catherine tends to evolve gradually to a relative calm and gentrification, since many barrs are now closed and some of them are replaced by respectable pubs for middle-class youth, including the Shamrock. In addition, the inhabitants of the street complained about the presence of dealers.
Architecture and description
The street is short and wide to the west with a white building at No. 2, built around 1850. In the northern side, there are two big five-floor houses. After the No. 7, a Madonna and Child the street is more narrow and curved. The three to five-floor houses are old whose simple facades display some sculpted doors and archways.The street its famous for its many bars, since its central position made it able to drain a large population which come from the Croix-Rousse as well as from the Presqu'île
Presqu'ile (Lyon)
The Presqu’île, literally the "peninsula", extending from the foot of the Croix Rousse hill to the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône rivers, is in the city centre of Lyon, France. It has a preponderance of cafés, restaurants, luxury shops, department stores, banks, government buildings, and...
, from Saint-Jean and Saint-Paul
Saint-Paul (Lyon)
Saint-Paul is a quarter located in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon, France. It was named after the parish church. Located in the perimeter saved registered to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is one of the three parishes of the Vieux Lyon, the historic center of the city...
quarters (by the bridge La Feuillée) and from the 6th arrondissement by the bridge Morand. The metro station "Hôtel de Ville" is served by A and C lines, and there are many buses until quite late, allowing the rue Sainte-Catherine to be much more active on night, and often even completely congested with people in the middle of the night. The street remains famous for its many bars and pubs (l'Abreuvoir, le Shamrock, le Perroquet Bourré, l'Albion, le Douala...), surrounded with kebabs and groceries shops. It is also known for its popular and festive atmosphere. There are also a mixed sauna and an hotel.
Traboules
There are several trabouleTraboule
Traboules are a type of passageway primarily associated with the city of Lyon, France, but also located in the French cities of Villefranche-sur-Saône, Mâcon, Saint-Étienne, along with a few in Chambéry)...
s in the street:
- Nos. 2, 4 : This traboule is closed but can be seen. It begins with a building of the Second Empire.
- No. 10 : This traboule is closed but can be seen, and includes an alley with a "very original" opened grid.
- No. 12 : This open traboule is composed of old houses, and there is a commemorative plaqueCommemorative plaqueA commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
for Jews during the Second World War. - No. 18 : This curved and closed traboule starts with a simple building, then a narrow path.
- No. 20 : This blocked up traboule contains a restored courtyard and a staircase with wrought-iron railings.