The Église Saint-Polycarpe (, ''Church of St. Polycarp'') is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located in the

1st arrondissement of Lyon The 1st arrondissement of Lyon () is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon. It is located below the hill of Croix-Rousse and on the north part of the Presqu'île formed by the Saône and the Rhône, the two rivers in Lyon. Thi ...

, on the slopes of

La Croix-Rousse La Croix-Rousse () is a hill high in the city of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a neighborhood located on this hill. The neighborhood is divided into ''les pentes'' (slopes, belonging to the city's 1st arrondissement) and ''le plateau'' ( ...

, between rue René Leynaud,

rue Burdeau The Rue Burdeau () is a street located in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, at the bottom of the slopes of La Croix-Rousse, just above the Église Saint-Polycarpe, between the Saône and the Rhône. It leads at one side to the Montée Saint-Sébas ...

and passages Mermet and Thiaffait. It is the oldest church of the

Oratory of Saint Philip Neri The Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri (), abbreviated C.O. and commonly known as the Oratorians, is a Catholic Church, Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men (priests and Religious brother, religious brot ...

History

The church, built by the Oratorians installed on the slopes, was completed in 1670, with the exception of the façade that was built in 1756 by architect Toussaint Loyer who also lengthened the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. On 19 June 1791, the Oratory Church became a parish church and took the name of St. Polycarp, as a tribute to

Polycarp Polycarp (; , ''Polýkarpos''; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian Metropolis of Smyrna, bishop of Smyrna. According to the ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his bo ...

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

, master of

Saint Pothinus Saint Pothinus (; 87 - c. 177) was the first bishop of Lyon and the first bishop of Gaul. He is first mentioned in a letter attributed to Irenaeus of Lyon. The letter was sent from the Christian communities of Lyon and Vienne to the Roman prov ...

and

Irenaeus Irenaeus ( or ; ; ) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology by oppos ...

, who were the first two bishops of Lyon. The heart of Pauline-Marie Jaricot, founder of the

Society for the Propagation of the Faith The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (Latin: ''Propagandum Fidei'') is an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns in mission areas. The society was founded in Lyon, France, in ...

, currently remains in a chapel of the church. The church has a famous organ, built by Augustine Zeiger in 1841. Adrien Rougier was the titular organist of the church from 1932 to 1945. The previous organ (built in 1722) had been in a significant state of disrepair for several years before François Mensongueé, a prominent French composer and organist of the church since 1826, commissioned it to be replaced in 1837. In 1982, the church was classified as

monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

Architecture

The church has a facade decorated with four Corinthian pilasters topped by a triangular

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. Louis Janmot made the painting depicting the

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...

which is placed in the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

Photos

Image:Lyon Eglise St-Polycarpe Porte.jpg, Tympanum of the front door Image:Lyon église St-Polycarpe Détail de la façade.jpg, Cherub of the

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

of the front window

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eglise Saint-Polycarpe Roman Catholic churches completed in 1670 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France 1st arrondissement of Lyon Roman Catholic churches in Lyon Monuments historiques of Lyon 1670 establishments in France