Imagine you are standing at Place de Serin. It is more than just a roundabout. This place has a story etched into its very stones.
Place de Serin resides in Lyon’s fourth arrondissement. It sits at the foot of the Croix-Rousse hill. The Chemin de Serin arrives here. You can find it near the Quai Gillet, Pont Clemenceau and the west entrance of the Croix-Rousse tunnel.
To the north, you will see the Saint Charles de Serin church. There is also an enormous green mass covering the hill. It is the CNR park and the Chaziere park.
Buses 2 and 45 stop here. This makes Place de Serin accessible. The place features a roundabout and a parking area to the south.
To the west sits a professional education society. This large stone building has two wings. A lion on the left wing holds a plaque between its teeth. It says “boys’ school”. The right wing shows the same motif but reads “girls”.
To the east is a cubical office building of chocolate color. An alley heads south. It leads to a basketball court and nine-story residences. These recent buildings line the docks.
Place de Serin got its name from the neighborhood. This area held importance in the late 18th century. People referred to going “en Serin”.
There are two ideas about the name’s origin. One suggests it describes the area’s serenity. That incredible peace remained even after centuries of noise. Wine transport and cars created this noise. The other idea is even older. It might recall the Roman Serenus. Maybe two millennia could not erase his memory.
In 1793, the Serin refinery became a collection point. Saltpeter was extracted from demolished Lyon homes here. These demolitions were ordered by Collot d’Herbois. Fouché, Albitte and Laporte often signed the decrees.
Until 1852, the district was outside Lyon. It was free from Lyon taxes. This area was part of Franc Lyonnais. Wine merchants set up warehouses here.
Louis Jambon was born at 4 Quai de Serin in 1877. His father was a wine wholesaler. Jambon died in 1967. He was a general engineer and director of the arsenal. He also led the historical society Lyon rive gauche.
The Croix-Rousse tunnel was dug in 1952. As a result, the neighborhood vanished under traffic.
Today, Place de Serin is home to about a dozen companies. They occupy an office building here. The Saint Charles de Serin church stands nearby. It was rebuilt in 1952 after the Croix-Rousse tunnel project. Since 1993, the deanery of Russian Orthodox parishes in Lyon has been based here. The parish is named the Protection of the Very Holy Virgin.