The story
Welcome to one of the most elegant corners of Lyon’s Presqu’île. As you stand here in the Place des Célestins, take a moment to breathe in the atmosphere. There is a distinct sense of theatricality here, and for good reason.
Before you stands the magnificent Théâtre des Célestins, a jewel of 19th-century architecture. With its grand arches and ornate facade, it looks as though it was plucked straight from a classic Italian dream. Designed by the architect Gaspard André and inaugurated in 1877, this building has weathered fires and centuries of change to remain one of the few theaters in France that has been in continuous use for over two hundred years.
But this site has layers of history that go back much further than the Belle Époque. Long before the actors and socialites arrived, this was the site of a monastery belonging to the Celestine monks. They settled here in the early 1400s, turning the area into a place of quiet prayer and reflection.
While the monks are long gone, their name lives on, and perhaps some of that contemplative spirit remains in the shade of the beautiful magnolia trees that line the square. In the springtime, these trees erupt in massive pink and white blossoms, turning the plaza into a fragrant, living painting. Now, I want you to look toward the center of the square, where you’ll see a curious glass-topped structure level with the pavement.
This is where Lyon’s love for the traditional meets its passion for the contemporary. Beneath your feet lies a seven-story underground parking garage, but it is unlike any garage you have ever seen. In 1994, the artist Daniel Buren and architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte collaborated to create an installation called Sens dessus dessous, which roughly translates to "Topsy-turvy."
Step toward the glass and peer inside. You are looking into a giant periscope. A massive, circular mirror at the bottom of the shaft rotates slowly, reflecting the rhythmic, white-arched architecture of the parking levels below.
As the mirror turns, the perspective shifts and dances, making the solid concrete depths look like an infinite, kaleidoscopic hallway. It is a brilliant piece of urban trickery; it takes a functional, mundane space and transforms it into a mesmerizing work of art. This is the essence of Place des Célestins.
It is a place where you can admire the weight of history in the theater’s stone pillars, and then, just a few steps away, lose yourself in a playful, modern reflection of the world beneath the surface. Take your time here. Watch the light play off the theater’s windows, listen to the fountain, and perhaps take one more look into the periscope to see the city from a whole new angle.