English
Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseille, France. Photo by lcs _vgt -Unsplash
Top 10 Amazing Facts about Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is an important part of the Lyon cityscape, and you’d be a fool not to visit it. Gérard Collomb, a former mayor, calls it a “treasure of humanity.” With one of the best views in the city, it admittedly brings multiple of people who come to celebrate Mary and the paraphernalia of Christianity.
Then there are those who hike up there for a lively morning walk to lord it over the spectacular view and feel classy and elegant.
The Notre-Dame de Fourvière Basilica (French: Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière) is a minor basilica in Lyon. Between 1872 and 1896, it was built with private funds in a commanding position facing the city. Its location was once Trajan’s Roman forum, the forum vetus (old forum), hence its name (as an inverted corruption of the French Vieux-Forum).
1.Here is why the Notre-Dame de Fourvière Basilica is well known
The beautiful white Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere, also known as the upside-down elephant by locals, sits on the top of Fourvière hill, aka the ‘praying hill,’ in Lyon’s 5th district, where the world of Catholics meets vestiges of Ancient Rome.
Fourvière has become a symbol of Lyon, attracting over 2 million tourists per year from its dominant position towering over the city below with numerous different viewpoints.
Fourvière basilica, designed by Pierre Bossan, draws inspiration from both Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, two non-Gothic models that were unusual at the time. It’s actually two churches stacked on top of each other.
2.A truly stunning location to take a trip by yourself or with companions
The basilica, like the Sacré Coeur of Montmartre in Paris, was built with private funds between 1872 and 1884. These were both triumphalist landmarks erected to thank God for the victory over the socialists in the famous “Communes,” as well as symbols erected to root out modern France’s sins.
The Fourvière Basilica, which houses spectacular mosaics, gorgeous stained glass, and a crypt of Saint Joseph, is a spectacular tourist attraction to tour in Lyon, and the view from the esplanade is awe inspiring.
Saint Thomas Chapel, the Virgin Mary, the aforementioned scenic esplanade, the statue of the archangel Saint Michael, and the lovely Rosary Garden are all part of the basilica complex.
3.Devoted to Mary, who delivered Lyon from the grip of the Black Death
Notre-Dame de Fourvière is devoted to the Virgin Mary, who is said to have saved Lyon from the Black Death in 1643. Lyon thanks the Virgin every year on December 8th by lighting candles throughout the city and illuminating walls and structures in an LED extravaganza.
It’s called Fête des Lumières, or the Festival of Lights, and despite its religious roots, it’s become a must-see international event. The gilded Virgin Mary sits atop Fourvière’s bell-tower, warding off other undesirables from Lyon.
She, for instance, resisted a Cholera epidemic in 1832 and stopped a Prussian invasion during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Lady on the go. She’s also in the basilica.
4.Consider the architectural features of the Basilica
The eight lateral chapels in the Basilica’s abutments depict episodes from Mary’s life, each with an altar, an altarpiece, and a pediment decorated by a different sculptor.
The six wall mosaics are also dedicated to her, and the six stained-glass windows designed by Georges Decôte depict various aspects of the Virgin Mary’s royalty in Heaven. The three cupolas depict Mary as one of the Holy Trinity’s three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
5.Key features that are incredibly outstanding and why you should visit
They represent her communion with God as well as her eternal bliss. Oh yes. Inside the basilica, there is strife. It has the ability to impress and astonish. The upper sanctuary’s over-the-top ornate style is the first thing that strikes you, a result of 19th-century France’s exaggerated enthusiasm for ecclesiastic embellishment.
6.Key features that are incredibly outstanding and why you should visit
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. Photo by Myriam Olmand -Unsplash
There are 11 of them, nine of which represent historical heresies. The statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking these heresies, doctrines of Christian origin contrary to the Catholic faith and condemned by the Church, evokes the symbolic triumph of good over evil in the Basilica.
7.Bossan wants to show Mary’s strength and triumph in fighting the heresy
Bossan wishes to demonstrate Mary’s courage and triumph in the face of heresy. He places the heresies at her feet, each one represented by a different animal. The debate began when the sin of ‘Lutherism’ was mentioned. It was soon cleared up, however, when Philippe Barbarin apologized to the Protestant members at an inter-religious event in 2005. Sorry about that.
8.The Garden of the Rosary
Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseille, France. Photo by lcs _vgt -Unsplash
The Rosary Gardens are located directly beneath the Basilica. They were built as part of Bossan’s plan to separate this place of prayer from the madness of the city. The Maison de Lorette, where Pauline Jaricot lived, is located at the bottom of the gardens.
It’s well worth seeing. In the nineteenth century, she was a prominent figure in the Propagation of Faith and the founder of the Universal Living Rosary Association.
Whatever you do, these gardens provide pure escapism as you wind your way from Vieux Lyon to the Basilica.
9.Visitor Tips for first time visitors to the Fourviere Basilica
- In the Restaurant de Fourvière, sip a glass of crisp white wine. Why not complement the panoramic view with some foie gras?
- To get to Fourvière, take the funicular railway. Only one word? Fun.
- If you want to buy your own upside-down elephant, there are two souvenir shops waiting for you
10.Notre-Dame de Fourvière Shrine
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. Photo by Myriam Olmand -Unsplash
The Chapelle de la Vierge, to the left of the Basilica, is topped with a statue of Mary.
Fourvière has always been a popular pilgrimage site. Since 1170, there has been a shrine dedicated to Our Lady in Fourvière.
The chapel and parts of the building have been rebuilt over the centuries, with the most recent major work taking place in 1852, when the former steeple was replaced by a tower topped by a golden statue of the Virgin Mary sculpted by Joseph-Hugues Fabisch (1812–1886).
On July 23, 1816, twelve Marist aspirants, priests, and seminarians climbed the hill to Our Lady of Fourvière’s shrine and pledged to found the Society of Mary (Marists) beneath the corporal on the altar.
On September 30, 1821, André Coindre and ten others took private vows in the chapel, establishing the Fratres a Sacratissimo Corde Iesu (Brothers of the Sacred Heart), a Roman Catholic religious community primarily dedicated to the education of youth.
Peter Julian Eymard was inspired to found the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament after praying at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fourvière on January 21, 1851. When Lyon was spared in the Franco-Prussian War (1870), the community pledged to construct the current Basilica alongside the ancient chapel.
