Fr Frank continues his journey through France, visiting the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Lyon, or the Lyon Cathedral, famed for its stunning architecture. The cathedral was built on the ruins of a former 6th century church that occupied the same site with the construction dating from 1180 to 1476. The Cathedral is located in the heart of Vieux Lyon. Romanesque and Gothic in its style, it has weathered religious wars, renovation work and political discord, to become one of the most important symbols in Lyon.
The first photograph (on the left) shows the Cathedral of Lyon which is called the ‘Primatiale’. The reason for this is that Lyon is traditionally the Primatial See of France. It is much older than Paris despite Paris’ present prominence. It goes back to the second century and one of the first Christian communities in what today we know as France. It was the See of the famous St Ireneus about whom I wrote last year in the bulletin. The Cathedral has recently been renovated and the original pink marble with which it was built has been brought back to its proper colour. There are many Roman ruins in Lyon as it was the major Roman capital city of Gaul.
The second photograph (centre) is a somewhat faded plaque on the wall of the Cathedral commemorating one of the two Ecumenical Councils that were held in Lyon in the Middle Ages. On his way to the one commemorated in this plaque, St Thomas Aquinas died and St Bonaventure died during it. They would have been great losses to the functioning of the Council. The fact that Ecumenical Councils were held there shows the importance of the city at that time.
The photograph above shows the Sanctuary of the Cathedral. Until the 19th century the Church of Lyon and its surrounding area had its own form of the liturgy. It was called the Lyonese rite. It had a lot of similarity to the Roman rite but with its own characteristics. There are still traces of the ancient rite in their present practices. You will notice a circular railing around the altar which goes back to such customs.
The final photograph (on the right) was part of an exhibition of a contemporary artist’s works in the Cathedral while I was there. They were hung around the central nave of the Cathedral. The exhibition was called “Visages de L’Ame” or images of the soul. There were 14 of them and they were in a vague parallel to the Stations of the Cross. The one pictured here is that placed in Our Lady’s chapel in the Cathedral. The artist was Patrick Marques.
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Laura Facci says:
Thank you Father Frank for sharing your photos &commentary while in France. Very interesting
Laura