Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Barthélemy de Grézieu-le-Marché replaces a first building built in 1824-1825, criticized for its north-south orientation, its choir considered inlegant and its isolated bell tower. Despite its ability to accommodate parishioners, it became too small in 1880 for a growing population. Demolished in 1886, only its tower remained until 1913, the year of its definitive destruction with the walls of the nearby cemetery.

Fr. Séon, parish priest from 1880 onward, started the construction of a new church, convincing his parishioners to finance the project themselves without subsidies. The Lyon architect Saint-Marie Perrin, a disciple of Pierre Bossan (conceptor of the Basilica of Fourvière), drew up plans for a Romano-Byzantine building. The work began in 1881 after a solemn blessing, but had to deal with technical constraints, such as the creation of a crypt to compensate for a rise.

The first phase was completed in April 1886, allowing the opening to worship and the demolition of the old church. The site ended in August 1887, followed by an official consecration on 18 May 1889 by Cardinal Foulon. Interior, richly decorated, was renovated in 1999. The church is distinguished by its twelve columns symbolizing the apostles, its stained glass windows of Lucien Bégule (16 chronologically ordained saints), and a lateral altar representing Abbé Séon offering the monument.

The Romano-Byzantine style, popular at the time, merges Arab and Assyrian motifs, such as the winged bulls of the porch. Local materials (red granite, Volvic stone) and re-used elements (seventh century communion tables, Lyon stalls) underline its historical anchor. The carillon of eight bells, installed in 1887, and the mosaics of the choir (Mora House) complete this remarkable ensemble.

The church houses classified objects, such as a bentier of 1663 and baptismal fonts of 1845, financed by a bequest of Claude Benoît Crozier. His cross path in ground paintings and his carved confessionals illustrate a dense religious symbolism, inherited from the school of Bossan. Today, it remains a major testimony of the 19th century Rhônalpine religious architecture.

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