Bellecour square and the Fourvière hill
During the middle-age that area was a swamp until the archi-bishop of Lyon turned it into a garden surrounded by a wall. Then the king Henry IV bought that garden and his son Louis XIII transformed it into a square. In 1714, the statues created by Desjardins were installed (Only the Saône and the Rhône allegories remain).
The Saône and the Rhône Allegories
During the Revolution the first Louis XIV statue was destroyed, as well as some of the buildings surrounding the area. During the Napoleon reign, the buildings were rebuilt and a new statue of Louis XIV was installed during the Restauration period.
