Located to the north of the town, near the north entrance to Salvatierra, the church of Santa María is a temple-fortress that once formed part of the wall. It was built between the late 15th and early 16th century on top of an earlier church, and has excellent stalls. It belongs to the late Gothic.The core is rectangular, with three naves. The central nave stands out, wider and taller than the rest.The sacristy is from the late 17th century, spacious, simple and with a beautiful balcony. The main entrance is Gothic, from the early 16th century, and is topped by a 17th century steeple.
Inside, the front of the wonderful, richly decorated Plateresque choir is dominated by a large crest of Emperor Charles V. The main altarpiece is a masterpiece by Renaissance artist Lope de Larrea.The church of Santa María also has outstanding images such as the Virgin of the Rosary, Mary Magdalene and Andra Mari de Sailurtegi. The organ is an outstanding piece from 1806, by Manuel Antonio de Carvajal.
References:The Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls was part of the federal sanctuary of the three Gauls dedicated to the cult of Rome and Augustus celebrated by the 60 Gallic tribes when they gathered at Lugdunum (Lyon). The amphitheatre was built at the foot of the La Croix-Rousse hill at what was then the confluence of the Rhône and Saône.
Excavations have revealed a basement of three elliptical walls linked by cross-walls and a channel surrounding the oval central arena. The arena was slightly sloped, with the building"s south part supported by a now-vanished vault. The arena"s dimensions are 67,6m by 42m. This phase of the amphitheatre housed games which accompanied the imperial cult, with its low capacity (1,800 seats) being enough for delegations from the 60 Gallic tribes.
The amphitheatre was expanded at the start of the 2nd century. Two galleries were added around the old amphitheatre, raising its width from 25 metres to 105 metres and its capacity to about 20,000 seats. In so doing it made it a building open to the whole population of Lugdunum and its environs.