The Church of Saint-Nizier (French: ''Église Saint-Nizier'') is a church in the
Presqu'île
The Presqu'île (literally a combination of the French words "presque" and "île" for almost and island, respectively)''Le petit Robert de la langue française'' 2007 is the central part of the City of Lyon, France. Extending from the foot of th ...
district of
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, in the
2nd arrondissement, between the
Place des Terreaux
The Place des Terreaux is a square located in the centre of Lyon, France, on the Presqu'île between the Rhône and the Saône rivers, at the foot of the hill of La Croix-Rousse in the 1st arrondissement. It borders both the Hôtel de Ville and ...
and the
Place des Jacobins
The Place des Jacobins is a square located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. It was created in 1556 and a fountain was added in 1856. The square belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. According to Jean Pelletier, this sq ...
. Its name refers to
Nicetius of Lyon
Saint Nicetius (Nicetus, Nicet or Nizier) (513 – 2 April 573) was Archbishop of Lyon, then Lugdunum, France, during the 6th century. He served from 552 or 553. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Life
Nicetius was descended ...
, a bishop of the city during the 6th century. Begun in the 14th century and only completed in the 19th century, the church contains a variety of architectural styles, ranging from the neo-Gothic spire to the classical Renaissance facade.
In 1998, it was inscribed on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...
along with other historic buildings in Lyon.
History
The first religious building on the site of the present church was a Roman monument, perhaps a temple of
Attis
Attis (; grc-gre, Ἄττις, also , , ) was the consort of Cybele, in Phrygian and Greek mythology.
His priests were eunuchs, the ''Galli'', as explained by origin myths pertaining to Attis castrating himself. Attis was also a Phrygian ve ...
, whose worship was probably the cause of the Christian persecution in Lyon from 177. In the 5th century, according to tradition,
Eucherius of Lyon
Eucherius (c. 380c. 449) was a high-born and high-ranking ecclesiastic in the Christian church in Roman Gaul. He is remembered for his letters advocating extreme self-abnegation. From 439, he served as Archbishop of Lyon, and Henry Wace ranked h ...
, 19th bishop of Lyon, built on the ruins of the building a
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
to contain the relics of the martyrs in Lyon, tortured in 177. The church received the name "Church of Holy Apostles". In the 6th century, the bishops were buried in the church, particularly
Nicetius of Lyon
Saint Nicetius (Nicetus, Nicet or Nizier) (513 – 2 April 573) was Archbishop of Lyon, then Lugdunum, France, during the 6th century. He served from 552 or 553. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Life
Nicetius was descended ...
, the 28th bishop. The body of the latter attracted a crowd and his presumed great miracles led the church to take his name.
Saint Austregisilus was abbot here during the 7th century.
In the early 8th century, the church has been ravaged by the
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
and by
Charles Martel
Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesma ...
. It was rebuilt in the 9th century, at the behest of the bishop Leidrade.
Peter Waldo
Peter Waldo (; c. 1140 – c. 1205; also ''Valdo'', ''Valdes'', ''Waldes''; , ) was the leader of the Waldensians, a Christian spiritual movement of the Middle Ages.
The tradition that his first name was "Peter" can only be traced back to the f ...
, in the 13th century, was a parishioner. His disciples, shocked by the wealth of the church, even set fire in 1253.
From the 14th century to the late 16th century, the church was gradually rebuilt. In 1562, the notables gathered in the church, and in the 17th century, the
aldermen
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...
were elected in the nave.
It suffered the damage caused by several bands of
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
, which plundered the bishops of Lyon's tombs, then those of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
.
After the French Revolution, the church served as
flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
warehouse. In the late 18th century, the project to transform the church into a gallery was abandoned after a petition signed by 100 notables.
The sacristy was built in 1816, and the organ was installed in 1886.
The church was in the 1970s the center of a popular neighborhood. Its presence was highlighted during its
occupation by some prostitutes of the neighborhood in 1975 to express their anger towards police and social harassment.
This church has often been perceived as a place of refuge and hospitality in the city.
In the beginning in 1968, renovations undertaken by the management of the
monument historique
''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 coll ...
and the city of Lyon began, and they ended in 1998.
Architecture
The church is mainly built in the
Gothic style
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
with a
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
portal
Portal often refers to:
* Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel
Portal may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Gaming
* ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...
. Among its particularities are:
* a
crypt
A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics.
Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...
* Several side chapels
* The tomb of
Pauline-Marie Jaricot
Pauline-Marie Jaricot (22 July 1799 – 9 January 1862) was a French member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. She also was the founder of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith and the Association of the Living Rosary, Pope John XXIII rati ...
* Mosaics by Gaspard Poncet, representing the Virgin Mary and the 48 martyrs of Lyon
* A statue of the Virgin made by
Antoine Coysevox
Charles Antoine Coysevox ( or ; 29 September 164010 October 1720), was a French sculptor in the Baroque and Louis XIV style, best known for his sculpture decorating the gardens and Palace of Versailles and his portrait busts.
Biography
Coysevo ...
* A
neogothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
made after a design by Benoît
* The stale of the chapter of canons
*
Stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
es by Bégule, Gruber and Lavergne
* A 17th-century clock
* A plaque about the marriage of Frederic Ozanam
Famous people
In the 17th century, theologian
Bédien Morange was cantor and canon of Saint-Nizier. In the 19th century, the parish hosted famous spiritual people such as
Frederic Ozanam Frederic may refer to:
Places United States
* Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County
* Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County
** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community
Other uses
* Frederic (band), a Japanese r ...
, founder of the Saint-Vincent de Paul conferences, and
Pauline-Marie Jaricot
Pauline-Marie Jaricot (22 July 1799 – 9 January 1862) was a French member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. She also was the founder of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith and the Association of the Living Rosary, Pope John XXIII rati ...
, foundress of the Propagation of the Faith. The church has been directed by priests and laity of the
Emmanuel Community
The Emmanuel Community is a Catholic association of the faithful of pontifical right, founded in 1972 by Pierre Goursat and Martine Lafitte-Catta, starting from a prayer group belonging to the Catholic charismatic renewal.
History
The Emmanuel ...
since 1996.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Nizier Church
2nd arrondissement of Lyon
Roman Catholic churches in Lyon