Place des Jacobins (Jacobins' Square), Lyon

If you’re standing in the middle of traffic coming from twelve different directions, engines humming, pedestrians weaving past - and somehow, this busy crossroads still manages to be one of Lyon’s most elegant squares. Rest assured - you're in Jacobins' Square.

In the late 13th century, Jacobin monks settled here, building a convent and a church. Over time, the open space nearby turned into a walled market. Then, in 1556, the walls came down, and a triangular public square took shape.

A few years later, in 1562, some surrounding buildings were demolished to create Rue Saint Dominique, opening the area even further. A modest fountain appeared, and the square became the local social network - the place where people gathered to exchange news, rumors, and probably a fair bit of harmless gossip. It was even renamed Comfort Square. Sadly, the fountain wasn’t very comforting; it was too small for the growing population and was eventually removed.

In 1609, things became more ambitious. A pyramidal obelisk was installed, crowned with a cross. Around its base, the name of God was engraved in 24 languages - quite an international statement for its time. But history had other plans.

The French Revolution swept it away, along with many religious symbols. The church was rebuilt in 1689, the convent restored in 1714, only for the church to be demolished again in 1818. The convent survived a little longer, serving as the Préfecture until 1852. Indeed, if buildings could sigh, this block would have done so more than once...

Now shift to the 19th century. The fountain you see today dates from 1878 and was designed by architect Gaspard André. The four statues added in 1885 - representing the engraver Benoît Audran, celebrated sculptor Guillaume Coustou, Renaissance architect Philibert de l’Orme, and 19th-century painter Hippolyte Flandrin - were sculpted by Charles Degeorges, turning the square into an open-air tribute to Lyon’s artistic heritage. And in 2004, a plaque was installed nearby to remind visitors of the square’s layered past.

So yes, traffic may swirl around it. But at its centre, Jacobins' Square stands calmly - a small stage where monks, merchants, revolutionaries, artists, and modern commuters have all played their part.