Place du Change and the Loge du Change

In front of you is Lyon's old stock exchange. To understand it, go back to the 15th century, when the city became one of Europe's great centres of trade and finance thanks to its fairs.

1Four fairs a year

In 1420 the future Charles VII granted Lyon two free fairs, with privileges for foreign merchants. Louis XI added a fourth in 1463. Four times a year, for fifteen days, cloth, spices, silks and books arrived from Italy, Germany and Flanders. Nothing was paid in cash: deals were written down and, at the end of each fair, the bankers met here to settle debts and fix exchange rates.

Florentines, Lucchese and Genoese settled in these streets, and the consul of the 'Florentine nation' presided over the payment sessions. Between 1500 and 1550, Lyon was one of the hubs through which Europe's capital flowed.

2From exchange to church

The first Loge du Change went up between 1631 and 1653, to plans by Simon Gourdet. In 1748-1750 it was remodelled by Jacques-Germain Soufflot, later the architect of the Panthéon in Paris, who gave it its present façade. After the Revolution it was abandoned and even served as an inn; in 1803 it was handed over to Protestant worship, which still uses it.

Its façade once bore a motto taken from a letter by Cicero to the founder of Lugdunum: 'Virtute duce, comite fortuna', with virtue as guide and fortune as companion.

3What to look for

• The five arches of the ground floor, enlarged by Soufflot.
• The Maison Thomassin, at number 2, with parts dating from the 13th century.
• The Renaissance doorways of Rue Saint-Jean, which begins here.