Fountain dedicated to Auguste Burdeau

Note the inscription “Patrie” (Fatherland) on the pediment of this beautiful monument, and the one paying homage to Auguste-Laurent Burdeau on the pedestal, “1851 BURDEAU 1894”. But note above all that the niche is empty. The statue (as can be seen on a photo (archive) is no longer there?

The reverse of the monument specifies that Burdeau began his academic career as a city scholarship student at the lycée in Lyon in 1869. After being admitted to the École Normale Supérieure, he quickly joined the army as a volunteer in 1870. Following his military service in 1871, he turned to education, becoming a professor of philosophy in 1873. Later, he entered the political arena, becoming a deputy for the Rhône department in 1885. Furthermore, he also served as Minister of the Navy at a later date, although the specific year is not mentioned.

History of the monument

In 1900, after Burdeau's death, a committee was formed to raise funds through public subscription for the construction of a monument in his honor. This committee proposed Alfred Boucher's design to the city, and Boucher presented a model at the foot of the grand staircase. However, the artist was forced to revise his initial design to reduce costs. Ultimately, the first choice was a monumental fountain.

June 28, 1903 marked the inauguration of the monument, followed by a banquet bringing together 500 guests in Croix-Rousse, at the Brasserie Dupuis.

During the period from 1942 to 1944, under the Vichy regime, the statue was melted down (as were the majority of statues in French cities as part of the mobilization of non-ferrous metals), but the fountain and the aedicule remain in place.