Above Vieux Lyon is a hill atop which an historic church called Notre-Dame de Fourvière sits. The surrounding neighborhood is called Fourvière and is the site of the original Roman ruins of Lyon. People have been living on Fourvière for nearly 2,000 years.
Fourvière is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to whom is attributed the salvation of the city of Lyon from the bubonic plague, the Black Death, that swept Europe in 1643. Each year in early December (December 8, day of the Immaculate Conception), Lyon thanks the Virgin for saving the city by lighting candles throughout the city, in what is called the Fête des Lumières or the Festival of Lights.
The basilica is reached via a funicular – one of two in Lyon that are the oldest active funiculars in the world.
When you reach the top just three minutes later you come up out of the station and are face-to-face with the basilica.
But you immediately barge right past it to get to the rampart that provides a sweeping view of Lyon.
It’s strange because it doesn’t look that high, and it doesn’t take that long to get up there but once at the top the view is a big one.
And then you get to step into the basilica and are greeted with this view.
Genuinely beautiful. We’ve seen some amazing churches on this trip!
On the sides of the basilica are six gorgeous mosaics depicting biblical events.
They shone in the sunlight and rivaled the stained glass in beauty.
It was a terrific day in Lyon – really a change from the first impression coming into the railway station and made the stay in the torture chambre worth it.
