“Notre Dame de toute consolation” whispers the stone above the entrance. This is the Impasse de la Trappe a hidden passage in Lyon. It’s more than just a dead end. It’s a portal to history.
The Impasse de la Trappe sits quietly off Rue des Deux Amants. It leads southward. It’s not truly a dead end though. A car entrance on Rue Sidoine Apollinaire serves a nearby business park. This park however sits incongruously against the ancient buildings lining the Impasse.
The pedestrian entrance is stunning. A magnificent portal with a carved capital dedicated to Notre Dame de toute consolation marks its beginning. An earthen path winds through the Impasse. Old buildings line the eastern side. One house at number 7 stands out. A wall with shrubs screens the western side.
Further south the Impasse widens. It reaches the foot of a hill. A looming motorway viaduct overshadows it. This modern structure starkly contrasts with the older buildings.
On the west side the business park is composed of small square metal-roofed buildings. On the east the backs of buildings belonging to the Trappe monastery are visible. They’re beautiful. Their windows are varied in shape. Some are arched others have mullions. These are said to date back to 1834. Above them stand the backs of HLM buildings. A walkway between these buildings provides access to Rue Sidoine Apollinaire.
The Impasse is dedicated to the Trappe monastery. Parts of the monastery still stand between the Impasse and Rue Sidoine Apollinaire. A plaque on Rue des Deux Amants honours Dom Augustin de Lestrange. He was the superior of the order. He died at the Trappistine monastery of Vaise on July 16 1827. He preserved the Cistercian flame during the tumultuous years between 1791 and 1815.
He preserved it outside France. The Trappistine nuns and their superior Sister Allard only inaugurated this property on May 20 1820. Their choice was influenced by the tranquility of this secluded spot. The abundance of a spring also played a role giving its name to the nearby Impasse. The calm was shattered by the arrival of the Montbrison train. It further decreased when the motorway viaduc was built above.
The nuns moved to Maubec in 1834. The community resumed in 1837. By 1900 there were a hundred nuns. The church was sold to a distillery probably after the 1905 laws. The Impasse was the convent’s entrance. It gained renewed life with the business park’s arrival. Religious activity returned too. A Muslim association and Jehovah’s Witnesses now use it.
The business park is also home to two religious associations. Around ten companies including the Valmy body shop are housed in the park. The François and Jacinthe de Fatima private course occupies houses near Rue des Deux Amants. So next time you walk this Impasse pause. Let the echoes of its rich history and the tranquility of its past surround you.