The Rue Royale () is a street located in the
1st arrondissement of Lyon
The 1st arrondissement of Lyon () 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.
Thi ...
and was the main street of the quarter when it was created. It starts between the Place Servetus and the Rue de Provence and ends by joining the Grande Rue des Feuillants. There are many
traboule
Traboules (from Latin ''transambulare'' via vulgar Latin ''trabulare'' meaning "to cross") are a type of secret covered passageways primarily associated with the city of Lyon, France, but also located in the French cities of Villefranche-sur-Sa� ...
s closed which link the street with the Quai Lassagne and the Rue d'Alsace-Lorraine. It is served by
line C of the metro (Croix-Paquet station).
History
When it was opened in 1870 after filling and construction, the Rue Royale was the main and the nicer street of the Tolozan quarter created by Soufflot, the other streets being the Rue Dauphine, Rue de Berri and Rue de Provence. Many wealthy merchants began to live in the street and many restaurants opened. Originally, the street was a little longer, but the north was demolished in the mid-20th century with the goal of allowing the exit of the
Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse. At the entrance of the street, there was a famous bathhouse called "Le Clavecin", built by Gary. After the death of French King
Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, the street was named Rue de la Convention, then in 1848 Rue de Démocratie for a short while, and Rue Nationale in 1850.
In 1792, Mayor of Lyon Antoine Nivière-Chol (1744-1817) lived in the street. Musicologist and Chopin biographer Édouard Ganche (1880-1945) lived at number 5 from the mid-1920s to his death. He had there one of the most important private collection of Chopin-related objects in the world at this time.
There is a famous restaurant
La Mère Brazier once owned by the "Mère Brazier" a.k.a.
Eugénie Brazier
Eugénie Brazier (12 June 1895 – 2 March 1977), known as "la Mère (restaurateur), Mère Brazier", was a French cuisine, French chef who, in 1933, became the first person awarded six Michelin Guide#Stars, Michelin stars, three each at two rest ...
(1895–1977), a country girl who was born in
La Tranclière,
Ain
Ain (, ; ) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...
and arrived in Lyon in 1914. She opened the restaurant at No. 12 in 1921 and became the first three-star female chef awarded by Michelin (from 1933 to 1939). In 2007, the restaurant was bought by Mathieu Viannay and reopened in 2008.
Architecture
The Rue Royale is lined by five-floor buildings and houses made of solid gray stone. There are several big doors; most of them are painted. The last building, at the west, has only one floor with a roof terrace.
An architecture firm located in the street has the same name as that of the street: Rue Royale Architects. There are a nightclub and the Théâtre de l'Anagramme.
Traboules
There are 14
traboule
Traboules (from Latin ''transambulare'' via vulgar Latin ''trabulare'' meaning "to cross") are a type of secret covered passageways primarily associated with the city of Lyon, France, but also located in the French cities of Villefranche-sur-Sa� ...
s in the street; most of them are open (Nos. 5, 7, 11, 19 and 23 are closed but can be visited; Nos. 11, 29, 31 and 33 are curved, others are straight):
* The No. 5 has three entrances and a particular architecture which includes five medallions, stained glass doors, many heads of old people and crouching lions carved, ancient lanterns and painted vases.
* The No. 7 includes workshops of architecture.
* At the No. 11, there are three metal balconies and plants in the courtyard.
* At No. 15, there is a triangular courtyard with three balconies.
* The No. 17 begins with a large door.
* At No. 21, the entrance is high and the restored courtyard has two columns.
* The gate of No. 23 dates from the eighteenth century.
* The restored courtyard of Nos. 25-27 ends with a large door with a repainted facade.
* At No. 29, there is a high fountain with a disused pendulum topped by a
Virgin and Child
In Christian art, a Madonna () is a religious depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a singular form or sometimes accompanied by the Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word ...
.
* The No. 31 has a small glassed courtyard and ends under stone balconies.
* The
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
-styled entrance of No. 33 is highly decorated.
References
{{coord, 45, 46, 17, N, 4, 50, 14, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title
1st arrondissement of Lyon
Royale