The Temple du Change or Loge du Change, formerly used for the

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for t ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

, stands in

Vieux Lyon The Vieux Lyon ( en, Old Lyon) is the largest Renaissance district of Lyon. In 1964, Vieux-Lyon, the city's oldest district, became the first site in France to be protected under the Malraux law to protect France's cultural sites. Covering an a ...

(

5th arrondissement of Lyon The 5th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon. History The 5th arrondissement was created on 24 March 1852 (date of creation of the first five arrondissements). It is the historic center of Lyon. It is at ...

). It was originally built after plans by architect Simon Gourdet between 1631 and 1653, then rebuilt under the direction of

Jacques-Germain Soufflot Jacques-Germain Soufflot (, 22 July 1713 – 29 August 1780) was a French architect in the international circle that introduced neoclassicism. His most famous work is the Panthéon in Paris, built from 1755 onwards, originally as a church d ...

in 1748–1750. It has been assigned to Protestant worship since 1803, hence its designation ''Temple''. As part of

, the building was inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

along with other districts in the historic centre of Lyon.

History

The first Loge du Change was a small classical building with four arches in front and two on each side. It soon became insufficient for Lyon's money exchange, but was not renovated before 1748. Soufflot provided plans and elevations for its repair, performed by Jean-Baptiste Roche, an architect he had himself introduced. The flanking terraced houses were torn down, which provided the opportunity to significantly enlarge the building, which has a fifth arch in front, providing, instead of a central

pier Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...

, a central

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...

as classical usage demands. Behind the façade rises a large room, as high and wide as the building. It is rectangular with an imperial-styled roof supported on four massive pillars. The first-floor facade was completely rebuilt in Soufflot's uncompromising

neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

, unusual for the epoch. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, the building was abandoned. It became an inn for a moment, before being assigned to the Protestants in 1803. Minor changes were made throughout the nineteenth century, particularly on the interior and the furnishings. Tduchange

In December 1999, the city of Lyon and the Renaissance du Vieux Lyon added two clocks on the facade. The clock on the right was already there when the building was constructed and has a traditional dial, which indicates hours and minutes. In contrast, the dial on the left is more surprising because it marks days, months and years. For a time in the mid nineteenth century, the Loge du Change was scheduled to be rebuilt as a new place of worship because there were 10,000 Protestants in Lyon, and the Temple du Change was too small for them (it can accommodate 600 people). The building was classified a

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a col ...

in 1913 and hosts many concerts.

References

External links

*
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Temple Du Change Churches in Lyon 5th arrondissement of Lyon Buildings and structures completed in 1653 Monuments historiques of Lyon 1653 establishments in France