Place Sathonay

It was named after Nicolas-Marie-Jean-Claude Fay de Sathonay, mayor of Lyon from 1805 to 1812, as a tribute for all the importants works undertaken under his presidency.

[3] According to the 1268 Tractatus de bellis, inhabitants of Lyon built fortifications in the Déserte to defend themselves from the ecclesiastical authority.

In 1296, Blanche de Châlons, widow of the lord of Beaujeu, Rhone acquired from Jean Mallerie[4] the parcel "proche de la porte nouvelle" (near the new gate) and founded in 1304 the monastery or abbey of the same name,[5][6] which they gave to the Ladies of Saint Clair or Clarisses or which came under the rule of Saint Benoit.

In 1817, the municipal architect Louis Flachéron proposed to enlarge the square and to create an entry to the garden of plants.

The square, almost immediately named Place Sathonay, was created under the Mayor of Fargues and was studied in detail by a committee chaired by Paulet[9] which drew up the plan which was approved on 10 December 1817.

Providing a good view on the steps at the north appeared to be a major concern then: indeed, the idea of erecting a central fountain was eventually withdrawn for this reason, and the whole composition was based on a north-south axis, as shown by the original plan.

[2] It had an area of 4,000 m², and the stairs at the north of the square next to the city hall provided an access to the former garden of plants.

[12] To the north, the square is opened by a staircase called the Montée de l'Amphithéâtre and flanked by two identical buildings, the one on the left built between 1819 and 1823.

Indeed, according to writer Josette Barre, "the facades are opulent, decorated with wrought iron railings, large doorways in wood, stone, pilasters and pediments for most openings of the first floors.

The 2.8-metre statue in bronze was made by Thomas Lamotte and was raised on a stone plinth by architect Joseph Dubuisson and the whole cost 19,420 francs.