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Origin and history

The church Saint-Maurice de Couzon-au-Mont-d'Or is a Catholic building located 10 km north of Lyon, in the metropolis of the same name. Its current construction, carried out between 1855 and 1876 by architects Pierre Bossan and Wilhelm Léo, replaces an older building attested by the fourteenth century, but whose origins probably date back to the twelfth century. The building, in a neo-Roman style, is distinguished by its arrangement of local golden and limestone stones, as well as its Romanesque tile cover, rare for this type of monument. Its sculpted portal and narrow arched windows highlight a revisited medieval inspiration.

The square bell tower, adjacent to the church, is the former southeast tower of a 13th century castle that has now disappeared. Integrated into an earlier church, it houses a bell of the sixteenth century still in operation, completed in 1840 by five other bells melted by Gideon Morel. Built of couzon stones more rustic than the rest of the building, it features characteristic polychrome windows and bolt holes. Ranked a historic monument since 1927, it bears witness to the architectural stratification of the site, between medieval heritage and modern reconstruction.

Consecrated in 1889 by Archbishop Joseph-Alfred Foulon, the present church is dedicated to Saint Maurice and his companions, as indicated by a Latin inscription on his pediment. Its massive plan, rectangular up to the transept barely salient, and its semi-cylindrical apse of equivalent height reflect the rigorous style of Bossan. The decorative mâchicoulis of the apse and the side feasts add an aesthetic defensive dimension. The ensemble, owned by the commune, was fully listed as historical monuments in 2021, including the remains of the adjacent castral enclosure.

Local materials, such as gold-dyed Couzon stones or traditional canal tiles, anchor the building in its territory. The contrast between the rough stone of the medieval bell tower and the regular apparatus of the 19th century nave illustrates technical and stylistic developments. The church, open to the public, is part of a landscape marked by the proximity of Lyon and the religious history of the region, where the Theban Legion – of which Saint Maurice – plays a strong symbolic role.

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