- 2 Pl. du Change, 69005 Lyon
- What you see
- What you need to know
The Maison Thomassin is one of the oldest residences in Lyon, named after the Thomassin family, an old bourgeois family prosperous thanks to the drapery trade. This historic house, enlarged by Claude Thomassin, captain of the city and curator of the fairs, has a Gothic façade dating from the 14th century, decorated with mullioned windows topped with trilobed and ogival arches. Each of the four arches houses a coat of arms, testifying to the history of the residence, from the Dauphin to King Charles VIII and the Duchess Anne of Brittany.
The interior of the house also reveals historical treasures, such as the wooden ceiling discovered in 1968, painted with the coats of arms of the Fuers and Saint-Louis, dating back to one of the oldest painted ceilings in France.
This residence was a privileged witness to the great families of Lyon, from the Fuers who initially had it built to the Thomassins. Strategically located on the Place du Change, a place animated by the city's annual fairs from the 13th to the 15th century, the Maison Thomassin has known periods of prosperity and transformation, attested by its diversified architecture.
- Archive images
- The disappeared Ruette des Bestes
- Listed building
As you can see (see photo), the architecture of the fourth bay on the right is different from the others. In the 19th century, the last coat of arms, located on the far right, was added to the façade. This extension was carried out on a section that did not exist in the original structure of the house. This additional part was conquered from a passage open to the public, known as 'Street of the Bestes', which served as an access route to the Saône from the Place du Change. It is likely that this "wild" extension is responsible for the imbalance observed at the gate (see photo) and the impost of number 3 of the square, located at the corner of the house.
Listed in the Inventory of Historic Monuments since 1927 and classified as a Historic Monument in 1992, this house is a true heritage treasure. Its façade reveals fascinating details, from the signs of the zodiac on the first floor to the royal coats of arms and 19th-century additions, testifying to its adaptation over time.
