Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Gallo-Roman Museum of Fourvière, formerly called Lugdunum Museum and Roman Theatres since 2017, is a space dedicated to Lyon archaeology, located on the hill of Fourvière, the historic heart of the Roman city of Lugdunum. Founded officially in 1975 after decades of aborted projects, it succeeds the Antiquarium, an archaeological repository created in the 1930s to house the remains discovered during excavations of Roman theatres. The current building, designed by architect Bernard Zehrfuss, is discreetly integrated into the hill, offering a spiral museum walk on three levels, with views of the adjacent theatres and the area.

The museum's collections come mainly from the Lyon excavations, covering a period from Prehistory (a flint tool, deer wooden sheath) to Late Antiquity (III century). Among the major pieces are the Claudian Table (Speech by Emperor Claude in 48 AD), the Coligny Calendar (Gaulian calendar of the 2nd century), and remarkable mosaics such as the Circus Games. The museum highlights everyday life, the cults (Cybels, Mithra, Isis), crafts (glass, ceramics, tabletry) and the political organization of Lugdunum, capital of the Three Gauls and commercial and religious hub.

The history of the museum is marked by key steps: the transformation of the Abbey of the Ladies of Saint Peter into an archaeological repository in 1802, the creation of the Antiquarium in 1938, and its closure in 1969 to give way to the current project. Bernard Zehrfuss, in collaboration with curator Amable Audin, designs an innovative museum, buried and open to the landscape, breaking with traditional museums. Since 2017, the museum has integrated Roman theatres into its journey, strengthening its anchor in the ancient site. The attendance, which has been increasing since 2024 (170,000 visitors), reflects its attractiveness, complemented by a million annual visitors for open-access theatres.

The museum also plays a scientific role, with a documentation centre of 8,000 books, teams dedicated to conservation, mediation (disability, young audiences) and research. His temporary exhibitions, such as Lugdunum, a history of games (2023) or AQUA, the invention of the Romans (2022), explore various themes related to antiquity. Finally, the museum manages several associated archaeological sites, including the thermal baths of the rue des Farges and the Saint-Laurent necropolis, consolidating its status as a reference for the study of Roman Gaul.

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