The church of Saint-Just (french: Église Saint-Just) or Saint-Just of the Maccabees church ('), is a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

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. It is located at 41 rue des Farges, in Lyon and until 2014, the church hosted the "French-speaking Orthodox parish of the Holy Encounter", a parish of the Orthodox Byzantine rite dependent on the patriarchate of Constantinople. It was built around 1565 to replace the original Basilica of Saint Justus which had been destroyed in 1562 by the Huguenot captain François de Beaumont. The church is now part of the Parish of Saint-Just-Saint-Irénée. The church was the site of the coronation of

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Clement V Pope Clement V ( la, Clemens Quintus; c. 1264 – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his de ...

1305 Year 1305 ( MCCCV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * April 30 – Co-Emperor Michael IX (Palaiologos) invites Roger de Flor, Ita ...

History

After the destruction of the original Basilica of Saint Justus in 1562 by the Huguenot captain François de Beaumont, the canons decided to rebuild their collegiate church within the walls of the city. The two sites are 200 meters apart—one of the few examples of churches rebuilt at such a distance. Construction began in 1565 and continued till 1663—at first rapidly, as the canons of the basilica wanted to celebrate a Mass by Christmas 1565—then slowed down for lack of money. The church was consecrated in 1591 by Archbishop Épinac. The chapter was abolished in 1791, during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, when the church sustained much damage.L'Eglise Saint-Just
, in French, at PatrimoineLyon.org]. Retrieved 18 August 2020 Restored in 1830, the church is now part of the Parish of Saint-Just-Saint-Irénée. The organ, built in 1921, was restored in 1972. Acoustics at Saint-Just are excellent, and many concerts of sacred music and choral singing are held there.

Architecture

The Neoclassical facade was designed by Ferdinand-Sigismond Delamonce and dates to the early 18th century. It bears was an inscription that recalls the dedication of the ancient basilica to the Maccabees : ''Machabaeis primo deinde sancto iusto'' (For the Maccabees first then St Just). In 1828, sculptor Jean-François Legendre-Héral produced the statues of St.

Irenaeus Irenaeus (; grc-gre, Εἰρηναῖος ''Eirēnaios''; c. 130 – c. 202 AD) was a Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the dev ...

and St.

Justus Justus (died on 10 November between 627 and 631) was the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury. He was sent from Italy to England by Pope Gregory the Great, on a mission to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native paganism, probably arrivin ...

at either end of the façade. He also provided two bas reliefs, one representing the martyrdom of St. Irenaeus and the other the translation of the relics of Saint-Just. The nave can accommodate 400 people.

Artworks

During the demolition of the old basilica, portraits of past bishops of Lyon were found buried in the ancient basilica of Saint-Just. The choir has a painting of the Annunciation by Hyacinthe Collin de Vermont and a Nativity by Hughes Taraval. The stained glass windows depicting the life of Saint-Just and

early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewis ...

in Lyons which dates from the 19th century. The church is classified as historical monuments since 1980. Eglise Saint-Just

References

External links

Paroisse catholique Saint Irénée - Saint Just
- parish website {{coord, 45.7559, N, 4.8204, E, source:wikidata, display=title Roman Catholic churches in Lyon Roman Catholic churches completed in 1663 Monuments historiques of Lyon 5th arrondissement of Lyon 1663 establishments in France Churches used by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France