Place du Griffon, Square in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, France
Place du Griffon is a small, triangular square in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, just above the opera house, sitting at the junction of rue Saint-Claude, rue de Lorette, and the small rue des Feuillants. The ground is paved with white marble from Montalieu, and the surrounding buildings, five to six floors tall, reflect the typical Lyon architecture of the 19th century, with two stone benches and a single tree at the center.
In the 15th century, a cross known as the Croix du Griffon stood at this spot, and a city gate called Porte du Griffon stood nearby until it was torn down in the 16th century. The square received its official name in 1866, when a neighboring building was demolished to open up the space as it stands today.
The name of the square comes from an old inn sign showing a griffin, a mythical creature with a lion's body and an eagle's head and wings. These animal symbols were common in Lyon and were used to identify taverns and shops throughout the city.
The square is easy to reach on foot and sits a short walk from the opera house and the main streets of the 1st arrondissement. It became a pedestrian zone in 2005, which makes it comfortable to walk through, though some drivers still occasionally enter by mistake.
The square was once called place Romarin and also absorbed the neighboring place Saint-Claude before both were merged into a single space. The white marble paving underfoot comes from the Montalieu quarry, the same source used for several other paved spaces across Lyon.
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