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Origin and history

The site called Basilical Insula or Cybèle Sanctuary is located in the ancient Fourvière district of Lyon, overlooking the Roman theatre. Discovered in 1704 with a taurobolic altar dating from the year 160, it was originally interpreted as a temple dedicated to Cybelus by the first archaeologists, including Philippe Fabia and Camille Germain de Montauzan in 1925. The latter identified thick substructions and a 53-metre wall, reinforcing the hypothesis of a sanctuary. However, the excavations of Amable Audin (1965-1978) revealed a complex stratification, with an anterior basilical insula (I century) consisting of a civil basilica and administrative premises, abandoned around 121-150, and then covered by a reservoir bound to the Gier waterworks around 120.

The research by Armand Desbat (1991-2003) challenged the cultural interpretation. According to him, the remains correspond to a rich domus transformed into a public building around 20 B.C., perhaps the Pretoire d'Agrippa or the Palace of the Governor of Lugdunum. The 2nd century reservoir, associated with the Gier's aqueduct, was destroyed around 160 for an unidentified construction, originally supposed to be the temple of Cybelus. The absence of epigraphic or statuary evidence and the dating of structures around 10 A.D. invalidate this hypothesis. The taurobolic altar of 160, the only indication of the cult of Cybelus, is not bound with certainty to the site, this cult being attested in Lyon only from Emperor Claude (41-54).

The remains, classified as Historical Monument in 1983, reveal three major phases: from dwellings in earth and wood (Bronze Age, 1150-1050 B.C.), an Augustian palace (c. 20 B.C.) to luxurious arrangements (private baths, mosaics), and an indeterminate public building (early I century). The last phase, a 63×53 m quadrilateral, may have housed a college, schola, or warehouse, but its use remains unknown. The debates between Audin, Desbat, Turcan and Pelletier illustrate the complexity of interpreting a site where 1,500 years of occupation overlap, from the Bronze Age to the Late Antiquity.

The oldest occupation, attested by an asymmetric pit containing final bronze ceramics (1150-1050 B.C.), reveals links with the Rhine-Switzerland-Eastern France culture. This isolated discovery contrasts with the later Roman phases, marked by dense urbanization and monumental constructions. The site, which is close to the ancient theatre and the Old Testament, bears witness to the strategic importance of Fourvière, the political and religious heart of Lugdunum, the capital of Gauls under the Roman Empire.

The assumptions about the final destination of the site (II century) include a macellum, a barracks, or an oriental sanctuary, but there is no tangible evidence to determine. The presence of pits filled with banquet waste suggests a collective function, perhaps linked to local elites or imperial cults. The 1983 classification protects an exceptional archaeological complex, where urban history, domestic architecture and religious issues intersect, reflecting the evolution of Lyon from the Bronze Age to the Roman climax.

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