Historic Site of Lyon

We discovered with interest a large section of the 500 hectares of Lyon which are classified as a World Heritage Site since 1998. The UNESCO declared that Lyon “bears exceptional testimony to the continuity of urban settlement over more than two millenia on a site of great commercial and strategic significance…” Lyon continues to have a cultural, political and economic significance in France and in Europe.

Lyon is layed out esthetically, and the result is a pleasure to behold. The city is known for its nighttime lighting, which shows off to its utmost every monument, every bridge, every cathedral.

The part of Lyon that is classified by the UNESCO is divided into four parts. In chronological order, one first discovers “La Fourvière,” which was built by Munatius Plancus over 2000 years ago in order to shelter the veterans of Caesar’s armies.

Then comes the old quarter of Lyon and the neighborhood of Saint Jean. Like many towns built during this epoch, the old quarter was built at the highest point in the region, allowing the townspeople to spot enemy attacks in advance and thus to protect themselves more easily. The old quarter is pointing towards the east, towards the Saône and the Rhône Rivers, which today join up in the center of modern-day Lyon.

The third part is named “the peninsula.” The rivers, especially during this epoch, constituted an advantage and an important resource. Lyon continued to grow alongside the river.

The last part of the classified site is called “The Red Cross,” which is dominated by its high buildings with their courtyards and interior passageways «see picture».

The remarkable thing about Lyon, and the principal reason for its classification as a World Heritage site, is that it was able to develop in size and importance, all the while conserving what already existed. Unlike the majority of European cities which were rebuilt on the same location, Lyon was able to preserve its original quarters and to extend towards the East because of its geography. Thus, through its architecture, we can observe each period of its evolution from ancient times until the Renaissance.

The largest part of our visit revolved around the two oldest quarters of Lyon. From the heights of the Fourvière, we were able to see the entire city and beyond. The rooftops of the old city spread out below us. Keeping watch over Lyon is the impressive Basilic. It was inaugurated in 1896 and is the work of Bossan «see picture».

At its sides, we find the chapel dedicated to the virgin of Fabish. One hundred yards farther, one can admire the Gallo-Roman amphitheater which dates to 15 B.C. and which today can welcome up to 10,000 spectators. We watched a concert there with our friend Régis. We sat on the steps of the amphitheater and listened to Misia, a Portuguese singer, in a place filled with history.

The old quarter of Lyon was built during the Renaissance. The architecture is still preserved today, but one can also see that stores, pubs, and restaurants have flourished. One cathedral that we especially liked was the Cathedral of Saint Jean, which was built between the 12th and 15th centuries and which has been very well conserved. You can see that the construction was never finished because it does not have the two belltowers, which are the finishing touches of every cathedral «see picture». In addition to its stained glass windows and its sculptures, we admired the Clock, which was built in 1383 and has conserved its internal mechanism almost completely. This is even more impressive when one considers the numerous damages inflicted upon it during religious wars and during the French Revolution. It is an outstanding example of technology during the Middle Ages, which, however, will stop functioning in 2019 because its mechanism was not made to go beyond this date «see picture». In passing behind the Cathedral, you can observe the Paleo-Christian vestiges of the churches Saint Etienne and Saint Croix.

One thousand years of architecture are to be found in the area encircled by the Opera and the Basilic of Saint Martin of Ainay and in between the Saône and the Rhône Rivers. In the center of this area, we find the Bellecour Square, which was built between 1713 and 1738 and modified under Napoleon.

The silk trade was extremely profitable for Lyon. During the Renaissance, François I and then Henri IV encouraged the opening of artisan silk workshops in Lyon to fight against the monopoly of silk in Italy. The silk trade flourished, particularly in the area of The Red Cross.

Silk was a family business and the families lived in the buildings in which they worked. The buildings were very tall so that the workers could apply the Jacquard sewing method which was invented in 1805. The silk workers were skilled artisans who worked for a silk trader who furnished them the silk. They earned little money and worked in very difficult conditions. In 1830, they worked an average of 18 hours per day. In the same year, a cholera epidemic caused a serious economic crisis.

The workers revolted the following year. The traders refused to apply the improved working conditions that the local government had decided upon. The workers constructed barricades on the hillsides of The Red Cross. The conflict between the workers and the army caused numerous deaths. The insurrection spread to every working district in Lyon. This revolt became the first model of the important social movements of the 19th century.

Around 1870, mechanical sewing methods replaced traditional methods. Little by little, during the Industrial Revolution, the silk workshops and the workers disappeared from the hills of the silk district. Fortunately for today’s generations, many people work to perpetuate the memory of these workers and their way of life.