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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-Nicolas de Givors, located in Place de l'Église in the Rhône department, was built in 1820 on the plans of architect-voyer Jacques Vanginaud, thanks to the donation of land and funds by Nicolas-Joseph-Henri Bolot, mayor from 1815 to 1827 and master glassmaker. Dedicated to the boss of the boatmen of the Rhône, it responded to the inadequacy of the existing churches for a growing population, linked to the flourishing industrial activity of the city.

Between 1891 and 1893, the building was thoroughly redesigned by the Lyon architect Joseph-Étienne Malaval, a pupil of Clair Wesseur. The Greco-Roman style was affirmed, with a symmetrical towered façade inspired by Saint Vincent de Mâcon Cathedral, and an interior mixing neo-Byzantine details (overpassed arches) and neo-Romans (foliage vaults). A local technique using industrial residues, the chewing walls bear witness to this period.

The church houses an exceptional set of 17 19th century glass windows, signed by master glassmakers such as Lucien Bégule (Lyon) or Émile Thibaud (Clermont-Ferrand). Four paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries (including two listed historical monuments: the blind-born Christ of Daniel Sarrabat, 1730, and the Adoration of the Shepherds of Henri Houyez, 1626) complete this heritage. The Merklin organ (1865), classified in 1986, and the stained glass windows (protected in 1991) underline its artistic importance.

The protection of the building was delayed: the windows were classified in 1991, but the church itself was not listed for historical monuments until January 2025. Recent restorations (since 2020 for stained glass windows, facade works in 1990) have preserved its authenticity, such as the rehabilitation of terracotta tiles and false-jointed coatings.

Architecturally, the church is distinguished by its basilical (nave and collateral) plane, its non-overhanging transept, and its apse in hemicycle. The neo-classical exterior, marked by a double-colonnade, contrasts with a sober but decorated interior, where the consoles of the double arches combine neo-byzantine and neo-Roman influences. This monument thus embodies both Givors' religious, industrial and artistic heritage.

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