In 1536, by virtue of a privilege granted by François I, Lyon became the only general silk warehouse authorized in the Kingdom of France. The "silk, gold and silver weavers" then settled in the Saint-Georges district of Old Lyon. Taking up the technical improvements of Vaucanson, Falcon and Philippe de Lasalle, JM Jacquard, at the beginning of the 19th century, invented his famous loom, operating on a punched card system.

The Croix-Rousse hill then saw the construction of buildings specially designed to accommodate new machines, the famous noise of which would gradually disappear. At the Saint-Georges silk factory, you can discover a still-active weaving workshop and its silk shop.