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Origin and history

The Saint-Georges church in Lyon is a Catholic place of worship located in the Old Lyon district, dependent on the parish of the Saint-Jean primatia. The current neo-Gothic building was built by architect Pierre Bossan between 1844 and 1845. It occupies the site of a primitive church founded in the 6th century by Sacerdos under the name of Saint Eulalie, then dedicated to Saint Georges after its restoration by Leidride around the year 800.

In the Middle Ages, the church was surrounded by the parish cemetery in the 11th or 12th centuries and became a central place for the community. The knights of the order of St John of Jerusalem settled there in the 13th century, linking the church to their command. The building underwent several restorations, notably at the end of the 15th century by Humbert de Beauvoir, who embellished the choir and placed his weapons.

During the French Revolution, the church was closed in 1792 and its bell tower collapsed in 1796. Declared national, it was rebuilt from 1842 after a period of degradation. Disused between the 1970s and 1989, she was entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, who celebrated the Lyon rite there. Since 2006, it has become a diocesan parish, served by former priests of the Fraternity.

The present church preserves traces of its medieval history, including its location on the former command of the knights of Saint John. Archaeological excavations have confirmed that the current building is superimposed on primitive churches. Its neo-Gothic architecture and its role in preserving the Lyon rite make it an emblematic monument of Lyon's religious heritage.

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