The Big Pebble

The Gros Caillou

The Lyon audio-guided tour presents you with the Gros Caillou, a heavy rock symbol of the Croix-Rousse, set on the esplanade that bears its name.

A rock come from the Alps

This heavy rock is said to have travelled nearly two hundred kilometres to settle here some one hundred and forty thousand years ago, transported by the glaciers from the Alps. It was discovered in 1861 by workers who were digging a trench for the funicular connecting the Presqu'île to the Croix-Rousse: coming across this unbreakable rock, they had to extract it to continue the works. It is a quartzite. A legend surrounds it: the Gros Caillou is said to be the stone heart of an unscrupulous bailiff, Jean Tournette, condemned to push this heart until he found someone harder than him, as a metaphor for inhumanity.

What there is to see

The Gros Caillou, set on its esplanade, is one of the affective symbols of the Croix-Rousse, as much for its surprising geological origin as for the legend that surrounds it. The esplanade offers, as a bonus, a fine viewpoint over the city. It is an unusual and endearing stop, to be discovered along the walk on the plateau.

Practical information

The Gros Caillou is on the esplanade of the same name, on the plateau of the Croix-Rousse, in Lyon. It can be contemplated freely at all hours and on the level; the esplanade offers a viewpoint over the city.

Where does the Gros Caillou come from?

It is a quartzite come from the Alps, transported by the glaciers some one hundred and forty thousand years ago, discovered in 1861.

What legend surrounds the Gros Caillou?

It is said to be the stone heart of an unscrupulous bailiff, as a metaphor for inhumanity.