Fountain of the lion and the snake

Arriving at the Cymaise square, you will see the emblematic fountain of the lion and the snake. It is also one of the oldest in the city, created by Victor Sappey in 1839 for the inauguration of the Isère riverbanks. This is the same sculptor who created the Fountain of the Elephant, which you may have seen in Chambéry. Here, the statue represents an interesting animal metaphor inspired by an old Dauphinois proverb saying that the snake and the dragon will take Grenoble down. As a matter of fact, the Isère and the Drac are two rivers that have regularly caused severe damages to the city since Roman times. Tradition has it that at the confluence of the two rivers, the Drac is able to calm down the Isère. One could imagine that the lion represents the Drac mastering the Isère. But why depict a lion instead of a dragon? History does not provide an answer. Another interpretation could see the lion representing the city of Grenoble taming the serpent (Ysara in Old French) as a symbol of the recent efforts to channel the Isère River and better manage its floods. The fountain was symbolically placed here, opposite the Saint-Laurent footbridge, as a reminder that this was once the only way to cross the river. It also marks the entrance to the Montée de Chalemont, which was the only way to reach the road leading to Lyon until the beginning of the 17th century. The portico built over the fountain in the 1950s recalls an even more ancient event. It commemorates the foundation of Grenoble, then called Cularo, and the first bridge built over the river by the Romans in 43 BC. The inscription refers to a letter written by the governor of Gaul to Julius Caesar. This letter deserves to be carved in stone, as it is the first historical trace of the town’s existence. Times have changed, roads have developed but the Lion and Snake Fountain reminds us not to forget the past.