Le Chant des Canuts

The Song of the Canuts

The Lyon audio-guided tour leads you to the Place des Tapis, before the statue The Song of the Canuts, which pays tribute to the silk workers and to their famous anthem.

The anthem of a working-class district

The Place des Tapis owes its name to the grassy embankments that once stretched at the foot of the ramparts, which were called the tapis. At its centre stands the statue The Song of the Canuts, representing two lovers who sing this anthem composed by Aristide Bruant, become the symbol of the revolt of the canuts. This social uprising, one of the first of its kind, took place from 1831 to 1834, in reaction to the crisis that struck the Lyon silk industry. The canuts, weaver workers settled in the Croix-Rousse, contributed to making Lyon the first working-class city of France; their memory and their struggles for dignified working conditions remain at the heart of the district's identity.

What there is to see

On the Place des Tapis, the statue The Song of the Canuts evokes with emotion the memory of the silk workers and their social struggles. It is a place of rest appreciated by the inhabitants, where the working-class history of Lyon becomes palpable. A meaningful stage, in the heart of the plateau of the Croix-Rousse.

Practical information

The statue The Song of the Canuts is on the Place des Tapis, on the plateau of the Croix-Rousse, in Lyon. The square can be walked freely at all hours and on the level; the statue can be contemplated at its centre.

What does the statue The Song of the Canuts represent?

Two lovers singing the anthem composed by Aristide Bruant, a symbol of the revolt of the canuts from 1831 to 1834.

Why did the canuts revolt?

In reaction to the economic crisis that struck the Lyon silk industry, to defend dignified working conditions.