The Église Saint-Pothin (English: Church of

Saint Pothinus Saint Pothinus (; 87 - c. 177) was the first bishop of Lyon and the first bishop of Gaul. He is first mentioned in a letter attributed to Irenaeus of Lyon. The letter was sent from the Christian communities of Lyon and Vienne to the Roman prov ...

) is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

located in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

sits on the left bank of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

, in the

6th arrondissement of Lyon The 6th arrondissement of Lyon () is one of the nine arrondissements of Lyon, arrondissements of the City of Lyon. Geography This zone is served by metro lines and and tram lines and . Quarters * Les Brotteaux Streets and squares * Boul ...

, at the Place Edgar Quinet. By order of 2 May 2007, the whole church was included in the supplementary inventory of

monuments historiques () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

History

The creation of the parish of St. Pothin and the construction of the church became part of the urban development of

Les Brotteaux Brotteaux is a neighborhood in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon. It is situated between the Rhône and the track railway which leads to the Gare de la Part-Dieu. The urbanization of this area began in the late eighteenth century under the leadershi ...

district from the late 18th century. The progressive urbanization of the area followed a plan made by

Jean-Antoine Morand Jean-Antoine Morand (1727–1794) was an 18th-century French architect and urban planner whose ''plan circulaire'' (circular plan) "reimagined" the city of Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at ...

(1727-1794), an architect in Lyon, and Saint-Pothin was one of the structural elements of the new plan. A chapel was opened in 1818, but Les Brotteaux district decided to create a branch of La Guillotière district placed under the patronage of St. Pothin, due to pressure from the notables and responding to the special concern of the

Archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called Primate o ...

. The royal ordinance of 21 June 1826 allowed this project to be materialized, thus facilitating the project of church construction and financing. The parish boundaries were established in 1827, however.

Canut The canuts () were Lyonnais silk workers, often working on Jacquard looms. They were primarily found in the Croix-Rousse neighbourhood of Lyon in the 19th century. Although the term generally refers to Lyonnais silk workers, silk workers in th ...

s smashed the doors of the old church in 1831. In 1835, the Hospices Civils de Lyon made a gift of land and a contest was organized by the city fathers of La Guillotière. Christophe Crépet (1807-1856), Lyon architect of La Guillotière and former student of the

École des Beaux-Arts de Paris The (), formally the (), is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level fine arts education and training. The art school, which is part of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is located on two sites: Saint-G ...

, was the winner. He proposed a neoclassical style, that was partially carried out from June 1841 to 1843 as the budget, largely undervalued, was tripled. For economic reasons, this led to an adjournment of the church decoration (many statues of saints were planned, but the project was finally abandoned) and the use of inferior materials, which begat architectural disorder. The church was opened on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

of 1843. Architect of Lyon city

Tony Desjardins Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony the Tiger, cartoon mascot for Frosted Flakes cereal * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * ...

in 1867, then architect Claudius Porte in 1874 and 1876-1877, directed restoration campaigns.

Architecture

This church has a neoclassical style and looks like a Greek temple. It has a Latin cross form, and its facade has a Doric

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

, topped by a triangular

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

, and many Doric columns. Above the six columns of the facade, there are a frieze and a triangular pediment with a cross. In the interior, the

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

of the dome was done in 1893-1894 by Étienne Couvert (1856-1933) and depicts the Virgin and the twelve apostles, and there is a glass made by

Lucien Bégule Lucien Bégule (10 May 1848, Saint-Genis-Laval - 1 February 1935, Lyon) was a French stained-glass painter, archaeologist, and amateur photographer. Biography He was born to Georges Bégule (1805-1882), an auctioneer, and his wife, Stéphanie n� ...

, representing the Holy Spirit as a

dove Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

. The stained glass windows were made by Lucien Bégule's son, Émile (1880-1972), showing the founders of the Church of Lyon (

St Irenaeus Irenaeus ( or ; ; ) 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 development of Christian theology by opposing Gnostic interpreta ...

St Polycarp Polycarp (; , ''Polýkarpos''; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body. Polycarp is regar ...

St Blandina Saint Blandina (, c. 162–177 AD) was a Christian martyr who died in Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France) during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Context In the first two centuries of the Christian era, it was the local Roman officials who we ...

and St Pothinus) and that of France (

St Genevieve Genevieve (; ; also called ''Genovefa'' and ''Genofeva''; 419/422 AD – 502/512 AD) was a consecrated virgin, and is one of the two patron saints of Paris in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Her feast day is on 3 January. Recog ...

St Clotilde Clotilde ( 474 – 3 June 545 in Burgundy, France) (also known as Clotilda (Fr.), Chlothilde (Ger.) Chlothieldis, Chlotichilda, Clodechildis, Croctild, Crote-hild, Hlotild, Rhotild, and many other forms), is a saint and was a Queen of the Fran ...

).There is also a 1656 painting depicting

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

in front of the

Areopagus The Areopagus () is a prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Its English name is the Late Latin composite form of the Greek name Areios Pagos, translated "Hill of Ares" (). The name ''Areopagus'' also r ...

, which was previously kept at

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

. The

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

is placed in the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

and the nave is lined aisles.

Adrien Rougier Adrien Rougier (23 June 1892 – 1 July 1984) was a French organist, organ builder, conductor and composer. Life Born in Vernaison, to a family of silk merchants in Lyon, Rougier studied the piano and then the organ with Édouard Commette, o ...

was the titular organist from 1945 to 1984.

Stained glass windows made by Bégule

File:Vitrail de St-Pothin par Bégule.jpg, St Pothin File:Vitrail de-Ste-Blandine par Bégule.jpg, St Blandina File:Vitrail de St-Irénée par Bégule.jpg, St Irenaeus File:Vitrail St-Polycarpe par Bégule.jpg, St Polycarp

References

External links

*
Official site of the organ of St. Pothin
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eglise Saint-Pothin 6th arrondissement of Lyon Roman Catholic churches in Lyon Monuments historiques of Lyon 1843 establishments in France Roman Catholic churches completed in 1843 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France Neoclassical church buildings in France