In front of you is one of the most famous stage sets in France, even though it has never been a theatre. Place de la Trinité, with the Maison du Soleil built in 1723, is the traditional backdrop of Guignol's puppet theatre: the scene painted behind the puppet when he comes on stage.

1The tooth-puller who invented Guignol

Laurent Mourguet was born in Lyon in 1769 into a family of silk weavers. He was a fairground showman, a peddler and, from 1797, a tooth-puller. Like other travelling dentists, he put on a little puppet show to distract his customers. Around 1804 he created Gnafron, a red-nosed cobbler very fond of Beaujolais. In 1808 Guignol was born, dressed as a canut, with the braided pigtail weavers wore to keep their hair out of the loom. Then came Madelon, his wife.

Guignol was cheeky, mocked the powerful and talked like the people of the Croix-Rousse. Only much later did he become a character for children.

The origin of the name 'Guignol' remains a mystery: several etymologies have been suggested and none has been proven.

The old photo for this stop was taken by Louis Lumière in 1938: one of the two brothers who unveiled the cinematograph in Lyon in 1895.

2What to look for

  • The golden sun of the Maison du Soleil, on the corner.
  • The painted portraits of Guignol, Madelon and the gendarme on a façade.
  • The Montée du Gourguillon, which starts right here and has been home to a Guignol theatre since 1965.
Old colour photograph of the Café du Soleil on Place de la Trinité
Place de la Trinité in 1938, photographed by Louis Lumière.

Documented

Laurent Mourguet (1769-1844) created Gnafron around 1804 and Guignol in 1808; the Maison du Soleil dates from 1723 and the square is Guignol's traditional backdrop.

Oral tradition

The origin of the name Guignol is unclear, and the explanations in circulation are hypotheses.

Sources and credits

Musées Gadagne – Musée des Arts de la Marionnette, official website; French Wikipedia, 'Guignol', 'Laurent Mourguet' and 'Place de la Trinité (Lyon)'; Paul Fournel, Guignol, les Mourguet (Seuil, 1995).

Photos:

  • Place de la Trinité, with cobbles and old ochre and red façades: Sebleouf, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Old colour photograph of the Café du Soleil on Place de la Trinité: Louis Lumière, Dominio público.

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