Lyon Cathedral (french: link=no, Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon) is a Roman Catholic church located on

Place Saint-Jean The Place Saint-Jean is an old pedestrian square in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon (a.k.a. the "vieux Lyon", which means the oldest borough of Lyon). It is located in front of the Roman Catholic cathedral of Saint-Jean. The square belongs to the ...

in central Lyon, France. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Lyon. Begun in 1180 on the ruins of a 6th-century church, it was completed in 1476. Despite its long construction time, it has a relatively consistent architectural style. In 1998, the building, along with other historic sites in the center of Lyon, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

History

The cathedral was founded by Saint Pothinus and Saint Irenaeus, the first two bishops of Lyon. The cathedral is also known as a "Primatiale" because in 1079 the Pope granted to the archbishop of Lyon the title of Primate of All the Gauls with the legal supremacy over the principal archbishops of the kingdom. It is located in the heart of the old town ('' Vieux Lyon'') and it backs up to the Saône river, with a large plaza in front of it and a metro stop nearby providing easy access to and from the city center.

Patiens of Lyon Patiens of Lyon was bishop of Lyon in the 5th century and recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. He succeeded Bishop Eucherius (November 16 † 449), and died on September 11 before 494, the year in which his second successor Rusticius ...

, who was bishop around 450 AD, built a new cathedral, dedicated to Saint Stephen. Later, in the seventh century, a baptistery dedicated to Saint John was constructed as an accessory building to the church. The Church of St. Croix was also near. This location later became the site of the ''Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste''. In 1245, the cathedral hosted the

First Council of Lyon The First Council of Lyon (Lyon I) was the thirteenth ecumenical council, as numbered by the Catholic Church, taking place in 1245. The First General Council of Lyon was presided over by Pope Innocent IV. Innocent IV, threatened by Holy Roman ...

. In 1819

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...

sketched a study of the cathedral as seen from the heights of the Fourvière Hill."Cathedral of Saint Jean-Baptiste, Lyon, from the Fourvière Hill", Tate
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Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is es ...

used the cathedral for the setting of his painting "Ceremony of Ordination at Lyon Cathedral."

Festival of Light

Each December, Lyon holds an annual Festival of Lights. The tradition dates to 1643, when on 8 December the people of Lyon would place a lit candle in the window, a custom still maintained by many residents to this day. During the festival, a choreographed lighting display appears on the façade of the cathedral.

Description

The building is 80 meters long (internally), 20 meters wide at the choir, and 32.5 meters high in the nave. The apse and choir are of Romanesque design; the nave and façade are Gothic. Noteworthy are the two crosses to right and left of the altar, preserved since the

Second Council of Lyon :''The First Council of Lyon, the Thirteenth Ecumenical Council, took place in 1245.'' The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, Kingdom of Arl ...

of 1274 as a symbol of the union of the churches, and the Bourbon chapel, built by the Cardinal Charles II, Duke of Bourbon, and his brother

Pierre de Bourbon Peter II, Duke of Bourbon (1 December 1438 – 10 October 1503 in Moulins), was the son of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon, and Agnes of Burgundy, and a member of the House of Bourbon. He and his wife Anne of France ruled as regents during the minor ...

, son-in-law of Louis XI, a masterpiece of 15th century sculpture. The cathedral also has the

Lyon Astronomical Clock The Lyon astronomical clock is a seventeenth-century astronomical clock in Lyon Cathedral. History and description The 9 metre tall clock is installed in the cathedral of Lyon. An astrolabe indicates the date and position of the Moon, Sun, and ...

from the 14th century. The cathedral organ was built by Daublaine and Callinet and was installed in 1841 at the end of the apse and had 15 stops. It was rebuilt in 1875 by Merklin-Schütze and given 30 stops, three keyboards of 54 notes and pedals for 27. Until the construction of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, it was the pre-eminent church in Lyon. Renowned organist Edouard Commette served as the resident organist for most of the first half of the 20th century.

Burials

Cardinal Foulon Joseph-Alfred Foulon (29 April 1823 – 23 January 1893) was a French Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Lyon. Life Foulon was born in Paris and studied in the Saint-Sulpice Seminary. He was ordained priest on 18 December 1847 in Paris, ...

Cardinal Gerlier Pierre-Marie Gerlier (14 January 1880 – 17 January 1965) was a French Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archdiocese of Lyon, Archbishop of Lyon from 1937 until his death, was Primate of Gaul and was ...

Gallery

File:Lyon 05 - Primatiale Saint-Jean - PA00117785 - Face.JPG, The front elevation of the cathedral File:Saint-Jean de Lyon.jpg, Interior of the cathedral File:Cath. St Jean (3).JPG, Front elevation of the cathedral by night during Festival of Lights (Lyon) File:Three sights Lyon.JPG, Exterior, overlooked by the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière

Sources

* Association Cathédrale de Lyon ''Primatiale Saint John'' n.d.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyon Cathedral 5th arrondissement of Lyon Roman Catholic cathedrals in France Roman Catholic churches in Lyon World Heritage Sites in France Articles containing video clips Roman Catholic churches completed in 1480 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France