Lyon, Basilica of Fourvière

(2 photos)
Our second visit to Lyon was on a Saturday morning. First we patronized the outdoor fruit market along the river, then the Basilica of Fourvière, constructed in the most unusual architectural style we have seen in France. Here’s a quote from the tourist brochure: “Looking down upon the old city of Lyon, the basilica of Fourvière, with its 4 crenelated towers, big buttresses, machicolations of acanthuses and lily finials, appears as a noble stronghold for protection of the big City. Outward, the characteristic is: Power, ‘Tower of David,’ the Queen’s Holy Citadel.”

Now here’s the translation: That is “tourist brochure speak” for “Great big Beautiful Church, High on a Hill, Overlooking Lyon.”

When we first entered the sanctuary our reaction was one of genuine awe. The interior is almost indescribable, so we must again quote from the tourist brochure: “The spacious nave is gleaming with golden light. Everything is ‘full of grace,’ of spell: the slender pale blue marble columns, the deeply carved cornices, the flowery cupolas sustained by angels; the enamel and gold show to advantage beautifully designed compositions. We are indeed in the palace of the greatest Queen.”
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Six wall-mounted mosaics, each sixteen by thirty-three feet, grace the walls with the most detail and color we have seen anywhere. Each tells a story, but the mosaic of Ste–Jeanne d’Arc, from Domrémy to Orléans to Reims to the stake in Rouen, is the one we found most interesting.

I didn’t have the special camera and lens needed to capture this unbelievable artwork, but the bright halo in the center of the mosaic, is Ste–Jeanne d’Arc.