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Hôtel de Ville, Lyon

Coordinates: 45°46′03″N 4°50′06″E / 45.7676°N 4.8350°E / 45.7676; 4.8350
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Hôtel de Ville
Main frontage of the Hôtel de Ville in November 2008
Map
General information
TypeCity hall
Architectural styleRenaissance Revival style
LocationLyon, France
Coordinates45°46′03″N 4°50′06″E / 45.7676°N 4.8350°E / 45.7676; 4.8350
Completed1652
Design and construction
Architect(s)Simon Maupin

The Hôtel de Ville (French pronunciation: [otɛl də vil], City Hall) is the city hall of Lyon, France, and one of the largest historic buildings in the city. The building is located between the Place des Terreaux and the Place de la Comédie, in front of the Opéra Nouvel. It was designated a monument historique by the French government in 1886.[1]

History

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Much of Lyon was redeveloped in the 17th century, with the Presqu'île becoming the city centre. As part of the masterplan for the area the council decided to commission a new town hall for Lyon. The site they selected was between the Place des Terreaux and the Place de la Comédie.[2]

Construction of the new building was deliberately timed to commence on the birthday of King Louis XIV, 5 September 1646.[3][4] It was designed by Simon Maupin in the Renaissance Revival style, built ashlar stone and the council held their first meeting there on 14 November 1652.[5] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of nine bays facing west onto the Place des Terreaux with the end two bays on either side projected forward as pavilions. The central bay featured a square-headed doorway flanked by Ionic order columns supporting an entablature. The other bays on the ground floor were fenestrated by round-headed windows with architraves and keystones. The bays on the first floor were fenestrated by square-headed windows with triangular pediment, while the bays on the second floor were fenestrated by segmental headed windows. In the centre bay on the second floor there was a half-relief of King Louis XIV on horseback, and at roof level, there was a balustraded parapet and some finely carved sculptures, as well as a central clock tower with a dome.[6][7] The Grande Salle, the Staircase of Honour, the Salon de la Conservation, and the Salon de la Nomination were all decorated by the French painter, Thomas Blanchet.[8]

Following a fire on 13 September 1674,[9] the building, including its façade, was restored and modified to design by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and his pupil Robert de Cotte.[10]

In March 1793, during the French Revolution, the building was under the control of a group of counter-revolutionaries, led by Joseph Chalier, who were in revolt against the National Convention. This was brought to an end by the siege of Lyon between August and October 1793.[11] The half-relief depicting King Louis XIV on horseback, in the middle of the façade was removed by the revolutionaries at this time. It was replaced during the Restoration with a half-relief depicting King Henry IV in the same posture.[9]

On 22 March 1871, inspired by the establishment of the Paris Commune, a crowd of revolutionary guardsmen stormed the city hall and proclaimed the establishment of a similar commune in Lyon. They arrested the mayor and the prefect of the city. However, the insurrection only lasted a few days and on 25 March 1871, the revolutionaries left the building peacefully.[12]

In 2005, its belfry was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site group of the Belfries of Belgium and France.[13]

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  • Mosaic representing the City Hall in the park of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon
    Mosaic representing the City Hall in the park of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon
  • The City Hall during the siege of Lyon
    The City Hall during the siege of Lyon
  • Illuminated facade, on the night
    Illuminated facade, on the night
  • The City Hall, pediment and belfry
    The City Hall, pediment and belfry
  • The court of honor
    The court of honor

References

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  1. ^ Base Mérimée: PA00117820, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. ^ Hodder, Edwin (1881). "Map of Lyon".
  3. ^ "Hôtel de Ville, Lyon". Divento. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  4. ^ Hamilton, Sarah (2016). Defining the Holy Sacred Space in Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-1351945615.
  5. ^ "Council meetings BB206, folios 417–418". Archives of Lyon. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  6. ^ Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours, Hoefer (Jean Chrétien Ferdinand), Firmin Didot frères (Paris), p 394
  7. ^ "Hôtel de Ville". Archives Municipales Lyon. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  8. ^ Galactéros, Lucie (1991). Thomas Blanchet: 1614–1689. Paris: Arthena. pp. 153–154. ISBN 978-2903239114.
  9. ^ a b Debidour,Laferrere, Lyon et ses environs, Arthaud editions, 2 October 1990 (ISBN 978-2700301151)
  10. ^ Jacques Louis Delpal, Merveille du Lyonnais et du Beaujolais , La Martinière editions, 2 January 1996 (ISBN 978-2732420813)
  11. ^ Suratteau, Jean-René (2005). "Lyon". Dictionnaire historique de la Révolution française. p. 690.
  12. ^ Milza, Pierre (2009). L'année terrible: La Commune (mars–juin 1871) (in French). Paris: Perrin. pp. 158–160. ISBN 978-2-262-03073-5.
  13. ^ "Belfries of Belgium and France". UNESCO. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
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