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Basilica of Fourvière à Lyon 5ème dans le Rhône

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Basilique
Rhône

Basilica of Fourvière

    8 Place de Fourvière
    69005 Lyon
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Basilique de Fourvière
Crédit photo : User:Chris 73 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1168
Construction of Saint Thomas Chapel
1643
Wish of the aldermen against the plague
1852
Erection of the golden statue of Mary
1870
Worship of protection during the war
1872
Construction begins
1896
Consecration of the Basilica
1998
UNESCO classification
2014
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The sanctuary, namely: the basilica in its entirety, the chapel of Our Lady including that of Saint Thomas and the intermediate buildings in its entirety; the facades and roofs of the former tower of the astronomical observatory; the facades and roofs of the square house that houses the museum as well as its courtyard and its old chapel in its entirety; the court with its fence and all its masonry elements, the esplanade with its masonry elements, the facades and roofs of the house of the Chapelans with the exception of the modern restaurant adjacent to it (partly occupying plot AL 142); the garden of the Rosary with its access stairs, the aisles and masonry elements and the parcels on which the sanctuary is located, as shown on the plan annexed to the decree, all located on the square and the hill of Fourvière (cad. AL 125, 142 to 145): by order of 25 March 2014

Key figures

Pierre Bossan - Senior Architect Designer of the neo-Byzantine style.
Louis Sainte-Marie Perrin - Architect performing Supervises the site in the absence of Bossan.
Cardinal Louis-Jacques-Maurice de Bonald - Project Initiator Promoter of the statue and basilica.
Joseph-Hugues Fabisch - Sculptor Author of the golden statue of Mary.
Joannès Blanchon - Chairman of the Fourvière Commission Driver of financing and work.
Édouard Herriot - Mayor of Lyon Maintains the private status of the basilica.

Origin and history

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, located in Lyon, is erected at the end of the 19th century on the site of the ancient Roman vetus forum, where a Marian cult developed since the Middle Ages. In the 17th century, the bishop of Lyon made a vow to the Virgin to spare the city of the plague, establishing an annual pilgrimage. This place of devotion, marked by a medieval chapel dedicated to St Thomas and then to Mary, becomes a central religious symbol for the Lyons.

In 1870, after the protection attributed to the Virgin during the Franco-German war, the project of a monumental basilica was launched under the impulse of Cardinal Bonald. Designed by architect Pierre Bossan, inspired by Sicilian and Oriental art, construction began in 1872. Bossan, forced by illness, delegates much of the work to Louis Sainte-Marie Perrin. The neo-Byzantine style of the building, with its four towers symbolizing the cardinal virtues, arouses as much admiration as criticism.

The basilica was inaugurated in 1896, although some decorative elements remained unfinished. Private property thanks to the Fourvière Commission, it escapes from the 1905 Law on the Separation of Churches and the State. Ranked a historical monument in 2014 and integrated with UNESCO's World Heritage in 1998, it now embodies a religious, architectural and cultural heritage for Lyon.

The interior, rich in mosaics and stained glass, tells Marian history and heresies, while the exterior impresses with its whiteness and imposing towers. The golden statue of the Virgin, erected in 1852, and the Feast of Enlightenment, born of a postponement of the ceremony due to the weather, reinforce its anchor in the Lyon tradition. Despite polemics, such as Luther's representation among heresies, the basilica remains a place of pilgrimage and major tourism.

The restorations, especially those of the 2000s, preserved its mosaics, its structure and statues, including that of Saint Michael, damaged by a shot. Funded by public grants and donations, these interventions highlight Lyonnais' attachment to this emblematic monument, a symbol of their identity and history.

External links