A curious street. That’s Rue Mathieu Varille. It begins at Place Mériaux. It ends in a dead end after Rue Mériaux. This is a peculiar fact. Isn’t it?
Rue Mathieu Varille isn’t just a street. It’s a testament to Mathieu Varille a Lyon native born in 1885. He was a writer a philanthropist and even a paper manufacturer. He was also president of the Lyon Academy and a member of the Lyon Historical Society. He published several historical studies including one on Lyon’s fairs. Did you know that?
But there’s more. Varille was a food critic too. He wrote Cuisine Lyonnaise. He even had the distinction of being the first to fly over Lyon. That’s quite an achievement isn’t it? A multi-talented man indeed. He penned numerous books including the first collection of Lyonnaise recipes. A first-edition copy is a collector’s item.
The south side of Rue Mathieu Varille starts with the side of a large building group. An alleyway runs behind it leading to Avenue Debourg. On the north side the chapel of Adoration faces the square. It’s a long two-story building made of raw concrete. It’s extended with houses. It’s supported by the Habitat et Humanisme house. This house has other old buildings in a courtyard. In 2019 it was repainted in bright colours. Another building with balconies and metal cladding was built on the other side of the courtyard.
The street opens onto Rue du Rhône between a blank wall and the small building of the school. It exits with three large six-story beige cubes. They face the Rhône residence on the north side. There are bars behind a football field. The field is elevated by one meter fifty.
Rue Mathieu Varille leaves Rue Mériaux through two rounded corners. There is a four-story building to the north. There is a pavilion to the south. The street ends in a cul-de-sac between garages and workshops. Gardens are on the south side. It faces the IFI fence. In 2019 a white building replaced the workshops. It has wooden palisades at the top.
Varille’s son Alexandre was a renowned Egyptologist. He discovered the gates of the Medamoud temple. You can see them at the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon.
The story of Rue Mathieu Varille is a story of contrasts. It’s a quiet residential street. It’s a small street with a big history. It’s a hidden gem tucked away. It’s a street where the past and present meet. It’s a place to reflect on the life of a man named Mathieu Varille. A man whose impact on Lyon extends beyond the street that bears his name.