The Manécanterie (English: Parish choir school) is an ancient monument situated in Lyon in Saint Jean district, in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon. It is placed side by side to the south southwest of the cathedral Saint Jean and is a part of the former convent of the cathedral. This small Romanesque building served first as dining hall to the canons of Saint Jean, before becoming a parish choir school, namely a school for the singing of the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. In 1998, it was inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

along with other notable buildings in historic Lyon as a testimony to Lyon's long history and unique architecture. The Parish choir school is probably the oldest building of Lyon, with the exception of the Roman buildings. It was built in the 11th century, in a style mixing the Gothic and Romanesque influences, but it is based on constructions of the 2nd, and 8th centuries. It was successively transformed throughout the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and the modern time, particularly because the roadway of the Place Saint Jean was raised twice. The Parish choir school, and particularly the

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

of the saints, underwent damages by the troops of François de Beaumont, baron des Adrets, during the siege of Lyon in 1562 by the

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. From the 16th to the 18th century, the building had many architectural modifications, including the drilling of Gothic windows, the addition of a floor above the

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

, the transformation of the ground floor into shops, and the filling of certain arches. In the 18th century, the building became a parish choir school, and during the French Revolution, it became the national property. In 1806, the parish bought the building to house the altar boys. The building that was to the south was destroyed in 1809 to build in its place an apartment building which was destroyed in 1866. In 1862, it 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, ...

. The current facade has a blind arcade overlaid with foliage, carried by small columns on

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

. There are red bricks arranged in a geometrical way between the arcs and above. From 1930, the building became the place of deposit, then a place of exhibition as

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

, the Trésor de la Cathédrale de Saint-Jean, established during the 19th century by the cardinals

Joseph Fesch Joseph Cardinal Fesch, Prince of the Empire (3 January 1763 – 13 May 1839) was a French priest and diplomat, who was the maternal half-uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte (half-brother of Letizia Ramolino, Napoleon's mother Laetitia). In the wake of h ...

and Louis Jacques Maurice de Bonald and which is composed of liturgical objects such as old books,

jewelry Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...

, clothing and tapestry.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manecanterie, Lyon 5th arrondissement of Lyon Museums in Lyon Romanesque architecture in France History museums in France Religious museums in France Monuments historiques of Lyon