Cathedral Saint-Jean Baptiste
Lyon

Construction of Saint-Jean Baptiste Cathedral in Lyon began in the second half of the 12th century and continued until the end of the 15th century. From the 2nd century onwards, the city became one of the centres for the spread of Christianity in Gaul. The first church was built on the right bank of the Saône, in the heart of an old canonical district that had developed in the 5th century due to the early spread of Christianity.

During the second half of the 12th century, fortification work in the neighbourhood led to the construction of a new episcopal church on the site of the first. By the end of the century, the apse and choir had been built up to the height of the triforium, and the side chapels of the choir were open for worship. It was during the 13th century that the new building truly took on the scale of a cathedral. In 1274, the entire structure was covered. However, the nave did not yet occupy the space it does today. A new period of conflict brought construction to a halt, before it resumed at the beginning of the 14th century. In 1308, work began on the western section. The completion of the nave with the vaulting of the first bay and the construction of the north tower of the chevet took place throughout the 14th century. The project was completed with the construction of the south tower of the transept in the 15th century. It was during this period that most of the side chapels of the nave were built, with the exception of two dating from the first half of the 17th century. The cathedral was listed as a historic monument in 1862.

Lyon Cathedral has a unique character, drawing primarily on the antiquarian sensibility of the 12th-century “Romanesque Revival”, with its refined elegance. During construction, there was a shift towards the new Gothic aesthetic, with tastes evolving from east to west as building progressed. The cathedral is also striking for its monumental style, typical of Rhône Valley Gothic architecture (with its emphasis on horizontal lines), and for its four towers, which represent the civil and defensive power of the canons and bishop of Lyon. Since the end of the 20th century, it has been the subject of a major restoration campaign under the supervision of the State (Regional Conservation of Historic Monuments). The restoration of the exterior façades, carried out in several phases, was completed on the western façade in October 2011 (dir. Didier Repellin ACMH).

The interior restoration of the choir (2012), transept (2013) and nave (2014) was carried out under the supervision of Didier Repellin, then François Botton, ACMH (2018). The cathedral’s furnishings were redesigned by designer Andrée Putman (lighting in 2007, liturgical furniture in 2015). New stained glass windows were created for the high windows of the transept in 2013. The astronomical clock (1379) was restored in 2024 (dir. François Botton ACMH).