- 40 Republic Square, 69002 Lyon
- What you see
- What you need to know
Welcome to the Passage de l'Argue, a prestigious covered passage in the heart of Lyon. Connecting Rue de Brest to Rue de la République, the passage is lined with shops and topped with a canopyThe Argue passage was created in 1825 by the architect Vincent Farge, in a commercial purpose. This passage will be cut into two parts by rue Édouard-Herriot (under the Second Empire in 1860).
The four large entrance and exit porches, in neoclassical style, lead to luxury boutiques, offering watches, pipes, bags, fashion accessories, gifts and decorations.
The Passage de l'Argue takes its name from the Greek word "arguros", meaning "silver" in French, referring to a tool for spinning gold and silver for the decoration of ceremonial clothing woven in silk.
Take the time to observe:
- the remarkable main door decorated with an arch whose archivolt is supported by Doric columns
- the glass roof decorated with a row of lanterns.
- the frames of the shops which are made of wood (mostly painted red).
- the glass roof of the rotunda on the central part (towards the Edouard Herriot exit).
Discover the old must-see shops that have spanned several generations, such as
- There Brossard cutlery, founded in 1830 at 65 passage de l’Argue
- there Weiss hat shop with more than 125 years of existence at 74 passage de l'Argue
- Archive images
- Anecdote: What has disappeared
- There statue of mercury, the god of commerce and travelers, was located at the central rotunda. It has been vandalized several times.
- There was also the small passage of the argument, narrower and more unsanitary, abandoned by traders and now condemned (but which you can glimpse after the 52nd passage of the Argue)
- There were also the Atelier de l'Argue, the Café-Théâtre de M. Seguin, the Théâtre des Bouffes Lyonnaises, and the Guignol Theater.