Fountain of the lion and the snake

The Lion and Serpent fountain

A stop on the Grenoble audio-guided tour, the Lion and Serpent fountain stands on Place de la Cymaise. It is one of the oldest in the city, created by Victor Sappey in 1839 for the inauguration of the banks of the Isere.

A metaphor of the rivers

The sculptor Victor Sappey also created the elephant fountain in Chambery. Here, the statue is an animal metaphor inspired by an old Dauphinois saying evoking the danger of floods. The Isere and the Drac, two rivers that have often ravaged Grenoble since Roman times, are at the heart of the symbolism: according to tradition, at their confluence, the Drac manages to calm the Isere.

What to see

One can read the statue by imagining that the Lion represents the Drac mastering the Isere, figured by the serpent. This fine nineteenth-century work illustrates the old and sometimes conflicting relationship between Grenoble and its rivers. Observe the delicacy of the sculpture by the Isere.

Practical information

The Lion and Serpent fountain is on Place de la Cymaise, by the Isere, in Grenoble. Freely accessible, it can be seen at any time.

What does the Lion and Serpent fountain symbolise ?

The Drac, figured by the lion, mastering the Isere, figured by the serpent, according to a Dauphinois saying.

Who created the fountain ?

The sculptor Victor Sappey, in 1839, also the author of the elephant fountain in Chambery.